MCC Stands Alone as the Only Community College to Earn Top Honors in National NASA Competition

July 10, 2025

Science projects at a community college aren’t always expected to reach beyond the classroom but that’s not the case at McLennan Community College (MCC). This spring, students from various majors at MCC concluded a year-long collaborative research project that developed ideas that could influence the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) future research and advance our understanding of the possibility of life beyond Earth. The group worked on developing innovative strategies aimed at mitigating the damaging effects of the highly-abrasive and toxic lunar sediment known as regolith. Tackling the challenges posed by regolith is critical for building long-lasting infrastructure and ensuring safe habitats on both the Moon, and eventually Mars.

The MCC team, Team Pleiades, placed second overall in the prestigious NASA Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Innovative New Designs for Space (MINDS) competition, going head-to-head with four-year universities from across the country. MCC, the only two-year college among the winners, walked away with first place in the Research Poster category, third place for Technical Paper, and second place in Overall Design, Build, and Demonstration.

“Working on this project was a massive undertaking that required the expertise of everyone on the team and made us all step outside of our comfort zone and learn new things,” Mason Vanek said. “I gained real-world knowledge on what it is like to work on an engineering project from generating a concept all the way to fabricating a prototype.”

MCC’s team consisted of students Mike Baker (Team Lead, Electrical Engineering), Kandace Brown (Mechanical Engineering), Vince Iwuze (Biomedical Engineering), Peter Newcomer (Electrical Engineering), Jordyn Winter (Mechanical Engineering), Brady Vanek (Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering), and Mason Vanek (Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering), under the guidance of professors April Andreas and Larry Benton. Participating students gained experience in applied research and design, while also sharpening the teamwork and critical thinking skills necessary for success in their respective fields.

When asked about this year-long research opportunity Team Lead Mike Baker said, “This research opportunity that I had here was the most significant that I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

Since joining the competition in 2021, MCC teams have consistently ranked among the top contenders. Past projects included the development and refinement of an anchoring device designed for microgravity environments, which earned the College multiple first-place awards in both 2022 and 2023. This year’s regolith mitigation system continued that tradition of excellence.

“I am deeply proud of our students and the outstanding faculty who supported them,” said MCC President Johnette McKown. “Their success in this prestigious NASA program reflects the leadership and commitment to excellence and innovation of our faculty and the scholarship and talent of our amazing students who outperformed their university counterparts. These students chose MCC because they desired a great education and did not want to incur many years of debt from paying university costs. They have demonstrated the wisdom and value of that decision.” 

NASA MINDS is designed to engage undergraduates from minority-serving institutions in real-world NASA mission objectives. MCC participates in the underclassman category, where any interested student, regardless of major, can join the team.