Cortland High Students Earn Top-5 Finish in NASA HUNCH Competition

CORTLAND, N.Y. — Students at Cortland High School have earned national recognition in their first year participating in the NASA HUNCH program, finishing as semifinalists and placing among the top five teams out of roughly 500 groups nationwide.

The accomplishment reflects months of rigorous work, as students designed and developed a prototype aimed at solving real-world challenges posed by NASA. The program requires participants to complete an intensive research and development phase before presenting their projects to engineers and industry professionals.

Cortland’s team showcased its design during a Critical Design Review held at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where selected projects received votes to advance. Their work ultimately reached NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where engineering teams—including leaders involved in Artemis missions—reviewed and discussed the proposals for potential future development and testing in space.

While the team did not advance to the final stage, the project’s review by NASA engineers marks a rare and significant achievement, particularly for a first-year group. Many participating teams do not progress beyond the initial stages of the competition.

In recognition of their success, each student will receive a formal letter of recommendation from NASA, honoring their achievement as semifinalists.