Talented Students Compete in NASA Texas Space Grant Consortium Design Challenge

April 22, 2025 – DENTON – To mitigate muscle loss in space, astronauts exercise up to four hours in a single day. What if they could achieve similar performance outcomes with less weight in a shorter time span? A team of Texas Woman’s kinesiology students researched, designed, fabricated and tested an wearable exercise device that could potentially transform astronauts’ workouts in space flight.

The team, dubbed Team Pleiades, took second place overall at a NASA-sponsored statewide design competition. The four seniors took first place in oral presentation and third for best poster. Team members Anaya Kashikar (team lead), Clay Martin, Martha Hinojosa and Matthew Pearson received scholarships for their project.

“This team’s ability to collaborate, and their genuine care for one another, allowed them to be very competitive at the design challenge,” said Rhett Rigby, interim director of the School of Health Promotion and Kinesiology and the team’s faculty advisor.

TWU was the only kinesiology department represented at the Texas Space Grant Consortium Design Challenge, which wrapped up April 18 just outside of Houston. The majority of the 25 college teams in the competition are engineering students.

Read the full article on TWU.edu

Author Credit: TX Woman’s University | College of Health Sciences

Image Credit: TX Woman’s University | College of Health Sciences

Original Post Date: 4.22.25