Kosciusko Junior High Students among national winners in NASA TechRise Challenge

Kosciusko, MS — Mrs. Dottie Nix’s 8th grade Computer Science and Engineering students at Kosciusko Junior High School have been named one of sixty winning teams nationwide in the 2025–2026 NASA TechRise Student Challenge.

The students’ project, Agriculture in the Atmosphere (A.I.T.A), will explore how soil and seeds are affected by different environments, helping to provide insights for better crop production. As members of a small, farming-focused community, the students saw this challenge as a way to connect their local experiences with cutting-edge science and technology.

“It is an incredible honor to be selected as a NASA TechRise winner and to be recognized nationally,” said Nix. “It shows the outstanding achievements produced by the youth that comes from our small town of Kosciusko, MS. We are beyond grateful for such an amazing opportunity.”

While developing their proposal, the students learned the importance of teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and perseverance. “Students were able to get hands-on experience with real-world problems, problems that people they may know face every day,” Nix explained. “It gave students a different perspective on STEM and how it plays a major role in their future. They are excited to meet with the TechRise team to gain knowledge and go deeper into the project.”

This will be the first time many of these students have worked on such a large, hands-on technology project. “The team’s excitement comes from being able to be a part of something important,” Nix said. “Students are beginning to see that even though they are from a small town in Mississippi, they are capable of producing big dreams.”

The challenge was discovered while exploring lesson plan materials for the class. “I wanted to find something that would get them excited about learning about space and how it integrates STEM,” Nix said. “I knew they could do it, and I am so proud of the students for thinking about the needs in our community.”

Principal Eli Dew also congratulated the students: “Congratulations to Mrs. Nix’s 8th grade Computer Science and Engineering class at Kosciusko Junior High School on receiving this well-deserved award. This recognition is a reflection of the hard work, dedication, and teamwork that we embody at KJHS. Congratulations, students!”

NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge provides students with the opportunity to develop payload experiments that are supported and tested in high-altitude or suborbital flights. Kosciusko Junior High students will receive guidance from the TechRise team as they prepare their payload for flight.

For more information on NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge and participating teams, visit Future Engineers TechRise page.