Midwestern State University’s Team Selene, which participated in the NASA SUITS (Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students) design challenge in May, received the Pay It Forward Award for their work on the challenge. The Pay it Forward Award is given to NASA Artemis Student Challenge teams for conducting exceptional hands-on STEM-related activities that had an impact on the educational journey of students and members of the community and beyond.

In the NASA SUITS challenge, college students from across the country help design user interface solutions for future spaceflight needs. Team Selene submitted a project proposal to NASA to develop and test an interface for a space suit and an interface for the lunar rover.

The Pay it Forward award acknowledges Team Selene for its achievements in the outreach component of NASA SUITS, a challenge that entails both technical and outreach domains. The broader initiative was led by Adrian Robledo, who was responsible for spearheading Midwestern State University’s participation in the challenge. The award-winning outreach effort was led by Kerry Rahimi, whose efforts in STEM engagement and media relations were central to this recognition.

Bob Brennan, dean of the McCoy College of Science, Mathematics & Engineering, said he was proud the team and what they accomplished this year. “Seeing them receive the Pay it Forward award was especially meaningful, as it embodies core values of who we are at MSU Texas – people-centered and community-engaged,” Brennan said. “Team Selene’s commitment to engaging our community in meaningful ways is inspiring and important for the future of STEM. The dedication of both the students and faculty involved is a true testament to the values we strive to uphold.”

NASA SUITS is an annual design challenge in which college students from across the country help design user interface solutions for future spaceflight needs. Team Selene was one of ten teams accepted to participate in the challenge this year. All 10 teams met at Johnson Space Center May 18-22 to showcase their work and test their software designs.

Professor of Computer Science Tina Johnson was the team’s faculty adviser. “The NASA SUITS Challenge has been an incredible experience for everyone involved,” she said. “The team quickly organized into efficient sub-teams, which met throughout the week. The time commitment and work ethic demonstrated by every team member have been both impressive and inspiring. We look forward to applying for the challenge for many years to come."

Team Selene is delighted by their success with NASA SUITS and is grateful for the opportunity to participate in the challenge. The team is already looking forward to submitting a proposal for the 2026 challenge and encourage any interested MSU Texas students to get involved in future endeavors.

Team Members were Kyle Garcia, Ethan Saenz, Carlos Polanco, Zach Barrentine, Victoria Heredia, Kerry Rahimi, Jack Tsui, Brett Mitchell, Jarette Greene, Zach Lewis, Adrian Robledo, Rykir Evans, Ryan Mathews, and Sly Rahimi.

Emeritus Professor of Computer Science Richard Simpson was also a faculty adviser.

NASA’s Artemis missions seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon and to build a sustained human presence on the moon and ultimately, Mars. This is the eighth year for the SUITS program.

Photos of their time at Johnson Space Center are available to view on their Instagram, @msutexas.selene.

Photo caption: Above, members of the NASA SUITS Team Selene from MSU Texas received the Pay it Forward award for its community outreach with STEM activities. The team is pictured with NASA personnel. Photo courtesy of NASA photographer Daniel DeHoyos.