Imperial Valley Launches First NASA Space Apps Challenge

EL CENTRO — The Imperial Valley joined a world group of innovators this previous weekend as Central Union High School hosted the area’s first-ever NASA International Space Apps Challenge, a worldwide hackathon the place contributors use NASA’s open information to resolve real-world issues on Earth and past.

Over the course of two days, college students, engineers and hobbyists collaborated to design initiatives centered on every little thing from local weather change and agriculture to 3D simulations of house. The occasion, coordinated by Soroptimist International of El Centro, marked a milestone for native STEM engagement, which connects Imperial Valley’s rising expertise to a world community of scientists, coders and dreamers.

Participants fashioned groups Saturday morning, Oct. 4, and labored late into the evening creating their submissions. By Sunday afternoon, Oct. 5, they introduced to a panel of judges from professors to members of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors. The prime native undertaking by Nirvana Azul Encinas, Alissa Martens and Frederico Molina earned first place and can advance to world judging. Rabi Islam, Zee Valenzuela and Ashton Havens positioned second, whereas the father-son duo Angel and Hiram Gaspar acquired honorable point out.

For native NASA Space Apps Lead Alejandra Early, the occasion was private. A former aerospace analysis scholar from Mexico, she mentioned bringing the problem to El Centro “brings an opportunity to the students that I could not find when I first arrived here.” Early added that what made the occasion particular was its inclusivity. “I believed the competition was solely going to be university students, but when I got here yesterday I realized one of the contestants was as young as 7 years old.”

A Launchpad for Local Talent

Throughout the weekend, Early watched as groups poured hours into creating and refining their concepts. “We started the competition yesterday, where the participants first-hand checked in and received the T-shirts we created,” she mentioned throughout an interview on Sunday. “After everyone was settled in, the participants were allowed to form into teams to start working on their projects that would be presented to our set of judges and submitted onto the NASA Space Apps webpage.”

She defined that the occasion’s 18 challenges have been deliberately broad, permitting for creativity past coding or information evaluation. “While someone may think that all challenges have to do with data and programming, we have a wide variety that connects with everyone,” Early mentioned. “On top of that there’s an extra challenge that allows participants to create their own challenge.”

Even extra spectacular to Early was the contributors’ work ethic. Many stayed working till 8 p.m. Saturday, returning early the subsequent morning to proceed. “I’m very impressed by many of the participants’ resilience and work ethic because it’s hard to spend two days working on a project,” she mentioned.

STEM in Action

Imperial County Supervisor Martha Cardenas-Singh, who served as one of many judges, mentioned the hackathon mirrored how far STEM schooling has are available in native colleges. “I think there’s been such a focus on STEM being taught in our education system that this is really an opportunity where students can really showcase the education and the knowledge that they’re receiving,” she mentioned. “Today gave them the experience to either work by themselves or with a team and to be able to compete and highlight their project.”

She added that it was particularly inspiring to see younger ladies collaborating. “It was great to see young ladies that took this upon themselves and that they envisioned themselves in a STEM field,” she mentioned. “So not only are they learning it, they’re modeling it and they’re able to show that women can progress in such a field.”

Collaboration and Discovery

For college students, the weekend was as a lot about teamwork because it was about innovation. Kevin Patiño, a 19-year-old math scholar at Imperial Valley College, mentioned his favourite half was the team-building expertise. “Before getting here yesterday, I really only knew one of my teammates so I have really enjoyed getting to know and connect more with my other two teammates,” he mentioned.

Another IVC scholar, Michelle Velasquez, joined final minute however discovered herself totally immersed. “I found out about this competition from the IVC STEM club and I joined really last minute, so I think the best part was meeting my teammates because I didn’t know them at all,” she mentioned. 

“Here I have been able to make great friendships where we quickly bonded on the first day and where we were able to learn interesting things about the world together,” Velasquez mentioned.

For Diego Rios, the occasion served as a turning level for native alternative. “I feel like it’s a stepping stone in bringing more STEM related events to the Imperial Valley, especially because I feel there is not much emphasis on it,” he mentioned. Eighteen-year-old Elvis Acosta agreed, saying, “There is such a lack of STEM related events here in the valley, making it underdeveloped, while STEM is so important to life and learning. This emphasis on STEM is something I hope to change for the Imperial Valley.”

Judging Innovation and Imagination

Judges have been equally impressed by the creativity and dedication of the groups. Dr. Kai-Chung Cheng, an assistant professor at SDSU Imperial Valley, famous how college students used each information and creativeness to carry their initiatives to life. “I’m really impressed by the new generation and their knowledge of things that I was not even aware of myself,” he mentioned. “For example, one team used a 3D printer to create a model to show us how we can observe what’s happening from space.”

See additionally

Fellow choose Dr. Miguel Zavala highlighted the group relevance of a number of initiatives. “For this local area, it’s obvious people are more sensitive to climate change, so they add their knowledge from that to possibly implement some kind of scientific knowledge to solve the issue here,” he mentioned. “For example, one of the teams talked about agriculture, which is incredibly relevant to the local community.”

Zavala added that occasions like Space Apps play a significant position in bridging classroom studying with scientific apply. “It helps cross the bridge between data-driven and science-based environments to what young generations can be a part of,” he mentioned. “It helps them get interested, excited, and to find role models, to hopefully one day turn into role models themselves.”

Empowering the Next Generation

For Soroptimist President Ivonne Sotomayor, serving to carry NASA Space Apps to the Imperial Valley mirrored the group’s mission to increase entry to schooling and empower ladies. 

“Our mission is to expand access to education and training — especially for women and girls — because that leads to economic empowerment,” she mentioned. “Space Apps gives girls — and the broader community—hands-on learning in coding, data, design, teamwork, and pitching.”

Sotomayor mentioned seeing the occasion come to life after only some weeks of preparation was historic and energizing. She additionally emphasised that that is just the start. “By launching Space Apps in October 2025, we showed students they can solve real problems and build careers here without leaving the community,” she mentioned. “The 2025 launch is the foundation — 2026 is about scale and full district alignment.”

“It feels historic and energizing as we watch the participants take the stage and knowing we set up a global program in a matter of weeks — made it clear our region is ready for more,” Sotomayor mentioned.