These B.C. students are the only Canadians competing in NASA's next rover design challenge
The school year just got a lot more exciting for some bright young students at Princess Margaret Secondary School in Surrey, B.C.
The LeoCraft Design Team – made up of 10 students in grades 11 and 12 – is among 72 student teams selected to compete in NASA's 2024 Human Exploration Rover Challenge.
LeoCraft will be the only Canadian team competing to design and build the best human-powered rover that can operate in space.
"I feel excited" said Jeevan Sandhu, the team lead. "(But I'm) kind of scared and nervous too because there’s a lot of work ahead of us."
Sandhu found out about the competition online last year and was determined to apply. This year, he rounded up some of his peers and successfully put his promising idea forward.
“It’s basically just bragging rights, but still, it’s winning a NASA design competition. That’s a pretty big deal. So yeah, we hope to win," he said.
The students submitted their proposal just hours before the deadline, and to their surprise, they were selected to compete.
“We know that other teams have been working on it for over a span of like four or five months. We started on it pretty late so we really didn’t have any hopes of getting in," said Jasmeet Dhaliwal, one of the team members. "When we got the email of our selection, we were honestly ecstatic."
She also highlighted the importance of female representation in STEM, as there are four girls on the team.
Another LeoCraft member, Grade 11 student Harmeet Kaur Sond, said the team is honoured to be representing Canada at the event.
“When you see the whole list and there’s 72 teams that made it, you see just Surrey, B.C., Canada. The pride really overtakes the pressure," said Sond.
But there's still a long way to go as the team is now working on a 30-page design proposal that needs to be submitted in a few weeks.
“These guys are great leaders. Very strong academically. And they searched for this opportunity themselves – and on top of their schoolwork. I don’t know where they find the time," said teacher and team sponsor Jagpal Uppal. "They’re absolutely amazing. We need to invest in them."
The team said they're in dire need of donations. Without more funding, they might not be able to compete.
They're seeking the public's help to raise $30,000 to pay for the materials to build the rover and the group's flight costs to travel to the competition, which is taking place in Alabama in April.
“I’ve been teaching for 20 years. A handful of times some students like this come around. We happen to be really lucky. We have a whole bunch this year," said Uppal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
There's progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.