NASA Kennedy Engages STEM Participants

Students from Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida, visited the Prototype Development Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, April 28, 2025. The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participants are interested in technical trades and had the chance to hear from technicians at the Prototype Development Laboratory who design, fabricate, and evaluate protypes, test articles, and test support equipment.

NASA Kennedy’s Office of STEM Engagement provides opportunities to attract, engage, and enable students seeking careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“My technical training in high school plays a huge role in the work I do every day in the Prototype Laboratory,” said Spencer Wells, mechanical engineering technician at Prototype Development Laboratory. “If it weren’t for that training, I’m convinced I wouldn’t be here at NASA.”

Some of the participants also have worked on a project to design and build a wheel for a lunar excavator demonstration mission as part of the NASA HUNCH program, an instructional partnership between NASA and educational institutions.

Image credit: NASA/Frank Michaux