The UNC Pembroke Rocket Team has been awarded $9,000 in grants and will participate in the First Nations Launch (FNL) National Rocket Competition April 22-24.
UNCP’s undergraduate students will travel to Kansasville, Wisconsin, to compete in the 13th annual competition hosted by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.
The team was awarded a $5,000 grant from the North Carolina Space Grant and an additional $4,000 grant from the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium to cover travel and other expenses.
The FNL competition is an opportunity for students attending a Tribal College or University (TCU), a Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI), or who are members of an active American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) collegiate chapter to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate engineering and design skills through direct application in high-powered rocketry.
Most of the UNCP rocket team are enrolled in the applied physics program, while some are part of the 3-plus-2 engineering program with N.C. State University. The team members are Sydney Allen, Alexis Velarde, Mace Velarde, Benjamin Savage, Caleb Locklear, Eric Schwartz, Chynna Eubanks, and Micah Ferguson.
“Our students will gain real-world experience in rocket design and construction techniques, safety reviews, budget development and presentation skills—all essential to the engineering process,” said Dr. Steven Singletary, physics professor, and faculty advisor.
The team will compete in the Mars Engineering Challenge.
The competition would expose students to rigorous work outside of the classroom and in a real-world setting. UNCP has fielded two teams in previous First Nations Launch competitions, taking home first place in the oral presentation in 2019. The team recently attended a rocket launch in Bayboro, N.C., along with teams from N.C. State, North Carolina A&T State University and North Carolina Science and Mathematics. The team will return on December 18.
More information about the First Nations Launch can be found here.
