2026 Symposium

The 2026 COSGC Undergraduate Space Research Symposium was held on April 25th, 2026 at Red Rocks Community College Lakewood Campus.

Agenda for 2026 Symposium

2026 Research Symposium Winners

GRAND PRIZE: University of Colorado - Integrated Rover–HDM–LunaSat Testing in a Lunar Regolith Analog Environment - E. Herzog, J. Leites, E. Taylor, N. Starkey, S. Donthula, A. Shalev Merin


Session A: University of Colorado - Your Orthopedic Dynamic Alignment – A. Anand, C. Bowen, M. Gutke, J. Hickman, and L. Toth 

Session B: Pueblo Community College - Development of Autonomous Octopod Programming – M. Troyer 

Session C: Pikes Peak State College - 2nd Eye in the Sky – T. Hartzell, and A. Peruzzi

Session D: Community College of Aurora - The Efficacy of Reclaimed Water on Spinach Growth in Lunar Regolith – M. Osborne, M. Angell, P. M. Matthews, and G. Hutauruk 

Session E: Red Rocks Community College / Arapahoe Community College - Cold Welding and Data Protection in Suborbital Flight – K. Shirley, A. Zollinger, D. Baker, M. Morgan, C. Foland, E. Eastman, A. Zeller, X. Lees, A. Castaneda, S. Kennett, and Y. Mehta

Grand Prize Poster: University of Northern Colorado - P-17: Winds of Change: Investigating Variability in Quasars with Outflows – M. Carrasco, and M. Lazarova 

Best Demosat Poster: Red Rocks Community College - P-11: Exploration of High-Altitude Chemistry using an Ozonesonde, Turbine, and UV-Degradable Polymers – K. Dickson, M. Telford, A. Martin, J. Baldwin, D. Benson, J. Ferrell, C. Holman, H. Ozaslan, L. Coto, F. Champlin, and T. Micciche-Hall 

Best Wearables Poster: University of Colorado - P-03: Monitoring Dynamic Posture Changes Through Inertial Measurement Units - A. Anand, C. Bowen, M. Gutke, J. Hickman, and L. Toth

Best Robotics Poster: Front Range Community College - P-22: Development of a Six-Legged Autonomous Robot for Rough Terrain Navigation – R. Ganey, A. Garcia, and S. Rangel 

Best Research Poster Session A: Red Rocks Community College - P-14: “Martians and Moon Bugs:” Progress Report on Extracting DNA from Lunar and Martian Regolith – V. Pinto, E. Vencer, R. Axtell-Aretz, M. Telford, A. Martin, A. Garza, W. Taylor, L. Albert, and T. Williams

Best Research Poster Session B: University of Colorado - P-20: PULSAR: Suborbital Flight Validation of LunaSat V8 and Deployment Systems for Distributed Lunar Science Missions – L. Bassett, M. Menzies, F. Radebaugh, J. Gabbard, J. Doyle, J. Diamond, C. Preedom, and the GLEE Team  

Front Range Community College - Six-Legged Autonomous Robot for Rough Terrain Navigation

PAPERS: 

Session A:

ProjectSchool

The Climate Adaptation and Resilience Monitoring Alliance: New Technologies for Ecological Monitoring in a Rapidly Changing EnvironmentM. Thomas, K. Gill, A. Anderson, C. Koch, K. Pena, U. Mandavilli, C. Dwyer, N. Quirk, and T. Pachuda 

CU 

CU 

CU 

Your Orthopedic Dynamic AlignmentA. Anand, C. Bowen, M. Gutke, J. Hickman, and L. Toth 

CU 

Session B:

ProjectSchool

PCC 

Integrated Rover–HDM–LunaSat Testing in a Lunar Regolith Analog Environment E. Herzog, J. Leites, E. Taylor, N. Starkey, S. Donthula, A. Shalev Merin 

CU 

Rover on The Red Horizon E. Callahan, J. Bossert, C. Auer, J. Taylor, and M. Schnese 

UCCS 

Use of Spine Articulation in Aerospace Robotics with Monocular SLAM Navigation M. Stembridge, D. Thornton, R. Sauzameda-Carbajal, B. Carpenter, and L. Tarpey 

PCC 

Session C: 

ProjectSchool

2nd Eye in the SkyT. Hartzell, and A. Peruzzi 

PPSC 

Atmospheric Impact on Solar Cell Efficiency J. Lee, I. Thyer, G. Yannotta, M. Avdyunin, and C. Somayajula 

CU 

DemoSat: Team Hot AirA. Church, S. Weatherby, and N. Jacobs 

PPSC 

SPARC: Space Particle and Radiation CounterS. Barrionuevo, M. Olson, S. Santosh, and L. Tisher 

CU 

Session D: 

Project School

UCCS 

Space Fried Rice 2025-26: Monitoring Rice Growth in Lunar RegolithW. Taylor, G. Dreeszen, G. Perez-Soler, A. Garza, F. Champlin, S. Selph, N. Smith, M. Telford, M. Heng, and R. Axtell-Aretz 

RRCC 

Optimizing Buoyant Airborne Turbines for Maximum Performance in Limited SpaceC. Gagliano, K. Karges, J. Knott, O. Knott, and M. Lott 

FRCC 

The Efficacy of Reclaimed Water on Spinach Growth in Lunar Regolith M. Osborne, M. Angell, P. M. Matthews, and G. Hutauruk 

CCA 

Session E: 

ProjectSchool

Balancing Motion and Biology: Payload Stabilization and Blood Integrity in Near-Space Flight SiriusR. Buffington, J. David, M. Zubrod, B. Schick, and O. Mackenzie 

FRCC 

FRCC 

Cold Welding and Data Protection in Suborbital Flight K. Shirley, A. Zollinger, D. Baker, M. Morgan, C. Foland, E. Eastman, A. Zeller, X. Lees, A. Castaneda, S. Kennett, and Y. Mehta 

RRCC / ACC 

POSTERS:

Group 1:

ProjectSchool

CU 

P-02: Development of a Head Impact Telemetry System for mTBI/CTE Research - A. Silberman, T. Connelly, E. Batdorj, and R. McHale 

ACC 

P-03: Monitoring Dynamic Posture Changes Through Inertial Measurement Units - A. Anand, C. Bowen, M. Gutke, J. Hickman, and L. Toth 

CU 

 P-04: Solarpunk Parasol: A Sustainable Wearable Platform for Energy Harvesting and Passive Environmental SensingM. H seeb, S. Johnston, R. King, R. Motheral, A. Nakarmi, and M. E. West 

Longmont HS 

Group 2: 

ProjectSchool
P-05: Investigating the Dynamical Nature of Unipedal Balance - K. Villarreal, M. Semak, and A. Ferris 

UNC 

P-06: Two Men and a Marschine - T. Tatum, and T. Hartzell 

PPSC 

PCC 

P-08: Dune CrawlerF. Camplin, C. Travis, L. Crossett, B. Andrie, L. Winfrey, E. DeWeese, J. Myers, R.B.T. Jenkins, F. Ridgeway, T. Micciche-Hall, N. Aguilera, N. Orndoff, and G.A.P. Soler 

RRCC 

Group 3:

ProjectSchool

P-09: Optimizing Buoyant Airborne Turbines for Maximum Performance in Limited SpaceC. Gagliano, J. Knott, K. Karges, M. Lott, and O. Knott 

FRCC 

P-10: Effect of near-space conditions on the survival rate of Juvenile and mature C.elegans - S. BC, A.C. Rodriguez, Q. Dixon, T. Fuller, L. Giardello, A. Ruiz, and B. Wisener  

RU 

P-11: Exploration of High-Altitude Chemistry using an Ozonesonde, Turbine, and UV-Degradable PolymersK. Dickson, M. Telford, A. Martin, J. Baldwin, D. Benson, J. Ferrell, C. Holman, H. Ozaslan, L. Coto, F. Champlin, and T. Micciche-Hall 

RRCC 

P-12: Stratospheric Observation of Light And Renewables J. Lee, I. Thyer, G. Yannotta, M. Ardyunin, and C. Somayajula 

CU 

P-13: JAKE NOT FOUNDD. Ghilia, L. Flannery, A. Jannamon, and J. Coppom 

Longmont HS 

Group 4: 

ProjectSchool

P-14: “Martians and Moon Bugs:” Progress Report on Extracting DNA from Lunar and Martian RegolithV. Pinto, E. Vencer, R. Axtell-Aretz, M. Telford, A. Martin, A. Garza, W. Taylor, L. Albert, and T. Williams  

RRCC 

P-15: The Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone (GLEE): Distributed Lunar Surface ScienceD. Kroneberger, E. Levin, V. Pathi, A. Joshi, K. Stathopulos, and the GLEE team 

CU 

P-16: Mission SCOUT: Satellite Collision Observation & Unified TrackingL. Berger, Z. Dyre, L. Leal De Ibarra, W. Jolley, M. Pahade, R. Patel, S. Redhorse, F. Sharman, T. Suxe, and L. Ward 

CU 

UNC 

Group 5: 

ProjectSchool

P-18: Housing and Deployment Module Redesign for Distributed Lunar Sensor Deployment in the GLEE MissionP. Mertens, S. Donthula, F. Garza Cancino, M. Alperovich, G. Smith, and E. Letendre 

CU 

P-19: Cold Welding in Suborbital Flight M. Morgan, E. Eastman, C. Foland, K. Shirley, D. Baker, A. Zeller, X. Lees, A. Zollinger, S. Kennett, Y. Mehta, and A. Castaneda 

ACC / RRCC 

P-20: PULSAR: Suborbital Flight Validation of LunaSat V8 and Deployment Systems for Distributed Lunar Science MissionsL. Bassett, M. Menzies, F. Radebaugh, J. Gabbard, J. Doyle, J. Diamond, C. Preedom, and the GLEE Team  

CU 

Group 6: 

ProjectSchool

CCA 

 

FRCC 

P-23: HARP Robotics Project - S. Garrett, D. Morales, A. Bachtiar, J. Lerch, J. Swain, O. Banks, C. Randolph, and L. Naden 

CU 

Group 7: 

ProjectSchool

P-24: Team Hot AirA. Church, S. Weatherby, N. Jacobs 

PPSC 

RRCC 

P-26: Balancing Motion and BiologyJ. David, O. Mackenzie, R. Buffington, M. Zubrod, and B. Schick 

FRCC 

P-27: Glowing TardigradesL. Albert, J. Andrews Garcia, and N. Thibodaux 

RRCC 

2026 Symposium Photo Gallery