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泭Testing in a Lunar Regolith Analog Environment -泭E. Herzog,泭J.泭Leites,泭E.泭Taylor,泭N.泭Starkey,泭S.泭Donthula,泭A.泭Shalev泭Merin


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best Research Poster Session A: Red Rocks Community College - P-14:泭���Martians and Moon Bugs:��� Progress Report on Extracting DNA from Lunar and Martian Regolith ���泭V. Pinto, E.泭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:泭PULSAR: Suborbital Flight Validation of泭LunaSat泭V8 and Deployment Systems for Distributed Lunar Science Missions ���泭L. Bassett, M. Menzies, F. Radebaugh, J. Gabbard, J. Doyle, J. Diamond, C. Preedom, and the GLEE Team泭泭

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

PAPERS:泭

Session A:

ProjectSchool

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

CU泭

CU泭

CU泭

Your Orthopedic Dynamic Alignment ��� A. Anand, C. Bowen, M. Gutke, J. Hickman, and L. Toth泭

CU泭

Session B:

ProjectSchool

PCC泭

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

CU泭

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

UCCS泭

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

PCC泭

Session C:泭

ProjectSchool

2nd Eye in the Sky ��� T. Hartzell, and A. Peruzzi泭

PPSC泭

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

CU泭

DemoSat: Team Hot Air ��� A. Church, S. Weatherby, and N. Jacobs泭

PPSC泭

SPARC: Space Particle and Radiation Counter ��� S. Barrionuevo, M. Olson, S. Santosh, and L. Tisher泭

CU泭

Session D:泭

Project泭School

UCCS泭

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

RRCC泭

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

FRCC泭

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

CCA泭

Session E:泭

ProjectSchool

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

FRCC泭

FRCC泭

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泭

RRCC / ACC泭

POSTERS:

Group 1:

ProjectSchool

CU泭

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

ACC泭

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

CU泭

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

Longmont HS泭

Group 2:泭

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

UNC泭

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

PPSC泭

PCC泭

P-08: Dune Crawler ��� F. 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泭

RRCC泭

Group 3:

ProjectSchool

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

FRCC泭

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泭泭

RU泭

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泭

RRCC泭

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

CU泭

P-13: JAKE NOT FOUND ��� D. Ghilia, L. Flannery, A. Jannamon, and J. Coppom泭

Longmont HS泭

Group 4:泭

ProjectSchool

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泭泭

RRCC泭

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

CU泭

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

CU泭

UNC泭

Group 5:泭

ProjectSchool

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

CU泭

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泭

ACC / RRCC泭

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泭泭

CU泭

Group 6:泭

ProjectSchool

CCA泭

泭

FRCC泭

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

CU泭

Group 7:泭

ProjectSchool

P-24: Team Hot Air ��� A. Church, S. Weatherby, N. Jacobs泭

PPSC泭

RRCC泭

P-26: Balancing Motion and Biology ��� J. David, O. Mackenzie, R. Buffington, M. Zubrod, and B. Schick泭

FRCC泭

P-27: Glowing Tardigrades ��� L. Albert, J. Andrews Garcia, and N. Thibodaux泭

RRCC泭

2026 Symposium Photo Gallery