Seven students in the Independence Astronomy Club conducted an experiment which was launched with NASA at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in New Mexico. 

Hriday Unadkat, 12, is the founder of Indy Astronomy. In an effort to have a legitimate impact and create a more engaging environment, despite the challenges of Covid-19 restrictions, the club members spent over a year preparing their research for the Cubes in Space competition, affiliated with NASA. They held brainstorming sessions and wrote proposals online during their time in quarantine for their study of Acetabularia algae and its effect on the environment of space. Due to their successes, they were invited to launch their experiment in a weather balloon with NASA´s help.   

 In his sophomore year Unadkat realized, ¨There was no way to host those same conversations at school¨ which he and his friends did about the latest astronomy news. His efforts have been directed towards creating a project-based environment, which he has surely achieved with the rest of the team.

Hriday states, ¨In terms of the long run, we’d like the Astronomy Club to have a legacy as the juniors and seniors take over. Apart from teaching them about astronomy, we have been developing their leadership skills to run the club.¨

For anyone interested in astronomy questioning if they have enough experience, Hriday says,¨It sounds more complicated than it is, so keep in mind we were all in that place of not knowing what we were doing in the beginning.¨ After experiencing running the club and conducting experiments for the first time, they now have knowledge of what it takes and want to spread the love for astronomy to interested individuals.