What students, officials say about VSU appearance as only HBCU in prestigious NASA event

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9 hours ago

Virginia State University students were the only participants from a Historically Black College or University to compete in the prestigious 2025 NASA Lunabotics Challenge last month, reinforcing VSU's growing reputation in STEM education.
From May 20 to 22, 15 students from VSU's College of Engineering and Technology traveled to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to participate in the rigorous two-semester systems engineering competition. The event challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate robotic systems capable of performing complex tasks on simulated lunar terrain, preparing them for the realities of space exploration.
Thirty-six additional colleges and universities across the country were also selected to participate in the challenge, according to an October 2024 NASA social media post, including the University of Virginia, New York University, Rutgers University, Purdue University, Liberty University and more.
'VSU is incredibly proud of these students for this remarkable achievement and for representing HBCUs nationwide with distinction,' a press release from the university states. 'Their hard work and dedication elevated the University's standing in advanced engineering disciplines and reaffirmed the University's commitment to offering students transformative opportunities for excellence in engineering and computer science.'
The press release adds that the VSU team's robot demonstrated versatility and precision in the Lunatics Challenge, successfully completing all required tasks and activities set by NASA.
Dr. Nasser Ghariban, Chair of VSU's Department of Engineering and faculty advisor to the Lunabotics team, praised them for their performance at the event.
"The team's perseverance and collaborative spirit throughout this challenging competition reflect their readiness for real-world engineering challenges,' he said in the press release. 'Participating in this competitive NASA event provided invaluable hands-on experience that will significantly benefit their future careers in technology and exploration."
"The strong finish by our Lunabotics team emphasizes their remarkable dedication, innovative thinking, and technical prowess,' Dr. Dawit Haile, Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology, added in the press release. 'Their success as the only HBCU team in the competition underscores VSU's commitment to excellence in STEM education."
For the students that participated, the experience was invaluable.
'Being part of the NASA Lunabotics 2025 competition was honestly one of the most exciting and demanding experiences I have had here in Virginia State University,' Kwabena E. Amoako, VSU computer engineering student and hardware team lead for the challenge, told The Progress-Index. 'We spent countless late nights in the lab, troubleshooting circuits, swapping out components, debugging code, and rebuilding the robot again and again. It really forced us to grow, not just as engineers, but as a team learning how to solve complex problems under pressure.'
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Amoako added that representing VSU on a national stage became especially meaningful to him on the day of the event, when he realized his team was the only one from an HBCU.
'In that moment, it wasn't just about building a robot anymore. It felt way bigger. We were showing that students from HBCUs can go head-to-head with anyone, anywhere, and hold our own,' he said. 'I felt proud, but also a sense of responsibility. It made me want to give 110%, not just for myself or my team, but for every student out there who might think these kinds of opportunities aren't for them. Because they are.'
Christopher Payne, a computer science graduate student at VSU and fellow team member, agreed.
"Representing VSU, an HBCU, on a national stage was very important to me," he said. 'Our selection for this competition demonstrated the quality of work and exceptional opportunities that minority-serving institutions continue to produce, further proving the importance of funding and support for our country's HBCUs and minority-serving institutions."
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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia State University only HBCU chosen for 2025 NASA challenge