Rutgers Engineering Students Win First Place in National Challenge

Congrats to Team InnerSolace, composed of four Rutgers students across different disciplines: Azra Bano (Computer Engineering, Class of 2028), Joseph Henriquez (Electrical Engineering, Class of 2028), Aayushi Mallik (Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2027), and Saarthak Shah (Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2028), who took first place at the Horizons 2040 Challenge!

Horizons 2040 Challenge, a national innovation competition hosted by XFoundry and NEXPLORE in partnership with NASA. The program brought together 260 students from 21 universities to pitch the most pressing unsolved problems humanity will face by 2040, powerful problem statements drawn directly from NASA's list of 187 "technology shortfalls," published in early 2024 by the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). These shortfalls outline areas where current technology is not yet sufficient to enable future space exploration and science missions, making them urgent calls for innovation that demand attention and action.

Team InnerSolace's proposal called for the creation of a proactive health system that could predict, prevent, and manage circadian misalignment to protect human performance in environments where traditional healthcare simply can't reach.

One day before the final pitch, teams participated in the Horizons Rumble, a rapid-fire showcase attended by NASA scientists, investors, visionaries, and policy leaders. Each team received critical live feedback, which they were encouraged to incorporate into their final presentation. 

Beyond the competition, Team InnerSolace participated in workshops with Intel, attended keynotes from NASA professionals, and built a network of mentors across academia and industry. A highlight was meeting NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps, where they heard her perspective on why the problem they were addressing is essential to target now, a reminder that the challenges of the future demand solutions today.