5-15-2026 4:19am

Local Students Win

Dulaney and Eastern Tech high school students earn third place honors in NASA national aerospace competition

A group of Maryland high school students has made history as the first team from the state to earn top honors in the NASA Dream With Us Design Challenge, according to school officials.

The students, competing as Team Galaxy, secured third place in the 2025-2026 national aerospace competition. The team is led by Lucas Chen, a sophomore at Eastern Tech High School, and includes Dulaney High School sophomores Samarth Gomatam, Andy Yan, and Skyler Zeng. Two freshmen from Montgomery County schools, Aric Deng of Damascus High School and Ruichen Feng of Thomas Wootton High School, also served as team members.

NASA tasked participants with creating autonomous drone systems to address critical issues within the agricultural industry. Team Galaxy responded by developing the TG-1, an artificial intelligence-powered drone capable of vertical take-off and landing. The system was specifically designed to help farmers manage and eliminate pests that target soybean crops.Maryland local news

The drone features a unique periscope sensor design that allows it to see through closed crop canopies to detect hidden insects. Team members said their onboard AI system can reduce field sampling time by 80 percent and chemical usage by as much as 60 percent. To refine their design, the students consulted with engineering professors and specialists in precision agriculture and agricultural extension.

Frank Chen, the team’s coach and a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, praised the students for their ability to collaborate across four different high schools. He noted that the solution they built has the potential to save farmers billions of dollars annually.

The team’s work has already gained attention in the scientific community. In April, the students presented their research at the inaugural Asian American Scholar Forum AIX Summit in New York, where they received a travel grant award for their poster presentation.

Looking ahead, Team Galaxy is developing an innovation program to share their engineering blueprints with other schools. Baltimore County Public Schools officials said the achievement marks a significant milestone for Maryland’s participation in prestigious national aerospace programs.