MassBay Student Team Named Global Nominee for NASA Space Apps Challenge

MassBay Community College computer science students Jonathan Joseph of Norwood, MA, Richard Juuko of Framingham, MA, Cesar Pimentel of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Pranshu Shah of Bellingham, MA, and Ky Trieu of Hanoi, Vietnam, were named a Global Nominee for the NASA Space Apps Challenge, an international hackathon.

According to the NASA Space Apps Challenge website, the hackathon provides participants with the opportunity to engage directly with NASA data and space agency partner data. Teams use these data to address challenges created by NASA experts, with topics including storytelling, software development, astrophysics, space exploration and agriculture.

The MassBay team, known as the MassBay Hackaneers, selected the advanced challenge titled “A World Away: Hunting for Exoplanets with AI.” For their project, the team built and trained a machine learning model using existing NASA datasets to analyze astronomical data and predict potential exoplanets. The model achieved approximately 80% prediction accuracy. The team then implemented the trained model into a website interface, allowing users to interact with the system and test predictions.

The MassBay Hackaneers, who are all part members of the MassBay Computer Science Club, had little prior experience working with artificial intelligence, making the competition a challenging environment filled with rapid learning and experimentation. The team completed the full project in approximately 48 hours. This marks the first time MassBay has participated in and placed in the challenge.

“We are extremely proud of the Hackaneers for their achievements in this international challenge,” said MassBay President, David Podell. “We have always said that the `sky is the limit’ for MassBay students’ futures, and this team’s achievements prove it. These four students showed remarkable resiliency and true dedication, and they competed at the highest level with peers from across the country and around the world. Their success demonstrates what MassBay students are capable of when given the opportunity to innovate.”

The NASA Space Apps Challenge is one of the largest global hackathons. The MassBay Hackaneers competed in the local Cambridge event, which included students from several universities, including Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team won the local Cambridge competition, advancing to the international judging stage. Following the hackathon, the team was invited to present their project and be recognized at an event hosted by the Humansphere Foundation at Harvard University.

According to the NASA Space Apps Challenge, the 2025 event welcomed a record 114,094 participants and 18,860 teams across 551 local events in 167 countries.