Central Piedmont Takes Win, Show, Place At The 2026 North Carolina Space Symposium
The top three winners of STEM Tank Season 8 represented Central Piedmont at the 2026 North Carolina Space Symposium.
- The event was held at NC State University in Raleigh.
- Students connected with peers from community colleges, universities and graduate schools.
- Participants also engaged with aerospace business owners and NASA representatives.
Sharing research and ideas
- Students presented their work through poster presentations.
- Projects highlighted innovation, problem-solving and real-world applications.
- The symposium created space for collaboration and idea exchange across institutions.
First-place team
- Noah Ellenbogen, Precious Bikusa, Uyen Le and Kebron Mamo.
- Mentor: Dr. Hisham Abdel-Aal.
- Project: Open Space, focused on improving parking lot design and functionality.
Second-place team
- Tendaishe Mhonda, Dennisse Gonzalez Farias, Bawi Thawng, Abenezer Tesfaye and Amaiya Lipscomb.
- Mentor: Mr. Quillie Hunt.
- Project: D.A.V.E., an application designed to address a real-world challenge.
Third-place team
- Jhazia Flood, Hooman Nikoei, Meyer Miller, Yasmin Pena and Paul Acka Diama.
- Mentor: Dr. Heather Song.
- Project: enhancing crosswalk visibility and safety at night.
Support behind the scenes
- A special thank you to the faculty mentors for guiding student teams.
- Appreciation also goes to Mrs. Amber Griffin, who attended in support of the students.
- Their leadership helped make this experience possible and impactful for all involved.