MSU students win second in national NASA design competition

Who were they?

The dean's office didn't know. Department heads didn't know. The university's physics department, which is pretty cozy with NASA, didn't know either.

"It's unusual for students to win a significant competition like this without having a lot of faculty involvement," said Robert Marley, college of engineering dean. "But it appears these students were exceptionally motivated and capable. I applaud them for their initiative and determination."

NASA was impressed too. It awarded John Nelsen, a senior in mechanical engineering from Great Falls, and Isaiah Helm, a ME sophomore from Jordan, second place in the Fundamental Aeronautics Program of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.
Nelsen and Helm tied for second place with two other teams: One made up of three doctorate students and one senior undergraduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and one of 10 undergraduates from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville.