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Oak Ridge High School Students Cook for Astronauts

Pictured left to right: Nicole Stott, Astronaut; Lilia Pellicano, ORHS Culinary Arts Teacher; Camille Watt, ORHS senior; Weston Duke, ORHS junior; Dustin Burkhart, ORHS junior; and Josh Casada, Astronaut-in-Training
Pictured left to right: Nicole Stott, Astronaut; Lilia Pellicano, ORHS Culinary Arts Teacher; Camille Watt, ORHS senior; Weston Duke, ORHS junior; Dustin Burkhart, ORHS junior; and Josh Casada, Astronaut-in-Training

Oak Ridge High School (ORHS) Culinary Arts students spent the day preparing falafel for the NASA food scientists and astronauts at the Johnson Space Center on February 19, 2016. These students were participating in the High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) Program’s Culinary Challenge Event.

The HUNCH Culinary Challenge required the preparation of a tasty, vegetarian entree that met the rigorous NASA nutrition standards while taking into consideration additional factors such as the meal working well in a microgravity environment. The students were also tasked with writing a paper about the entree demonstrating their knowledge about food science and preparing an informational video.

HUNCH is an instructional partnership between NASA and educational institutions benefiting both NASA and the students. NASA receives cost-effective hardware and soft-goods, while students receive real-world hands-on experiences. Furthermore, the program hopes to inspire future explorers and scientists.

The winners of the HUNCH Culinary Challenge will be announced in May.

For more information about the challenge, visit http://hunchculinary.weebly.com/. Additional details on the HUNCH program can be found at https://www.nasahunch.com/.