Aug. 11, 2025- At the end of July, 12 New Jersey high school students soared to victory as part of the winning international team at the International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The students were among more than 250 competitors from across the globe, representing countries such as Canada, Spain, Portugal, India, Uruguay, the United Kingdom, Romania, Mexico, Pakistan, Italy, China, Argentina, Australia as well as U.S. states including Washington, Arizona, South Dakota, California, Iowa and Texas.

The New Jersey contingent was well represented by Toms River Regional Schools, and featured:

High School East ASR (authentic science research) STEAM Academy: Victoria Cutillo, Madison Orlando, Cormac Butler, and Logan Lonergan

High School North: Josh Girtain and ASR student Maggie Elsherif

High School South: 2025 graduate Cameron Brennan and ASR student Zach Wistreich

Holmdel High School: Helen Nil Yilmaz and 2025 graduate Finley Torrens

Neptune High School: Luke Quartey

Old Bridge High School: Richa Baheti

Competing in four mixed-nationality “companies,” the students worked with peers from around the world to design futuristic, fully-functional space settlements. The winning company, Vulture, brought together talent from New Jersey, Iowa, Texas, Argentina, Australia, China, Portugal, and Spain.

Under intense time constraints, Team Vulture responded to a Request for Proposal (RFP) in 48 hours that required them to design a settlement capable of sustaining human life in orbit around Venus. Their winning proposal featured:

• Advanced habitation modules with innovative radiation shielding
• Artificial gravity systems for improved human health in microgravity
• Sustainable life-support ecosystems integrating hydroponics and water recycling
• Automated construction technologies using robotic systems to assemble large structures in orbit

The New Jersey students were chaperoned by Dr. Marybeth Kretz, director of authentic science research at High School East, and 2023 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year Christine Girtain, who also serves as director of ASR at High School North and High School South.

The students earned their place at the international competition by excelling at the East Coast Space Design Competition in March, hosted by Toms River Regional Schools and sponsored by the Jersey Shore STEM Ecosystem, the NJ STEM Pathways Network, the Central Ocean Rotary Club, and the Brick Rotary Club.

“This competition pushes students to think like aerospace engineers and collaborate across cultures and languages," said Kretz. “It’s a real-world test of innovation, leadership, and teamwork—and our New Jersey students rose to the challenge brilliantly.” 

The students themselves offered testimonials to their experience competing with peers from around the world.

“Trying and understanding a new branch of science totally changed the way I view the subject," said High School South's  Zachary Wistreich. "This competition brought me so many great opportunities and chances to collaborate and compete among people from all over the world and learn from them as well.”

“Working with and talking to people from all over the world was an experience I found very gratifying, even though we were all from different backgrounds we worked together to accomplish something innovative,” said High School North's Josh Girtain.

“This competition has not only given me a chance to interact with people of other cultures, but a chance to experience the realities of collaboration and communication that come with working in a company," said High School East's Madison Orlando. "I hope more teenagers will get a chance to experience a competition like this.”

“This experience not only challenged us to the fullest, but also gave us an opportunity to work with a global team," said Holmdel High School's Helen Yilmaz. "It was more than just a competition, an environment that pushed talented students to think beyond boundaries and inspire them to reach the unknown.”

Vulture Aviation’s slide deck is featured here, and additional photos from the experience are below. For more information about the International Space Settlement Design Competition, visit https://www.aerospaceeducationcompetitions.org.