Monmouth County Vocational Students Tackle Interplanetary Engineering Challenge

HIGHLANDS, NJ — Tasked with figuring out how to mine raw materials on Venus and transport them to an orbital settlement, four students from the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) dove into the science-developed plans to get the job done.

Their efforts earned accolades at the prestigious East Coast Space Settlement Design Competition (ECSSDC) held on March 7 at Toms River East High School.

During the intense, day-long competition, students from throughout the region worked in large multinational-style teams to develop a comprehensive engineering proposal addressing the systems, hardware, personnel and operational processes required to mine raw materials from Venus and transport them to the fictional Nubarum settlement for processing and distribution.

MAST junior Dolan Dunnigan of Middletown was part of the competition’s winning team, helping develop the final proposal selected by judges.

Alongside Dunnigan, MAST sophomore Daniel Chiu of Edison received the competition’s Paul Stenzel STEM Pioneer Award, recognizing exceptional design ingenuity and innovation.

MAST juniors Noah Eckert of Aberdeen and Jason Samuel of Freehold also delivered outstanding performances.

“This experience pushes students to imagine ambitious futures while also considering responsible and human-centered design,” said MAST technology studies teacher Wendy Green. “The skills they practice — collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and resilience — extend far beyond the competition.”

Competition participants were responsible for developing solutions across multiple engineering disciplines, including transportation systems, life-support infrastructure, mining technologies, human factors, communications, and logistics.

Students collaborated under real-world constraints, producing technical documentation, system diagrams, and a formal presentation to the judges by the end of the 12-hour design sprint.

The East Coast Space Settlement Design Competition is modeled after real aerospace industry proposal processes and is affiliated with the internationally recognized International Space Settlement Design Competition.

Students are challenged to approach space settlement not just as a scientific problem but as a complex systems engineering endeavor requiring coordination across many technical fields, officials said.

The competition emphasized more than technical knowledge. It challenged students to work together under pressure, think boldly while remaining grounded in practical engineering, and communicate complex ideas across disciplines.

MAST is one of six full-time career academies in the Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD) that welcomes students as freshmen and retains them through their senior year of high school for a "focused learning experience that helps them take meaningful steps toward their college and career goals."  

Alongside MAST, other schools in the MCVSD include the Academy of Allied Health and Science, the Academy of Law and Public Safety, Biotechnology High School, Communications High School and High Technology High School.

To learn more about MAST, you can visit their website.