How do we work in space? What tools do we use to repair, modify and upgrade spaceships, shelters, rovers and more, flying in orbit or moving around on the moon or Mars? For two years in a row, University of Baltimore students from the undergraduate Applied Information Technology and Simulation and Game Design programs have been named as finalists in the NASA SUITS competition, a challenge to address real problems in space exploration.

The student teams, selected in both the 2019 and 2020 finals, make their presentations at the Johnson Space Center alongside teams from schools like Harvard, Virginia Tech, the University of Michigan, and Texas A&M. What do they gain from this exceptional invitation?

“You don’t really hear about a lot of schools partaking in something like this,” says one team member, “especially giving students a hands-on opportunity to use real-life skills.” Their mentor, Prof. Giovanni Vincenti, associate professor in the Division of Science, Information Arts and Technologies, believes it’s the most practical thing in the world: “They need to realize that whatever we talk about in the classroom can be applied to what’s out there.”