Cowley College Alumni Win Top Honors at 48-Hour Lunar Innovation Hackathon

Cowley College is proud to recognize alumni Spencer MacLaughlin, Danny Ball, and Marcell Lozano for their outstanding achievement at a high-intensity, 48-hour hackathon hosted by Wichita State University’s College of Innovation and Design in partnership with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. The competition challenged participants to develop solutions for real engineering problems currently being explored by NASA and Lockheed Martin in preparation for establishing a future lunar base.

Competing as Team Space Volcano Sun, the Cowley alumni joined classmates from Wichita State to tackle the challenge of micro-food production on the moon. Their innovative prototype focused on creating sporeless oyster mushrooms designed for a semi-autonomous hydroponic system—an approach aimed at significantly reducing crew maintenance time on the lunar surface.

The team engineered a system equipped with temperature and humidity sensors powered by an Arduino microcontroller, along with integrated air and water filtration to minimize contamination risks. Their design not only demonstrated technical creativity but also addressed one of the most essential needs for long-term lunar habitation: sustainable, low-maintenance food production.

After an initial 24-hour pitch round, Space Volcano Sun was selected as one of the top eight finalists to advance to the final presentation stage. Teams were given seven minutes to pitch and five minutes for Q&A before a judging panel made up of Lockheed Martin engineers, industry experts, and Wichita State faculty. The Cowley alumni impressed judges with their ingenuity, teamwork, and the depth of their prototype’s real-world applications.

Beyond the competition results, the experience proved deeply meaningful for the alumni. Each expressed how their foundation at Cowley College played a crucial role in preparing them for the fast-paced engineering challenge.

“Coming into WSU as a transfer student, I was nervous that I’d struggle to keep up,” MacLaughlin shared. “Those nerves disappeared once I realized how prepared I truly was. The faculty and staff at Cowley gave me the skills I needed to succeed. Going to Cowley was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Ball echoed those sentiments, emphasizing the importance of teamwork: “Our whole team connected immediately, even those meeting for the first time. It was inspiring to see how well our different skills came together. I’m truly grateful I started at Cowley—those engineering foundations are the skills I use every day.”

Lozano added that the competition showcased the strength of the team’s diverse skill sets and the value of their Cowley experience. “The competition was a great way to put our combined skills to use! Every member of our team played a different yet equally important role in the development of our project. We were able to make use of the teamwork and collaborative skills that were fostered during our time at Cowley College. We are honored to represent our community in such an exciting way!”

Cowley College congratulates Spencer, Danny, and Marcell on their tremendous accomplishment and celebrates their continued success as they take their Cowley-built knowledge into innovative, real-world engineering challenges.

Hunter Ferguson | Integrated Communications Specialist
Cowley College
125 S. 2nd Street
Arkansas City, KS 67005
hunter.ferguson@cowley.edu