Selvidge Student Wins National Aerospace Essay Contest

Ayush Rausaria, a Selvidge Middle eighth-grader, earned first place for his age group in the national American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space Systems Technical Committee (AIAA-SSTC) essay contest.

Rausaria, who completed the essay this past spring as a seventh-grader, researched and wrote an essay titled “The Impact of Satellites on Navigation.” He said he was on a family vacation in India over the summer when he received the good news about his essay.

“I had an email notification, I opened it up, and I was like, ‘Wait, what?’” Rausaria said. “I was shocked. I felt proud of myself and my community because my family and school all supported me.”

He was one of six essay winners nationally and one of only two first-place winners. For his achievement, Rausaria received a $125 check, a one-year student membership to the AIAA, and his essay was published in the September 2024 issue of the AIAA Bulletin, Aerospace America.

This year’s AIAA-SSTC essay prompt was: “Explore the effects of space observation. Investigate revolutionary advancements in satellite technology. Consider the differences in data resolution. Discuss how space observation has either complemented or replaced the other observation methods.”

Rausaria has pursued his interest in space since he was a pre-schooler, asking his parents questions about the universe and seeking out information on his own. He said his teachers at Selvidge, including seventh-grade language arts teacher Matthew Morris.

“He’s a really hard-working student. He’s always asking questions and very proactive, which is awesome to see,” said Anthony DeCarli, Rausaria’s eighth-grade language arts teacher. “He was really good at researching this essay and accurately citing his sources, which is so important for any kind of research-based writing. He set his ideas really clearly and organized them well.”

Rausaria said he plans to continue exploring his interest in the cosmos, as well as ways in which computer science and artificial intelligence can help with our understanding of the vastness of the universe.

“I like learning about all the different systems and how they work. There are all these star systems, different belts like the asteroid belt, the Kuiper Belt and our very own solar system,” he said. “I think it’s very interesting of what else could be out there. If there were alien life, that would also be really cool. There are some theories that there’s another planet we haven’t discovered yet waiting in our solar system. I think it’s really cool to discover these things.”