Student teams who represented the Houston area in the 2026 Space Center Houston Conrad Challenge included Obra D. Tompkins High School in Katy), as well as The John Cooper School in Conroe and Bridgeland High School in Cypress. The Houston teams presented STEM-driven innovations addressing key challenge areas, including water scarcity and aerospace.

The Tompkins High School team – consisting of Anushka Polapally and Gaathri Chakka and teammate Noga Gercsak who attends David Butler HS in Matthews, NC – qualified as one of 25 finalists in the competition and was honored in a special awards ceremony on April 25. The team, coached by Naveen Polapally, qualified in the “Water Challenge” category.

Their invention was tagged “See the Unseen. Drink safely.”

“Every year, your body consumes nearly 52,000 microplastics, catalyzing detrimental health effects,” the team said in its documentation. “Clarity is the first step towards household and systemic public health safety. Clarity is the first consumer device to detect real-time microplastics in a compact, affordable form under $250, with capabilities similar to those of $10,000+ lab equipment. Using optical scattering and an AI model trained on diverse plastics, the device continuously monitors drinking water in households. The device extends beyond just a household protector; it’s a part of building civic infrastructure. By collecting anonymous, crowdsourced data for researchers, policymakers, and environmental groups, our device helps implement effective regulations and map contamination for better responses. For the average family, particularly health-conscious ones, this innovation offers transparency into what is actually in their water, so they can take the necessary steps to avoid impurities. See the unseen. In October, nearly 5,300 high school students on 1,578 teams created inventions for Space Center Houston Conrad Challenge, presented by Equinor, the world’s most highly regarded global STEM innovation and entrepreneurship competition.

Students from around the globe created solutions to real-world challenges across five categories: Aerospace & Aviation, Cyber-Technology & Security, Energy & Environment, Health & Nutrition, and The Water Challenge. Teams advanced through two rigorous phases:

· Activation Stage, where students transcended geographical boundaries to collaborate, build solutions, and tackle global challenges, and

· Innovation Stage, where they learned entrepreneurial skills, created marketing materials, and presented their innovations to a panel of expert judges.

The challenge entered its final stage at the Innovation Summit, April 22 – 25, at Space Center Houston, where the top 25 teams presented their inventions to judges at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center. Students showcased their companies and inventions to expert

judges and honorary guests during the four-day Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit & Expo. Teams competed for one of many awards, including the top honor of Pete Conrad Scholar, scholarships, and an all-expenses-paid trip to Boston (airfare provided by United Airlines). Select groundbreaking inventions will receive patent support, while others may be used in space.