ICSRC club members in the lab.

Cal State LA · NASA Competitions

Reach for
the Stars

We build robotic technologies for space exploration, compete in NASA challenges, and open doors to research careers for every student.

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Who Are We?

IC-SRC is a student research club at Cal State LA that organizes teams focused on developing robotic technologies for space exploration and NASA competitions. We're always open to collaborating with other people to expand research opportunities across all fields!

Why Should You Join?

Whether you're in CS, engineering, physics, or any other field, there's a project for you.

  • Build and test real hardware (drones, hexapods, and rovers) in our own dedicated lab
  • Develop practical skills through club workshops in soldering, 3D printing, and Python programming for drones and other hardware
  • Connect with industry professionals at Boeing and JPL, and access club resources and funding to develop your own research project ideas

READY TO LAUNCH YOUR CAREER?

Open to all students across all majors. No experience required. Just bring curiosity and drive.

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OUR ALUMNI

Portrait of David San

David San

2020 Alumni · CS
"As a CS major, it was eye-opening to work alongside mechanical engineers and hear firsthand what Dr. Hays brought back from his time at JPL. I even got to pass that knowledge down to newer members as the club grew. Now I work at JPL myself, mostly doing backend development, APIs, and a little of everything else. The club was a real stepping stone."
Portrait of Sophia Sherzai

Sophia Sherzai

2025 Alumni · EE/BME
"The club was my first time applying engineering in a real group setting outside of the classroom. It ignited my passion for the field, taught me how to work with a team, and opened doors I hadn't expected. Dr. Hays was supportive well beyond just the competition. After NASA MINDS, opportunities started opening up. Now I'm at Harvard MGH doing neurotechnology research on epilepsy and neural stimulation."
Portrait of David Camacho

David Camacho

2021 Alumni · CS
"Unlike other group projects I was part of, ICSRC gave me real opportunities to contribute and help others grow. I built skills in leadership, systems engineering, and programming robots with Python that I still use today. The influence of Dr. Hays and my teammates is hard to put into words. I would not be where I am today without NASA MINDS. Now I work as an associate software engineer with this project still on my resume and portfolio."
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AWARDS

Cal State LA Cryo-UAV Team celebrating 1st Place at NASA MINDS
1st Place

NASA MINDS SE-Paper
Cal State LA Cryo-UAV Team

Our Cryo-UAV team took first place in the Systems Engineering paper category at the NASA MINDS competition, which is a national program connecting university students with real NASA engineering challenges.

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EVENTS

Follow @csulanasaminds for the latest updates

Club members at California State University, Los Angeles.
Weekly
Club Meeting
Fridays · 12–2 pm · BIOS-361

How to Meet with Us

The club lab is in room 361 of the Biological Sciences Building at Cal State LA. We have weekly club meetings every Friday from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. On Fridays, the lab is kept open for everyone to work in from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

When Are Team Meetings?

  • Cryo-UAV Team: Friday, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • Cryo-Bot Team: Friday, 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM
  • Cryo-Sense Team: Friday, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Upcoming Talks
More talks coming soon
Coming Fall 2026
Guest speakers TBA
Follow us on Instagram for updates
New semester lineup loading
@csulanasaminds

NEWS

Artemis II launched 4/1 and returned 4/10/2026NASA
Artemis III launch expected late 2027NASA
VIPER Rover launch expected late 2027NASA
CADRE Rovers launch expected late 2026NASA
NASA Moon Base I mission targets fall 2026 launchNASA
NASA announces Artemis III crewNASA
ICSRC competes in NASA ORBIT Challenge 2026Club

OUR ADVISOR

Portrait of Professor Charles C. Hays

Professor Charles C. Hays

Dr. Hays is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Cal State LA. Before joining CSULA in 2013, he spent 12 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), contributing to the Planck and Mars Science Laboratory missions. He received NASA Group Achievement Awards for his work on both the Planck US High-Frequency-Instrument (HFI) Team and the Mars Science Laboratory ChemCam Team. In 2018, he and the Planck Team received the Gruber Prize in Cosmology.

His research spans Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, and Instruments for Space Science. Prior to JPL, he worked as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he delivered the Bulk Metallic Glass Solar Wind Collector used on the NASA Genesis Mission. His most recent publication is "Background Studies for the MINER Coherent Neutrino Scattering Reactor Experiment."

"Logic will get you from A to Z;
imagination will get you everywhere."

― Albert Einstein