It’s a Tie! Two Students Will Send Their DNA Experiments to Space
Genes in Space winners Elizabeth Reizis and Sophia Chen pose with astronauts Soichi Noguchi, Kate Rubins, and Samantha Cristoforetti, as well as Mark Mulqueen, ISS Program Manager for Boeing.
Genes in Space, a STEM competition for grades 7-12, announces its winners every year at the ISS Research and Development Conference. This year there was an unprecedented tie! Sophia Chen from Washington and Elizabeth Reizis from New York, both age 14, will send their DNA experiments to the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station).
High school students Elizabeth Reizis (left) and Sophia Chen tied for first place in the 2017 Genes in SpaceAn annual national research competition for students in grades 7 through 12 to design pioneering biotechnology experiments that are conducted by astronauts on the space station. The program is funded by Boeing and miniPCR bio and supported by the ISS National Laboratory® and New England BioLabs. competition.
Media Credit: CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).
Five finalist teams presented their proposals at the conference to a panel of judges including scientists, educators, and technologists. The five finalists’ schools receive miniPCR DNA Discovery Systems consisting of a miniPCR machine and a blueGel electrophoresis system.
Sophia Chen from Lakeside School, Washington, aims to measure cancer-inducing genomic instability in astronauts using miniPCR technology. She was mentored by her ninth-grade teacher David Joneschild.
Elizabeth Reizis from Stuyvesant High School, New York, wants to assess the effects of microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. on the differentiation of immune system cells. She was mentored by MƒA Master Teacher Jessica Quenzer.
The next Genes in Space competition will be announced in Spring 2018.