A Year of Inspiring the Next Generation of Space Explorers
Space Station Explorers visits Bancroft Elementary in Washington, D.C.
August 16, 2018 • By Amy Elkavich, Staff Writer
the ISSInternational Space Station National Lab and the Space Station Explorers (SSE) Consortium, a growing community of the ISS National Lab educational partner organizations, are always striving to motivate students and get them excited about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in new and different ways. Over the past year, we’ve covered many of SSE’s diverse activities, showing how students are sending science to space, communicating results, learning about STEM topics such as engineering and plant growth, and getting involved in in-school and after-school STEM activities—all through leveraging the ISS National Lab and some of the exciting research taking place onboard.
Below highlights some of the “best of the best” education stories from the past year that demonstrate what SSE educational partners are doing to advance STEM learning and inspire the next generation of space explorers!
Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge
Learn about a student competition in partnership with Marvel Entertainment that gave students the opportunity to design experiments that could be conducted onboard the ISS National Lab. Two winning student experiments were announced in May!
Elizabeth Reizis and Sophia Chen, winners of 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, at the 2017 ISS Research and Development Conference.
Discover how two students designed award-winning DNA research experiments that launched to the space station on SpaceX CRS-14 as part of the Genes in Space competition.
A tissue chipA tissue chip, or organ-on-a-chip or microphysiological system, is a small engineered device containing human cells and growth media to model the structure and function of human tissues and/or organs. Using tissue chips in microgravity, researchers can study the mechanisms behind disease and test new treatments for patients on Earth. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a multiyear partnership with the ISS National Laboratory® to fund tissue chip research on the space station. made of clear flexible plastic
Media Credit: NIH/NCATS
Find out how students contributed ideas for the design of a mission patch commemorating the ISS National Lab “Tissue Chips in Space” program, drawing attention to space-based research that aims to gain a better understanding of human diseases and improve methods for testing therapies.
ISS crew members Sasha Misurkin and Joe Acaba were referees for the 2017 Zero Robotics High School Finals.
Media Credit: NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
See how students are learning computer programming through the Zero Robotics program—and controlling robots in space!