Celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
NASA astronauts Serena Auñón-Chancellor (background) and Anne McClain onboard the International Space Station.
Media Credit: NASA
In honor of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we celebrate the valuable contributions women have made to the advancement of science and emphasize the importance of encouraging girls to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Below, discover some of the ways women and girls are using the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Lab to conduct important research and inspire other girls to get involved in STEM activities.
- Learn about women who are leveraging the ISS National Lab for groundbreaking research in the areas of plant science, stem cells, synthetic muscle, osteoporosis therapy, and genetics in the ISS360 article “Exciting Time for Women in Science.”
- See how Siobhan Malany, president of startup Micro-gRx, and her team are using innovative lab-on-a-chip technology to study muscle wasting in 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. in the ISS360 article “Modeling Muscle Atrophy in Microgravity: Testing Lab-on-a-Chip Technology.”
- Read about an ISS National Lab investigation led by Nicole Wagner, president and CEO of startup LambdaVision, to improve the manufacturing process for a retinal implant that restores vision in patients with retinal degeneration in the ISS360 article “Setting Sights on Vision: Taking Flight to Improve Treatment for Retinal Degeneration.”
- Find out about three high school girls who are using the ISS National Lab to study bee behavior in space in this Space Station Explorers post.
Former NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Don Thomas talked with students and offered guidance on some of the team activities during the two-day Go For Launch! event.
Media Credit: Higher Orbits
- Read about student investigator Adia Bulawa’s winning experiment from the Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge in the ISS360 article “Team Rocket Student Experiment in Orbit.”
Adia Bulawa holds Rocket, the Guardians of the Galaxy Character that inspired her winning idea to test a UV-activated dental glue on the ISS.
Media Credit: Adia Bulawa
- See how NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor is helping to encourage girls in STEM through her reading onboard the ISS of the American Girl book Luciana: Braving the Deep as part of Story Time From Space in this Upward spotlight article.
- Watch the video series SciGirls® in Space, part of the popular Twin City PBS SciGirls® program, that highlights four girls who have conducted science experiments onboard the ISS National Lab—aiming to inspire other young girls to get more involved in STEM activities. See the ISS360 article “Connecting Girls With the ISS Through SciGirls in Space.”
- Hear from two girls who sent crystal growth experiments to the ISS National Lab in Space Station Explorers posts by Payton Kelly-Van Domelen and Kaitlyn Twesme.
Kaitlyn Twesme prepares an inorganic chemical solution in the lab in preparation for their crystallization experiment.
Media Credit: Stephanie Twesme
Payton Kelly-Van Domelen prepares solutions for crystallization.
Media Credit: Cheryl Kelly-Van Domelen