Iowa Space Grant Consortium

Announcements

Students can design and launch their own DNA experiments with Genes in Space

Astronaut survival in deep space. Using biology to transform new worlds. Those topics and more await students in grades 7-12 with the Genes in Space program.

Genes in Space is a science contest that challenges students to design original DNA experiments that address real-life challenges and opportunities of space exploration. The contest is free, and does not require equipment. Proposals will be judged solely on creative and scientific merit. The winning experiment is conducted in space, and samples are returned to Earth for analysis. Learn more about the contest here.

All student contestants practice valuable scientific skills while exploring a topic that interests them and learn about the field of space biology. Awards will be announced May 21, 2019. Awardees win a miniPCR DNA Discovery System™ for their educational institutions. Five finalist teams additionally receive mentoring from Harvard and MIT Ph.D. scientists and receive travel awards to attend the 2019 International Space Station R&D Conference where they will present their ideas to a panel of judges. The winning team will watch their DNA experiment launch into space.

The application period begins January 14, 2019 and ends April 19, 2019.

Educators can turn Genes in Space into a class assignment. Free tools for bringing modern genetic analysis and space biology into the classroom are available here. Resources include interactive videos, lesson plans, classroom activities and worksheets, and more.Genes in Space is a collaboration between miniPCR and Boeing with support from CASIS, Math for America, and New England Biolabs, Inc.

Micro-g NExT team selected for testing phase of NASA design competition

Iowa State University’s Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Team (Micro-g NExT) has been selected to advance to Phase II of the NASA design competition.

Micro-g NExT challenges undergraduate students to design, build and test a tool or device that addresses a real-life space exploration challenge. Iowa State’s team has been selected to conduct test operations in the simulated microgravity environment at the NASA Johnson Space Center Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

Iowa State’s team will develop and test a spacewalk (or EVA) camera attachment mechanism, a device that connects cameras to the exterior of the International Space Station to give mission control a better view of EVA operations.

The team’s work began as a Make to Innovate project and students will spend the spring semester finalizing a design and building it, before testing at the Johnson Space Center in May.

The Iowa Space Grant Consortium is supporting the construction of the mechanism and travel to Houston for testing.

NASA part of team committing to program that strengthens STEM

NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with other federal agencies, have committed to a White House-led effort to strengthen education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

“Charting a Course for Success: A Federal Strategy for STEM Education” lays out the federal government’s role in furthering STEM education by working with state and local stakeholders, the education community and American employers. Its goals include building a STEM-proficient citizenry, creating a STEM-ready workforce and removing barriers to STEM careers, especially for women and underrepresented groups.

Read the full news release and learn more about the effort, click here.

NASA Marshall Faculty Fellowship makes you a space researcher; applications now accepted

You can conduct research arm in arm with NASA scientists in the 2019 Marshall Faculty Fellowship program. Spend ten weeks in Huntsville, Alabama at the Marshall Space Flight Center in this special residential research experience for STEM faculty at U.S. colleges and universities.

The program will run from June 3-August 9, 2019. Stipends, a relocation allowance and travel supplements are included.

Applicants can choose from 75 areas of concentration in propulsion systems, space systems, space transportation and science.

Detailed information and an application form can be found here. Application deadline is February 8, 2019.

Newspaper story highlights ISGC-supported research

The Biogeochemical Evolution of the Atmosphere (BETA) research project at the University of Northern Iowa has been highlighted in a story published by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. The project studies the all-important relationship between oxygen and planet Earth and provides highly valuable opportunities for university undergraduates. It serves as a strong example of ISGC’s commitment to supporting and inspiring Iowa’s future in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. Read the story here.

(Photo courtesy of University of Northern Iowa)

ISGC STEM scholarship student subject of UNI feature

Jaclyn Miller, who was awarded an Iowa Space Grant Consortium STEM Education Scholarship at the University of Northern Iowa, has been featured in the school’s STEM Stories on their STEM web site. She’s a junior majoring in mathematics education. Read about her love of math and about her UNI experience, aided by her ISGC scholarship, here.

To access that story and similar ones, see the STEM Beat page on the UNI web site here.