Grant Hurley, Maisha Maliha, Gurleen Multani, Cole Monro, Tessa Murchison, & Ryan Stewart stand together wearing NASA branded baseball hats

Students submit proposals for microgravity experiment on the ISS

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Thu, 12/07/2023 - 15:18

This fall, Health Sciences students had the opportunity to participate in a client-based project involving interdisciplinary undergraduate collaborative research, working to develop proposals for the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (http://ssep.ncesse.org/). In this iteration of the ASCX course, the client was NASA and student groups were tasked with designing projects for a microgravity experiment to test both on Earth and on the International Space Station (ISS).

The students worked in interdisciplinary teams to develop research proposals which provided them with the opportunity to develop skills in written, visual, and oral science communication.

“This was honestly the most fascinating course I've taken (and will likely ever take) in University. I learned how to tailor the complexity of my message so it is accessible to a wide variety of audiences, which is integral to succeeding in a career in science.” - Anonymous student feedback

In total, there were 65 students broken into 14 groups. Students came from a variety of disciplines, including Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Kinesiology, Biology, Computer Sciences, Physics, Math, Politics, Health Studies, History, English, and ConEd.

Three proposals were selected by a Step 1 review board comprised of Queen’s faculty and graduate students.

The three successful proposals are:

Space Anemia: Investigating the Impact of Microgravity on Erythropoietin for Treatment Implications - Anthony Guglya, Kathleen Gardner, & Luyang Li

Examining the Ability of Asialofetuin-A to Form Calciprotein Particles in Microgravity - Junsu Lee, Wendy Li, Ruairi O’Connor Clarke, Jaimeson Paris Lortie, & Joel Sindle

The Impact of Lectins on Escherichia coli Biofilm Formation in Microgravity - Grant Hurley, Maisha Maliha, Gurleen Multani, Cole Monro, Tessa Murchison, & Ryan Stewart

Only one successful project will be chosen and sent on the payload with Mission 18 to the ISS.

Members from the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) will then convene a Step 2 Review Board, which meets at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, for tentative selection of the flight experiment for each community.

At the end of term Showcase Research Event on November 20, the student teams presented posters of their proposal, and the three selected proposals were announced. Additionally, a best poster winner and honourable mention were chosen by guest judges Dr. Arthur B McDonald, Dr. Lynne Postovit, Dr. Jim Banting, and Dr. Gavan Watson.

Best Poster Winner: Yasi Shahidian, Sarah Creary, Meadow Donnelly-Gilman, Alexa Dodds - Testing the feasibility of a simple, colorimetric biosensor to measure estrogen levels in microgravity

Honourable Mention: Matthew Vandergrift, Mark Labib, Joshua Lee, Jacqueline Parry, Guntaas Kaur, Eve Harrison - The impact of microgravity on Streptococcus Mutans-associated tooth decay

“It’s very difficult and expensive to begin conducting research in the space sector, but leveraging the SSEP allows a large pool of students to compete for a real opportunity to conduct microgravity research while maximizing university resources. Ultimately, this course is the first to truly prepare me for the theoretical, experimental, and literary complexities that scientists experience throughout their careers, and it is an experience I will forever draw on to succeed in my personal and professional life.” – Anonymous student feedback

Read the feature story in the Gazette here

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Students submit proposals for microgravity experiment on the ISS