Students from The Saints Academy Win Genes in Space Contest

In March, Mrs. Pomeroy, our middle school science teacher, presented an opportunity for our 8th graders to take part in the national Genes in Space 2018 contest. This contest challenges students from around the country to design an original DNA experiment that addresses real-life challenges and opportunities of space exploration. Genes in Space is a national contest open to students in middle school and high school. Students were invited to design a DNA experiment that could be performed on the International Space Station. Proposals are judged solely on their creative and scientific merit.

Eight of our 8th grade students Catherine Terelak, Abby Booth, Emma Perry, Lindsey Gannon, Max Sperry, Josh Berube, Aria Rahimi and Graham Speidel formed a team and worked with Mrs. Pomeroy for weeks during recess, before, and after school. Additionally, Mr. McFarland, a bio-tech veteran, offered assistance and guidance to the team.

The 8th grade students at The Saints Academy engineered a study in the field of bio-engineering addressing the question, "Can living organisms help us colonize new worlds?" They investigated whether plants that typically are not drought-resistant could become drought -resistant through gene manipulation. The students isolated the gene responsible for regulating the opening and closing of the guard cells inside the stoma. This discovery could be used to modify the process of transpiration in a plant cell. The significance of the study has far reaching implications. The demands for usable water are increasing, but the availability of clean water is decreasing due to Global warming and changes in environment.

Last week, The Saints Academy received this notification from the Genes In Space:

Congratulations! Your Genes in Space proposal has won a Junior Scientist Award. This award recognizes outstanding proposals by US middle school teams. We had a very competitive Genes in Space application pool this year, with 559 submissions from grades 7-12th including 129 proposals from middle school applicants from across the US. Your team's submission was among the top 5 proposals in a pool of very strong middle school proposals. We warmly congratulate you on your achievements.

As a Junior Scientist Award recipient, your educational institution will receive a miniPCR DNA Discovery System™. This complete biotechnology toolkit includes the same DNA technology that is currently in use aboard International Space Station!

Links to Genes in Space Sites

https://www.genesinspace.org/?mc_cid=ebd76de362&mc_eid=11fedddf2e

https://www.genesinspace.org/blog/genes-space-awards-2018-part-1

Students pictured from left to right: Catherine Terelak, Abby Booth, Emma Perry, Lindsey Gannon, Max Sperry, Josh Berube, Aria Rahimi and Graham Speidel