- Delta Program Middle School
- The Delta Program Middle School
Out-of this-world Science Project
It’s fair to say State High students Claire Jin, Tori Sodeinde and Jessica Zhang are creating an out-of this-world science project.
The sophomores are among the top five finalists in the 2019 Genes in Space competition for students in grades 7-12. Chosen from 789 submissions nationwide, the finalists are vying for a chance to have an experiment tested on the International Space Station.
Competitors were tasked with designing a DNA experiment that addresses some type of challenge related to space exploration. The winner will be named after the ISS Research and Development Conference in Atlanta, Ga., July 29-Aug. 1. Until then, scientists from Harvard and MIT will mentor the finalists as they refine their presentations for judges.
Guided by Qunhua Li, an associate professor in Penn State’s department of statistics, State High’s team is researching the cellular mechanisms of astronaut bone density loss.
“Life in space can lead to many changes in the human body,” Jin said. “One of the most noticeable and detrimental changes is the bone density loss. This loss in bone density makes bones weak and puts astronauts at a high risk of fractures. Though astronauts can regain most of the bone loss after they return to earth, the recovery takes months and is usually not full. Many scientists believe that the microgravity environment in space somehow causes bone to break down at a much faster rate than it is built up, leading to the loss of bone density. However, the exact mechanism that causes this rate change in microgravity is still unknown. Our experiment will study the cellular mechanisms of this rate change in space.”
The trio is State High’s second finalist in the competition’s five-year history after Alyssa Huff in 2015. Huff created an experiment to test alien planetary material and potentially help scientists identify extraterrestrial life better.