By Spencer Sterritt

Nanaimo students’ science experiment getting launched into space

Jan 9, 2018 | 11:41 AM

NANAIMO — Students are often taught to shoot for the stars, but three Nanaimo students have actually managed it.

A science project thought up by Nanaimo District Secondary School Grade 11 students Megan Poteryko, Parker Davie and Abigail Sitler is heading into space to be tested on the International Space Station this summer, as part of an educational program with NASA and many other space organizations.

Their winning science experiment involves testing a specific drug to see if it can prevent muscle loss in astronauts and anyone travelling to far-flung planets in the future.

“If you’re going to live or travel (in space), you have to understand how we could survive,” program coordinator and science teacher Mary Anne Perkins told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The drug, which is a supplement used by athletes to help grow muscle, will be administered to some flatworms on Earth and compared to worms without the drug. Astronauts on the space station will do the same test over four to six weeks and the results will be studied when they return.

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Perkins said she and the students are still pinching themselves over the chance the send their experiment to space.

“It’s quite amazing for all of these students,” she said. “It’s a wonderful experience.”

It was a two-month rush to prepare the project, where the students were in competition with many others across the school district. During that time, they learned how to properly research scientific topics and prepare papers, all tasks which will be expected of them if they pursue a science degree in university.

“It’s what they were interested in and what they were inspired by,” Perkins said. “I would have kids rushing to class wanting to start this and wanting to investigate, working overtime, getting emails from them on the weekend.”

The project isn’t done quite yet. The students are working on any final refinements before sending it off to NASA, where it’s expected to be sent off into space on June 6. They’ll travel down to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to watch their hard work launch into the sky.

Once the tests return to Earth and they’ve analyzed the data, the students will then travel to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. to present their findings.

Students from all grades are also designing patches to be worn during space flights and learning about how symbols and icons can represent something larger.

Perkins said the project wouldn’t have been possible without community support, since it cost $24,000 to include their experiment in the payload to the space station.

Though it’s a high price tag, Perkins said she’s optimistic the funding will be secured again in the future.

“If the funding goes ahead, the students that didn’t get chosen, they got feedback and learned how they can make their proposal better for next year. It inspired them to go ahead. Not winning, that’s okay. They want to learn how to do better.”

Only one other science experiment from Canada is going into the space, joining roughly 30 others from the United States.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit