November 22, 2004
Indy high schoolers to present NASA-related findings at Purdue symposium
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Indianapolis high school students conducting NASA-related research will report their findings before a panel of scientists and engineers next month at Purdue University.
The students, from McKenzie Career Center in Indianapolis, participated in a semester-long pilot program to study the "equivalent system mass analysis of plant growth," or calculating the total mass and efficiency of a plant-growth system to determine whether it is practical for use in space. Mass is weight times the effect of gravitational forces, or the total amount of matter in an object. Because mass remains constant as gravity changes, it is a more precise measurement than weight and is critical to determine for launching, maintaining and operating equipment in space.
The students will present their findings before a panel of educators and NASA and Purdue researchers during a Dec. 7 symposium organized by Purdue University’s NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training, or NSCORT. The high school curriculum for the program will be expanded in the spring to 10 other high schools, primarily in Indiana, said Julia Hains-Allen, outreach manager of the NSCORT program.
"Few, if any, high school students in the nation have completed such detailed, hands-on research focusing on designing practical systems to grow plants efficiently in space," Hains-Allen said. "The most important goal of the program is to design an educational tool for high school students across the nation in efforts to generate more interest in engineering and science."
She hopes the teaching module, which aims to develop "biomass production educational systems," will be adopted by Project Lead The Way Inc., a national program that brings together public schools, higher education and industry to increase the number and quality of engineers and engineering technologists in the United States.
Hains-Allen created the curriculum with McKenzie engineering teacher Jeff Martin, a professional engineer with industry experience, and Purdue graduate student Macon Fish.
"What a great opportunity for high school students to do real scientific research," Martin said. "These kids are receiving an experience few others in the country will have. They will not only do the research but also present and defend their findings to a distinguished panel. This is a fantastic first step in pursuing a career in science or engineering."
McKenzie, operated by the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, provides an educational foundation for students who want to explore non-vocational skills in specific fields, including engineering.
Established by NASA in 2002, the NSCORT combines NASA scientists with researchers at Purdue, Howard University and Alabama A&M University to address requirements of supporting human life in space. The center focuses on four major issues: food production and safety, waste recycling, systems engineering and educational outreach.
"Education and outreach represent a major part of NSCORT because we recognize that an effective way of encouraging young people to choose careers in science and engineering is to get them excited about these subjects," Hains-Allen said. "Scientists and engineers will be needed in greater numbers over the next 20 years because President Bush has made a mission to Mars a priority.
"What better way to excite students about science than to introduce them to NASA research for real space missions?"
Martin’s class has attracted the interest of top NASA administrators at the space agency’s Systems, Integration, Modeling, and Analysis program, or SIMA, which provided key research materials for the program.
"The students' solutions may be novel ideas for NASA," said Tony Hanford, deputy lead for SIMA at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We are curious about how the message from SIMA’s documents is understood and used so that we can, if necessary, alter our formats and documentation approaches to make our products more accessible to the wider community."
About 20 students at McKenzie conducted the research using three plant-growth chambers designed and developed by Orbital Technologies Corp. in Madison, Wis.
The students analyzed the characteristics of the chamber itself to learn whether it would be practical for use in space. They grew various types of plants and determined the total weight of the plant-growth system.
"You have to convert everything into mass units," Hains-Allen said. "That means you precisely measure how much energy is needed for heating and cooling, how much time it takes each day to water and fertilize the plants, etc., and then you use a mathematical calculation to convert all of those measurements into mass units."
Because the students wouldn’t always be at the school to water the plants, they quickly learned that they needed to design an automated watering system, which they fashioned from components in a car’s windshield-washer mechanism. The students also learned that the plant-growth chamber they were given would be too heavy for space travel without being redesigned.
The high school students will present their findings during the symposium in five teams: the systems modeling group, which will model the crop production system design for space; plant growth, plant health and yield; design of the chamber, which includes modifications, such as the improvised automated watering system; and two groups both dealing with the mathematics behind the equivalent system mass calculations and findings.
Writer: Emil Venere, (765) 494-4709, venere@purdue.edu
Sources: Julia Hains-Allen, (765) 496-6694, hains@purdue.edu
Jeff Martin, (317) 964-8017, jeffreymartin@msdlt.k12.in.us
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Photo opportunities are available during the symposium, which will be held in Room 121 of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. Nine plant-growth chambers will be on display, and students will give presentations from 10 a.m. to noon. Journalists can speak with the students after their presentations. Teachers will be using the plant-growth chambers around 1:30 p.m. Journalists may contact Julia Hains-Allen for information about the symposium, (765) 496-6694, hains@purdue.edu. TV journalists may contact Jesica Webb for assistance in covering the symposium, (765) 494-2079, jwebb@purdue.edu. For general information, contact Emil Venere at (765) 494-4709, venere@purdue.edu.
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