Edmonton student to go to NASA to present her weightlessness experiment project

Samantha Luchkow, 9th grade student^e year in Edmonton, will travel to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, located in Florida, United States. She was selected as part of a scientific competition.

A team of five students from Avalon Secondary School in Edmonton has been selected by the Edmonton Public Schools Board to compete in the semi-finals of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. Among them, only Samantha Luchkow will present his study project on 1^er July in front of more than 100 participants from the United States and Canada.

I wouldn’t say I’m really nervous about public speaking and all that, but it will probably be intimidating to be surrounded by so many successful people in this field.

The competition is aimed at students from fifth grade to university. They must design experiments intended to be carried out in the microgravity environment offered by the International Space Station (ISS).

The work of Samantha Luchkow consists of studying the way in which Bacillus cereusa foodborne pathogen responsible for food poisoning, grows on rice under weightless conditions.

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According to her, the study could provide information on other, more dangerous bacteria that could grow in space.

Nearly 30,000 experimental proposals were submitted by students from Canada and the United States. Only 100 of them are selected to be presented in Florida.

Avalon students were introduced to the program by their teacher, Homa Geisel.

I want to give them the opportunity to experience what they learn in class in the real worldshe explains.

With information from Kashmala Fida Mohatarem