Scientists from Spain, conducting an experiment
in space, are getting help with research from eighth-graders at
Emerson Middle School in Livonia Michigan.
Students took measurements of crystals grown on Earth and in
microgravity on the International Space Station.
A series of time-stamped photos were taken over a few days just
after the experiment began last August. Students on laptops used
a computer program called ImageJ to measure the structures.
They noted the growth rate (using science and math skills)
and morphology (using descriptive language about the appearance)
of cobalt chloride and calcium chloride crystals, which grow
at different rates on Earth and in space, affecting their shape
and size.
The measurements logged by Nikki Wojciechowski's class and
students from 20 other schools in nine states will help develop
a large database of information.
"The data you send in is helping real scientists do research on unknown
topics," said Tom Drummond, director of Education for Orion's Quest,
a program that provides middle and high school students an opportunity
to work with world-class scientists in association with NASA.
Orion's Quest has also conducted studies of
ladybugs and roundworms in both environments.
It's exciting for the students to be involved in real world research,
Wojciechowski said. "We're not just graphing something,
we're part of something that's a bigger picture."
Students conducted their own classroom lab to see how the crystals
form.
"It's pretty cool that we're actually get to submit our research to NASA," said
eighth-grader Tyler Vitale. He added, "I like hands-on science.
I don't just like sitting around."
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