Sally Harrington
Media Relations Office
(216) 433-2037
s.harrington@grc.nasa.gov

Students Reap Awards for Their Plant Research

One elementary school class and one middle school class will be honored for their reports on science experiments they conducted involving tomato plants they grew from seeds exposed to space environments compared with plants they grew from normal seeds. The experiments were part of a contest called Seeds II sponsored by Star Station Oneä and its 61 museum partners across the nation—one of which is the Glenn Visitor Center.

Each class will receive a plaque and certificate during a recognition program in the Visitor Center at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 19. The winner in the K-5 category is a fifth grade science class from Munson Elementary School in Chardon, OH, who are students of teacher Carla Gray. A sixth grade science class taught by Greg Yarbenet at Rice Avenue Middle School in Girard, PA, is the winner in the 6-12 category.

In addition to the awards, a speaker will talk to the students about careers in math and science and provide them with information about the International Space Station. After the program, the students will participate in a scavenger hunt activity in the exhibit area of the Visitor Center followed by lunch and a tour of two Glenn research facilities.

The winning entries from both classes along with those of the winners from each state have been forwarded to Start Station Oneä for judging at the national level.

Star Station Oneä is a program designed to connect the excitement of the International Space Station with the public and youth of America through the existing "informal science education" system. Science centers and museums are engaged in a structured program which is fed from the sources of current and relevant International Space Station information.

More information about Star Station Oneä can be found on the Internet at http://www.bishop.hawaii.org/starstation/index.html.

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