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An experiment that is out of this world

By Sarah Shurge returned to earth to determine if
“This is a once in a lifetime expe- mushroom spores germinated in a
rience they got to do,” said Michael microgravity environment.
Hall, Walker-Winter Fifth Grade “They really worked hard on this,”
Teacher. said Hall. “We had word that our
Selected Walker-Winter Elemen- class had won but we needed to
tary School students competed in make corrections. We had a power
and won the SSEP Flight Opportu- outage that day, so we met online,
nity – Mission 17 to the International worked on it all day, and got it done.
Space Station. I’m so proud of them for the work
Student Spaceflight Experiments they put forth.”
Program (SSEP) was launched in Hall has been teaching at Walker-
June 2010 by the National Center Winter Elementary School for 12 of
for Earth and Space Science Educa- his 18 years teaching career.
tion (NCESSE) in partnership with “My job allows me to be innova-
Nanoracks, LLC. tive with young kids; seeing the light-
The program was designed as a bulb go off in their minds, seeing
model U.S. national Science, Tech- that ‘aha’ moment,” said Hall. “My fa-
nology, Engineering, and Mathemat- vorite part is that everyday can be
ics (STEM) education initiative. different. I'm not in a cubicle or
Students participating in SSEP doing the same thing over and over.”
Flight Opportunity – Mission 17 had SSEP reported there were a total
the ability to design and propose real of 2,261 proposals that were submit-
microgravity experiments to fly in ted from student teams across 37
low Earth orbit (experiments con- communities participating in Mis-
ducted in a “weightless” environ- sion 17. Review Boards reviewed
ment). these proposals and by February
The winning student-teams’ de- 3rd, 2023, 39 flight experiments
signed microgravity experiment is were selected for SSEP Mission 17
transported through launch to the In- to ISS.
ternational Space Station (ISS) Walker-Winter Elementary
where it is operated by the astro- School’s “Mushroom Germination in
nauts. Microgravity” was one of the 39 ex-
Hall and his students got their ex- periments selected for flight.
periment idea while hunting for Winning Mission 17 required the
mushrooms in the school play- team to travel down to Florida to
ground. Their experiment is titled Michael Hall, Amerie Parkes, Devid Zace, Brayden Albright and Michaela DeVries at present their work to their peers.
“Mushroom Germination in Micro- The trip was delayed many times
gravity” and is focused on if mush- the Kennedy Space Center. and funding was a concern.
rooms can germinate in a Brynn Majewski, Instructional
microgravity environment, so future “Because they won I was able to live out my dreams Coach, helped plan the trip, and
space explorers can benefit from many sponsors stepped up to make
this. from being a child, I asked to go to space camp when this trip possible for the students.
The 5th grade team consists of: Sponsors included: Community
Co-Principal Investigators - Bailey I was a kid in 5th grade and wasn't able to go, so I Circle SE, LTU STEM Center, Mid-
Needham and Michaela DeVries, and was able to live out my childhood dreams going with west Grow Kits, North Spore, Wayne
Co-Investigators - Kinnidy Jones, 100 Club, Wayne Ford Civic, West-
Devid Zace, Brayden Albright, and them. It was one of the best experiences of my life.” land Rotary, WWCSD STEM Center,
Bassam Qaqish. Wayne-Westland Community
They chose Lion’s Mane mush- Schools. Community donations in-
room for their experiment due to the Michael Hall cluded: Elizabeth Lehto, Kristin
many benefits, not just for a person’s Bertoia, and Gwynn Bondy.
health, but for the environment as Walker-Winter Fifth Grade Teacher “Because they won I was able to
well. live out my dreams from being a
Some health benefits include raformation. Mushrooms are also ca- To do this, they assembled a child,” said Hall. “I asked to go to
boosting the human immune system, pable of breaking down rocks and mini-lab and will have an astronaut space camp when I was a kid in 5th
lowering risks of cancer caused by minerals, creating nutrient filled soil follow their experimental procedure grade and wasn't able to go, so I was
space radiation, and protection from for plants to grow in. aboard the ISS while they conduct able to live out my childhood dreams
mental disease. For the experiment, they wanted the same experiment in the class- going with them. It was one of the
Mushrooms have the capability to to see if Lion’s Mane spores will ger- room on the ground. They will then best experiences of my life.”
absorb toxins, and turn that into minate in a microgravity environ- compare the controlled variable in
food for plants, thus creating ter- ment. the classroom to the mini-lab once See NASA, page 8

The Wayne Dispatch · December 2023 · 7