SSEP Blog – Chicago, IL

We need your help!

Our student team is in search of a science mentor who can offer them advice and guidance as they navigate their way to space.  Ideally, we are looking for someone who is really, really knowledgeable about fish reproduction.  Is that you?  Do you know someone?  Please contact us!

Also, we will likely require the use of a laboratory microscope to observe our samples.  Do you have a microscope to lend us?  Or can we come to your lab and use one?

Other items we will need to borrow:

• fish tank
• tank filters
• micro-pipettes
• tissue flasks

If you can offer us any of this assistance, please e-mail Kori Milroy at ksmilroy@cps.edu.

THANK YOU!

Check out this article about our project in the Chicago Tribune!

Yesterday we held a big assembly to announce the experiment selected to go to space!  It was so exciting – the gym was filled with all of our 4th – 8th graders, cheering for all the teams who participated.

We are so proud of all of the students who participated.  Our Stage 1 Review Panel received 77 proposals, which were narrowed down to 3 amazing finalists.  The three finalists’ proposals were excellent, and I am sure the Stage 2 Review Panel had a hard time choosing a winner!

Congratulations to…Eric Chen and Eren Fitzgerald!  These two outstanding 5th graders will send their experiment to space on STS-135.  Their experiment is titled “Will Microgravity Effect the Development of Goldfish?”

Way to go, team!

Meet Nadia a Skinner West 4th grader and SSEP finalist, as she discusses her proposal, “Does Metal Rust in Space?”

Meet the Finalists, Part 3: Nadia

Meet Eren and Eric, two Skinner West 5th graders who are SSEP finalists, as they discuss their proposal, “Will Microgravity Effect the Fertilization of Goldfish Eggs?”

Meet the Finalists, Part 2: Eren and Eric

Meet Amy and Kristel, two Skinner West 7th graders who are SSEP finalists, as they discuss their proposal, “The Effect of Microgravity on Plant Life.”

Meet the Finalists, Part 1: Amy and Kristel

After several hours of judging and debate, our team of experts have chosen our three finalists to be sent for the next round of judging.  Congratulations to Nadia C. from 4th Grade, Eric C. and Eren F. from 5th Grade, and Amy Y. and Kristel T.  from 7th Grade!

Thank you to all of our judges, and thank you to all of the Skinner Superstars who submitted proposals.  You are all such amazing students and should feel so proud of yourselves.

Our panel of science experts from across the city.

We were so honored to have a team of science experts from some of Chicago’s finest institutions come today to evaluate our proposals.  Thank you to all who participated!

Today we collected our students’ proposals, about 100 of them!  Everyone worked very hard and we can’t wait to read them all.  Tomorrow is the big day, when we have judges coming from all over Chicago to choose our top three proposals to be sent for national judging.  Our judging panel includes scientists, researchers, and educators from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago Public Schools, Adler Planetarium, and Fermilab, along with some exemplary science students from Whitney Young High School.

Hello, my name is Eric.  My research question is “Does microgravity effect fish reproduction?”

I am planning to send guppy eggs and sperm to space, to measure the effect of weightlessness on fertilization.

My question for a scientist:  How do I keep the eggs and sperm alive in space for the the entire mission?  Can they live in water, or should they be stored in something else?

Thank you!