Subject: Are you interested in designing an experiment that will fly to
space?

Description:
Participate in Mission 10 of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program
(SSEP)!

WHO?
We are seeking freshmen, sophomores and juniors interested in research. No
previous background in research is required. Majors in biology and related
fields are preferred. Students will be selected on a first-come, first-served
basis.

WHAT?
You will be part of the UMD SSEP Community, where student teams will compete
by writing experiment proposals to test the effect of microgravity on a
biological system. Only one proposal will be selected for flight. This is a
real scientific competition!

The winning student group will set up their proposed experiment in the lab
and ship it to be taken to low Earth orbit on the International Space
Station. The experiment will spend 4-6 weeks in microgravity and return to
the students for analysis.

Student groups are made up of 2-4 students. Feel free to create your own
group and apply, or apply as an individual and we will assign a group to you.
Each group will be assigned a research mentor who will give weekly advice
from Day 1 on proposal writing and experiment design.

WHEN?
February 22, 2016: Program start date. Student groups are briefed about the
details of the experiment + proposal and meet with their mentor for the first
time. Groups begin working on their experiment proposals.

April 22, 2016: Student proposals are due for review

First week of May, 2016: Three UMD proposals are selected as finalists to be
reviewed by National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE)

May 26, 2016: One proposal is selected to fly to ISS

Summer 2016: Winning proposal has time to optimize the experiment for flight
to ISS (

Fall 2016 (barring launch delays): Experiment due for ferry to ISS

Launch + 4-6 weeks (Winter 2017): Experiment returns and winning student
group analyses the results

July 2017: Winning team may attend the SSEP conference in Washington, D.C.
and present results

What is my time commitment?
FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS
Spring 2016: Write the 8-page experiment proposal between February 22 and
April 22. Meet weekly with research mentor. Perform preliminary experiments
in the lab -optional, to make your proposal stronger. [2 months]

ONLY FOR THE THREE SEMI-FINALISTS
End of April - Beginning of May 2016: Revise your proposal based on
reviewers’ comments before sending it to NCESSE for selection [~1-2 weeks].

ONLY FOR THE WINNING TEAM
End of May 2016: Revise your proposal based on reviewers’ comments.
Depending on your experiment, you might have to optimize quantities, and
other aspects of your proposed experiment [~1-2 weeks].
Fall 2016: Set up your experiment in the lab and ship it for flight to ISS [~
1 month]
Winter 2017: Receive your experiment from space and analyze and report
results [~1-2 months].

Find out more from UMD Program Director Daniel Serrano !
(deadline for expression of interest: February 15, 2016)


Contact Person: Daniel Serrano
Contact Email: [log in to unmask]