West Virginia middle and high school students can be part of NASA’s efforts to identify plants suitable for supporting astronauts on the Moon by participating in a global science experiment and inspirational team challenge to see who can grow the best crops using lunar regolith simulant. The Plant the Moon Challenge project aligns with NASA’s Artemis, Moon mission.
Program Info
About the program: The Space Grant Enhancement project expands the Plant the Moon Challenge (PTMC) developed by the Institute of Competition Sciences (ICS) by offering teachers free lunar regolith kits (valued at $420 ea.), team coach stipends of $100, teacher professional development sessions, and eight state-level student team awards. The PTMC activity kit supports a team of up to ten students. Teachers (or youth group leaders) receive a $100 materials stipend for supplies for each team they coach. Student teams work together to conduct their plant growth experiments using the simulant. Using the project guide and online mentoring support teachers serve as coaches to advise student teams in how to design their plant growth experiments.
Timeline: Starting 26 Jan through 18 Apr 2025, student teams are engaged in weekly tasks and challenge activities that lead up to submitting a final research report. The timeline for student experiments is eight weeks starting 3 FEB and ending 30 MAR 2025.
Eligibility: Participants can be schools or organizations that work with middle or high school students such as 4-H and Girl or Boy Scout troops. The project has broad appeal to science, biology, botany, earth science, and agricultural and other related disciplines.
Professional Development: Five virtual professional development sessions will be offered for participating teachers/coaches between OCT 2024 and APR 2025. In addition to the educational webinars, Plant The Moon staff and state Space Grant coordinators will communicate with the educators throughout the project to offer assistance and answer questions.
Experiential Prizes for Winning Teams: Eight state team winners will receive an award to fund a STEM-related field trip for the winning team and their coach. The best overall middle and high school team from the eight space grant affiliates will receive an expense-covered trip to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center Complex. While at KSC, the winning teams will do a presentation on their projects for NASA specialists.
Application Opens: 7 September 2024. Application Closes: 7 October 2024, at 11:59pm ET.