High School East junior, Charlene Chen, has just been announced as a semifinalist in the Genes in Space Competition! The competition challenges students to solve a real-world issue that astronauts face in space exploration. On board the International Space Station, astronauts experience microgravity and radiation, both of which have profound impacts on the human body. Students propose experiments to be flown to the ISS to probe the impact of space on genes of interest.
This is the third time a student from East has qualified. According to ThINK Coordinator Ms. Maria Zeitlin, "Genes in Space asks students to consider daunting aspects of space travel. The benefit is that their experiments are relevant on earth too. Charlene's experiment investigates a biosensor for DNA damage. It is clever and relevant."
Charlene is 1 of 30 finalists nationally to be considered for a 1 in 5 spot in the finals. The next step is a video submission pitching her experiment for consideration.
Good luck to her!
