East Rockaway School District is thrilled to announce that 10th grader Andrew Chen secured second place in the prestigious Growing Beyond Earth project, operated in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This program is designed to advance NASA's research on growing plants in space.

Andrew's project, titled The effect of elevated concentrations of CO2 on Eruca sativa, explored the research question, “How would elevated concentrations of CO2 affect the germination rate of Eruca sativa?”

His innovative research contributed valuable insights into the potential for sustainable agriculture in space environments. As part of his project, Chen 3D-printed a grow box and carefully tracked changes in the germination of his seeds. His presentation to NASA scientists was extremely impressive, so much so that he literally “wowed” them.

We are incredibly proud of Andrew for this outstanding achievement and his dedication to scientific exploration. Andrew will be continuing with science research next year at East Rockaway High School in the area of astrobiology.

Date Added: 6/18/2024