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We held our first student workshop at Kennedy Space Center from December 17th through the 20th, 2000. Teachers and students from Duval, Clay, Pasco, Brevard, and Dade Counties participated in the workshop. The workshop consisted of two days of activities for the participants. One day was dedicated to a comprehensive tour of the Kennedy Space Center donated by KSC. The second day was conducted in the facilities of the Bionetics Corporation on the Cape Canaveral Air Station. The activities at Bionetics consisted of two modules:
Greg Jenkins brought a team of seven University of California at Irvine
(UCI)/NASA personnel to run their portion of the workshop. They conducted
flight sample certification and sample preparation for the STS-98 (Atlantis)
shuttle mission which is scheduled to launch January 19th, 2001.
STS-98 is scheduled to take samples to the space station in connection
with ISS Mission 5a (the US Destiny Lab Mission).
Anna Holmes from the Structural Biology Lab at The University if Alabama
at Huntsville (UAH) and The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) conducted
a protein crystallization science module. Anna presented instruction
and conducted a protein crystallization utilizing the vapor diffusion (sessile
method). Students prepared samples which will be evaluated and photographed
by Anna and selected graduate students at UAH. The results are being
published on Anna's dedicated student
protein crystals webpage. Felicia Ewing from MSFC conducted a protein
dialysis activity which consisted of crushing brazil nuts, filtering and
purification steps, and culminated with the production of crystals.
Teachers and students will be able to take the 'Brazil nut' activity back
to their schools and present it to their classmates.
The workshop was spread over three days in order to complete all the
groups. All teachers, students, and staff personnel participated
in a dinner which was held at The Cocoa Beach Hilton on Monday, January
19th.
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