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Cocoa Beach Hilton Workshop
January 31st-February 2nd, 2003

We held our third 'advanced' student workshop in the KSC area at the Cocoa Beach Hilton Hotel January 31st through February 2nd, 2003.  Teachers and students from Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Pasco, and Brevard Counties participated in the workshop.  The workshop consisted of two days of activities for the participants. One day was devoted to making flight samples for an upcoming mission and conducting training in protein crystallization methods. The second day was available for participants to tour the Kennedy Space Center. Unfortunately, the workshop got off to a bad start due to the space shuttle Columbia accident.  Our students had assembled either on the beach at the Cocoa Beach Hilton or in the parking lot of the KSC visitors center to watch the landing.

We had used the Cocoa Beach Hilton to stay for our two previous KSC Advanced Student Workshops.  However, this was the first time that we used the hotel facilities for our flight sample and protein crystallization training modules.  Using the hotel facilities worked out very well.

Greg Jenkins brought his team of University of California at Irvine (UCI)/NASA personnel to run their portion of the workshop. It was great to see each member of his team; Wendell Elrod, John Perkey, Merle Myers, and Jim Porter, again as we had worked with each before at previous workshops. They conducted certification training and flight sample preparation intended for
ISS Mission 12a, STS-115 (Endeavour).

Anna Holmes, a research scientist from The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) conducted a protein crystallization science module again this year.  Anna presented instruction on various protein crystallization methods and students prepared samples which will be evaluated and photographed by Anna and selected graduate students at the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH).  The results are being published on Anna's dedicated student protein crystals webpage. A difference this year was that we brought along a math teacher, Mrs. Susan Wallis from Terry Parker High School in Jacksonville to assist Anna in Internet and Microsoft Excel applications related to the training.  In addition, two previous students from the program, Kimberly (Nelson) Salazar, currently a Biology major at The University of North Florida, and Jennifer Paraway from Eau Gallie High School in Brevard County assisted Anna with the module.



Pictures
Flight Sample Preparation 
(Under Construction)
Anna's  Module


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Page by: Robert S. Smith Terry Parker High School; Jacksonville, Florida
Last updated: February 22nd, 2003