Internship Program in Space Life Sciences
Limerick Institute of Technology
Kennedy Space Centre, Florida
Potential Research Projects (contingent on funding availability)
IPSLS001 - ABA & Oxygen Cross Talk
The normal course of seed development in many oil seeds (such as soybean, canola, and
flax) begins with a green, photosynthetic embryo and ends with a mature embryo that is
essentially devoid of chlorophyll. In canola, various environmental conditions (e.g. early
fall frost or non-lethal freezing) can lead to green dry seeds at maturity, resulting in low
quality oil and loss in farmer’s revenue. Although, it is known that the normal seed
development is under slightly hypoxic condition, the question is how this non-lethal
freezing alter the microenvironment within the seedpod. Therefore the overall objective
of this project is to determine the role of gaseous environment in seedpod on green seed
formation in Canola. Selected student will perform various tasks ranging from
maintaining experimental plants, in vitro seed culture, the quantitative analyses of gas
components and phytohormones (especially ABA and its metabolites). Mentor:
Langfang H. Levine, Ph.D., Senior Research Chemist, Principal Investigator in
Analytical and Biological Chemistry
IPSLS002 - Effect of Hypergravity (> 1g) on Isoflavonoid Metabolism in Developing
Soybean Seedlings
This is the second dimension of a previous FAS intern project and aim to investigate the
interaction between gravity and phytohormones in controlling isoflavonoid metabolism in
developing soybean seedlings. Hypergravity will be simulated in a customized
centrifuge. Candidate students are required to perform biological experiments such as
seed germination under hypergravity, sampling and sample preservation, sample
preparation, and subsequently quantitative determination of secondary metabolites (e.g.
isoflavonoids) in materials generated from experimental treatments using HPLC and
enzymatic/colorimetric methods. Mentor: Langfang H. Levine, Ph.D., Senior Research
Chemist, Principal Investigator in Analytical and Biological Chemistry
IPSLS003 - Regenerable Adsorbents: Trace Contaminant and Moisture Control
Air Revitalization (AR) systems are designed to maintain volatile organic compound
(VOC) concentrations of spacecraft air below the Spacecraft Maximum Allowable
Concentrations (SMACs). AR systems are also designed to control moisture of spacecraft
air so that the crew is comfortable. These AR systems utilize regenerable adsorbents in
packed beds undergoing pressure swing adsorption because they reduce the amount of
resupply mass for given space missions. The goal of the project is to evaluate these
candidate regenerable adsorbents for use in future spacecraft missions. Students will be
responsible for carrying out measurements of chemical specificity, adsorptive capacity,
and/or dynamic performance of candidate adsorbents using gas chromatography/FTIR.
They will be responsible for data collection, and preparing data summaries. Mentor:
Oscar Monje, PhD. Principal Investigator for Air Revitalization Systems
IPSLS004 - Effects of spaceflight environment conditions on growth and quality of
salad crops
Atmospheric conditions (temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration),
light (quality, duration), root zone environment (oxygen concentration, moisture) and
nutrient availability all have significant effects on plant growth and quality. Management
of the these conditions under partial gravity or microgravity conditions present unique
challenges and opportunities for delivering the environmental conditions necessary to
optimize growth and yield. Student will be involved with experiments to develop
nutrient delivery systems for the next generation plant growth systems and determine the
effects of relevant environments on productivity and quality of salad crops for the the
crew. Mentor: Raymond Wheeler Ph.D. /Gioia Massa PhD, Senior Plant Scientists,
NASA Space Life Science Laboratory
IPSLS005 - Mutualistic Plant/Microbe Relationships under spaceflight conditions.
Plants and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) often establish symbiotic or mutualistic
associations that ensure survival of the microorganism and enhance the growth and stress
resistance of the plant. Under spaceflight conditions, the potential exists for these
mutualistic associations to become pathogenic, and decrease vigor of the plant. The
student will be involved with research to determine the conditions necessary for
optimization of the beneficial plant/microbe interactions for long and short term
spaceflight missions. Mentor: Mike Roberts PhD, Sustainable Systems Research Lead/
Gary Stutte PhD. Principal Investigator, Kennedy Space Center, Florida