Three teams of finalists were chosen on Nov. 1 for the Lynbrook Public School District’s Project L.I.F.T.O.F.F. Leaders and Innovators. The three projects will compete for a chance for one project to be sent to the International Space Station.

Over 200 teams of Lynbrook students in grades 6 through 9 submitted proposals for microgravity experiments that covered a wide range of science topics. Fourteen semifinalist teams attended the special symposium in the Lynbrook High School auditorium, and the night ended with the selection of three finalist teams who are now one step closer to realizing the dream of becoming real life space scientists.

Attendees were treated to a presentation by keynote speaker Greg Olsen, who was the third private citizen to orbit the earth on the ISS in 2005. Mr. Olsen displayed photos and videos from his time in space, including ones that showed how his typical daily routines were altered while living without gravity. Mr. Olsen’s speech helped invigorate students’ and parents’ interest in space exploration.

Each semifinalist team was announced and received certificates and goodies from their teachers. North and South middle school principals Marianne Healy and Kaitlin GaNun announced the finalists, who are Anderson Bell, Liam Proper, Owen Rudolph and Antonio Zollo for the project, “The Effect of Microgravity on the Oxidization of Iron;” Baili Georgoulas, Delia Kirkpatrick and Annabelle Murray for the project, “Hodgkin Lymphoma Cells in Microgravity;” and Jack Murray, Aidan Michaels, Chris Mangieri and Jamile Batista for the project, “How does microgravity and space conditions effect the growth of the wine cap mushroom, Stropharia rugosoannulata, mycelium?”

Project L.I.F.T.O.F.F. – Lynbrook’s Inspirational Flight to Orbit for Future Leaders and Innovators – is part of the district’s participation in the Student Space Flight Experiments Program, a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education in the U.S. and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with NanoRacks LLC, which is working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the ISS as a National Laboratory.

Date Added: 11/4/2022