Out-of-this-world science experiment grabs international interest
By Dipali Pathak
"Houston, we have butterflies!"
Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis had some company on their launch into space this past November. Four Painted Lady butterfly larvae tagged along with the astronauts as a part of an educational experiment for students across the world.
Following butterflynauts
Students of all ages followed the "butterflynauts" as they developed from larvae into Painted Lady butterflies on the International Space Station.
The project began with lift-off on Nov. 16, 2009, continued through the natural lifespan of the insects, and ended on Dec. 10, 2009.
Classrooms were encouraged to set up ground-based habitats in which they could replicate the space experiment and compare the growth and behavior of their Earth-based butterfly larvae with those living on the habitat on the International Space Station.
BCM designed educational program
With support from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Educational Outreach designed the experiment's educational program and provided a teacher's guide with information on ordering larvae, creating the habitat and caring for the larvae. The University of Colorado organized the technical aspects of sending the larvae into space. Pictures and video of the larvae growing in space were available on YouTube and BCM's BioEd Online web site for students to observe and follow.
Each student was given the opportunity to develop a hypothesis as he or she compared growth rates, feeding behavior, wing development and flight of the butterflies in the two different habitats.
"This was a great opportunity for students to participate in an open-ended science experiment through which they could experience authentic science in real time," said Dr. Nancy Moreno, professor of allied health sciences and senior associate director of the Center for Educational Outreach at BCM.
Choose areas of interest
Usually, classroom science experiments in which students take part have an intended outcome, but in this experiment, students could explore any aspect in which they had an interest, said Moreno.
Students followed the project via the Internet, and the program utilized online social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to send out updates on the butterflynauts.
Now that the butterflynauts have completed their natural lifespan, data collection has ended.
The Center for Educational Outreach is now involved in the second stage of the project, a national poster competition for students who followed the experiment. Students are invited to submit, via e-mail, scientific posters on their findings from the experiments.
Feedback
Participation in the experiment surpassed expectations. More than 2,900 teachers registered on BioEd Online to receive the program teacher's guide and indicated that they would use the materials in their classrooms. It is estimated that approximately 180,000 students around the world followed the experiment, along with interested members of the general public.
"This is one of the most exciting projects the Center for Educational Outreach has been involved in," said Moreno. "We were able to capture the attention of people all around the world by developing a science experiment that was accessible to anyone who wanted to participate. People could appreciate the experiment and be a part of it."
Space-based science
"This project clearly demonstrates that there is an interest in space-based science, and it's engaging to students, parents and the community," said Moreno. "The Internet has opened up myriad possibilities for future science research."
To view more pictures and video of the "butterflynauts" on the International Space Station, visit BioEdOnline.
