Genes in Space begins search for UAE’s generation of science stars

UAE teachers and pupils are being invited to take part in a hands-on workshop designed to further their knowledge in space and biology while enhancing their experiments for the Genes in Space contest.

Srividia Jagathrakshagan, head of the biology department at Gems Modern Academy, will be attending the Genes in Space workshop with her student. Victor Besa for The National

ABU DHABI // Teachers and pupils are invited to take part in a workshop that will stretch their horizons in the fields of biology and space.

An all-day seminar in the capital on August 22 is for those interested in conducting DNA experiments designed for micro-gravity and entering Genes in Space, a competition that offers pupils the opportunity to see their ideas tested on the International Space Station.

The competition, organised by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing, gives teams of four pupils, from Years 7 to 12, a chance to design an experiment that addresses real challenges in space exploration and involves biology in zero gravity.

The winner will be tested by astronauts.

Flying in from the US, the creators of the contest will be staging lectures and hands-on training in the use of their mini-PCR [polymerase chain reaction] machine, a portable DNA laboratory that pupils can use to carry out molecular biology, genetics and biological engineering experiments, among others.

Workshop hosts Ezequiel Alvarez Saavedra and Sebastian Kraves, co-founders of mini-PCR, alongside chief experience officer Mugdha Narasimhan, will be conducting the day-long course which will provide participants a better grasp of the scientific challenges involving DNA analysis in space.

Srividia Jagathrakshagan, head of the biology department at Gems Modern Academy, said the practical aspect of the workshop would provide her with the tools she needed to further her students’ experiments.

A participant in the Genes in Space’s online seminar in June, Ms Jagathrakshagan said the course would help further her understanding.

“I am looking forward to seeing how the PCR machine works and applying that knowledge to better students’ experiments,” she said.

Joining her will be one of her eighth-grade students, 13-year old Anoushka Ghosh from India, who is working on a DNA experiment related to vestibular ataxia – a condition in which astronauts’ balance, vision, and eye movements are affected by the microgravity environment in space.

“It is a great opportunity for educators and students in the UAE and I plan to use what I learn to get even more of my students involved,” she said.

With spaces in the free workshop limited, those interested in attending are asked to email their name, position, school and city to [e-mail].

More information about the competition can be found by following #theuaespacestory on social media or visiting thenational.ae/uae/genes-in-space and genesinspace.org/contest-uae.