STEM Education

STEM Kit Lets Students Try Space Station Plant Experiments

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 10/20/20

A company that creates space-based educational programs has released a new STEM kit that can be used by students in the classroom or at home. DreamUp's new $80 Space Farmer DreamKit allows young people to reproduce experiments being undertaken by astronauts on the International Space Station. This is the second such kit created by DreamKit; the first one explores germs in space.

The new kit, which was developed in partnership with chemistry company BASF, includes:

• The materials needed for experiments: seeds, test tubes, growth medium and other supplies for growing the plants;

• A handbook with instructions, background information on space science and botany and classroom activities; and

• Access to an online portal that shares images from an experiment sent to the ISS for the Space Farmer DreamKit, allowing students to compare their results with plants grown in space. The website also has career talks from scientists and a forum for students to share their results.

"We are excited to provide a cost-effective science kit that allows students to engage with relevant topics in space science and biology," said Allen Herbert, interim CEO of DreamUp, in a press release. "We are optimistic that the activities in this kit will inspire the next generation of explorers, innovators and future space farmers as they participate in a hands-on learning experience. In order for people to travel further into space and settle other planets, we will have to grow our own food!"