The Hines Family Foundation for Education, Innovation and Service (HFF) SILVA Nanolab YCC01 BioModule was successfully delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) via SpaceX Crew-4 on April 27, 2022. Developed by HFF EXPLORES Program and the Space Innovation and Learning Virtual Academy (SILVA), the YCC01 biological cell culture spaceflight technology demonstration project will be used to study the effect of microgravity on the functional behavior and growth of irradiated Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast) grown on board the ISS over the course of 30 days compared to samples grown on earth. The Nanolab YCC01 is the first of its kind general educational training tool for students and teachers interested in learning about the effects of space on living systems.
The YCC01 project evolved from collaboration with scientists and technologists from NASA’s Biosentinel program, and HFF product development partners, including Triple Ring Technologies. Biosentinel is NASA’s first biological mission to fly in deep space, and students who work with the YCC01 will have the opportunity to conduct parallel experiments at their schools.
“The YCC01 platform provides a wonderful opportunity for students to conduct similar flight and ground-based experiments like those being done in formal NASA science missions. This has implications not only for space exploration, but also for advancing student interest in cell and molecular biology, the effects of space exploration and radiation exposure on living systems, biological space flight systems development, genomics, synthetic biology, and biomanufacturing, to name a few. I believe working alongside NASA and with mentorship from other scientists and specialists will motivate students to learn and prepare for future careers in these exciting STEM enabled areas,” said John Hines, HFF founder. Following this initial flight aboard the ISS, HFF plans to develop additional STEM student classroom and laboratory devices, STEM learning exercises, and hands on project experiences, both virtually and with complementary at-home and/or in-school learning kits.
“The SILVA virtual academy designed, developed, and delivered the YCC01 Biomodule in an amazing 120 days! The teams worked remotely, but with tight integration, through the global pandemic, to accomplish this impressive feat. We launched the YCC01 Biomodule in ISS-compatible NanoRacks aboard the SpaceX Crew-4 and the systems are now onboard and operational,” commented Greg Kovacs, Chief Medical Officer at Triple Ring Technologies, and Chief Engineer and Electronics Lead for the project.
Joe Heanue, CEO of Triple Ring Technologies, “Triple Ring is proud to support The Hines Family Foundation as it furthers its mission of helping underserved and underrepresented students learn and apply the technology and engineering skills necessary to thrive and prosper in the 21st-century STEM enabled workforce.”
HFF plans to initiate pilot deployments of STEM Student classroom and laboratory Biological Cell Culture NanoLabs during World Space Week (October 4-10, 2022) in Atlanta, GA.
Additional information can be found at the following links:
Hines Family Foundation: http://www.hinesfamilyfoundation.org/
International Space Station: https://www.nasa.gov/
NASA BioSentinel: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/engineering/projects/biosentinel.html
Triple Ring Technologies: https://www.tripleringtech.com/
About Triple Ring Technologies: Triple Ring Technologies is a co-development company headquartered in Silicon Valley, with offices in Boston, Toronto, and Copenhagen. They partner with clients in medtech, life sciences, and sustainability & the environment to create new technologies, launch innovative projects, and start new ventures. Their capabilities span early R&D, product development, manufacturing, regulatory approval, market access, strategic investment, and incubation. For more information, please visit www.tripleringtech.com.
About Hines Family Foundation: The Hines Family Foundation for Education, Innovation and Service (HFF) (www.HinesFamilyFoundation.org) is an Atlanta, GA based nonprofit private operating foundation whose mission is to enable underserved and under-resourced students, groups, and communities to become viable contributors to and beneficiaries of the 21st century global workforce through STEM4.0 based learning and innovation. Using technical foundations and experiences derived from NASA space programs, HFF develops and enables scholars, teams, learning lessons, training curricula, and real-world hands-on project experiences as learning and training motivators to support and encourage student and teacher interest and involvement. A specific HFF goal is to train students to use and apply Technology and Engineering skills and capabilities necessary to thrive and prosper.
