Theale Green School chosen to take part in "space seed" experiment

Students to become space biologists in international research project

FOUR Theale Green School pupils are preparing to become space biologists and embark on a voyage of discovery after being selected for a international ‘space seed’ experiment.

In September, 2kg of rocket seeds were flown to the International Space Station as part of educational project Rocket Science, to be returned to earth in March 2016.

Theale Green School is one of 10,000 schools who will receive a packet of 100 of the seeds from space, which they will then be tasked to grow alongside ordinary seeds, to measure any differences.

The four students – Jamie Karl-Roger Saynor, Jimmy Muss, Joseph Chalkley-Adams and Nicholas Cross – won’t know which seeds are the spacefarers and which are not, and all results will be collected by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and analysed by professional biostatisticians.

Key Stage 4 alternative curriculum leader at the school Wendy Harris said of the initiative: “We are very excited to be taking part in Rocket Science.

“This experiment is a fantastic way of teaching our students to think more scientifically and share their findings with the whole school and community.”