A collaborative team of five talented students from the UCCS and Pikes Peak State College (PPSC) is set to make history with their innovative research experiment bound for the International Space Station (ISS) in spring 2025.
This stellar team includes UCCS seniors Joseph Bate (Physics and primary investigator), Tristan Dwyer (Biology), Evan Martin (Aerospace Engineering), junior William Shimel (Chemistry), and PPSC sophomore Cody Leeper (Aerospace Engineering). Under the expert guidance of their advisor, Carol McLelland, Assistant Teaching Professor in Biology at UCCS, the team successfully developed a cutting-edge experiment that earned them a spot on this incredible mission.
Their project, titled “Fungal Bioleaching in Microgravity: Fungal Approaches to Metal Recovery,” was chosen from 11 ambitious proposals submitted by teams from UCCS, PPSC, and six other universities in Colorado, representing 44 students in total. In December, they received the exciting news that they were one of just 21 teams worldwide selected for this unique opportunity.
“This will be our second flight program in as many years, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for students to conduct research in a microgravity environment—a rare experience for undergraduates,” said Lynnane George, Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who organized the Colorado competition.
The team’s experiment will fly to the ISS as part of Mission 19, organized by the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). SSEP works in collaboration with Nanoracks, LLC, through a Space Act Agreement with NASA to provide commercial access to the ISS. Their payload is tentatively scheduled to launch aboard the Dream Chaser Demo 1 mission by Sierra Space in May 2025 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The experiment will explore how microgravity affects fungi’s ability to extract valuable metals from electronic waste—a process called bioleaching. Fungi are nature’s recyclers, capable of breaking down tough materials and recovering heavy metals like nickel, which can be reused. This groundbreaking research could pave the way for sustainable metal recovery in off-world environments like the moon or Mars.
Specifically, the students aim to study how microgravity influences the ability of filamentous fungi to dissolve nickel oxide into nickel ions. If successful, their work could revolutionize resource recovery techniques for extraterrestrial habitats, helping to close the loop on resource sustainability in space exploration.
Before their experiment embarks on its journey, the team will conduct rigorous Earth-based testing to refine their procedures for astronauts on the ISS to use. They’ll also participate in formal flight reviews, including a Flight Readiness Review and submit a Final Flight Safety Review Form before the spring 2025 launch. Adding to the excitement, the students are invited to attend the rocket launch in person, watching their hard work blast off into space – a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
This mission is not just about the experiment – it’s also about inspiring the next generation. Local K-12 students are invited to design a mission patch for the flight, with several organizations already eager to participate. The patch will fly on the ISS along with the flight experiment and be returned to Earth several months after launch.
Want to join the experiment of learn more about this exciting program? Reach out to Lynnane George at [email protected] or McKenna Lovejoy at [email protected].
Stay tuned as this extraordinary journey unfolds and join us in cheering on these rising stars as they push the boundaries of science and innovation!
About the Student Space Flight Experiments Program
The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S. and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with Nanoracks, LLC, which is working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.
About the UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science
The College of Engineering and Applied Science enrolls more than 1,700 students and offers 24 engineering and computer science degrees, ranging from bachelor to doctoral. The college is a Department of Homeland Security / National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and works closely with the National Cybersecurity Center and with more than 250 aerospace and defense, information technology, cybersecurity and engineering organizations in the Pikes Peak region. Learn more about the College of Engineering and Applied Science at UCCS.