I have over 40 years of experience in developing and implementing environmental monitoring and science mentoring programs. I have taught biology, environmental sciences, and physical science at the undergraduate level and served on two Ph.D. and one Master's committees. I hold a B.S. in Biological Sciences, a M.A. in Zoology (Limnology), an Ed.S. and a Ph.D. in Science Education with an emphasis on Environmental Science.
Об'єктом дослідження є фізична та математична моделі, призначені для опису тепломасоперенесення в... more Об'єктом дослідження є фізична та математична моделі, призначені для опису тепломасоперенесення всередині пористого матеріалу під час випікання. З метою підвищення якості та одночасного зниження енергоспоживання у виробництві, а також покращання техніко-економічних показників роботи печей, тривалості і безпеки їхньої експлуатації ведеться удосконалення конструкцій пічних агрегатів, розробка нових і оптимізація теплових режимів їх роботи. Однією з найбільших проблем є задача по заміні застарілих конструкцій печей новими, з автоматичним регулюванням теплового режиму випікання, що забезпечить високу якість хліба при зниженні витрат палива, пари, електроенергії та людських ресурсів. Оскільки якість виробленої продукції, зокрема смак, аромат, пористість, глянець, зовнішній вигляд та інші показники хлібобулочних виробів в значній мірі залежать від конструкції пічного агрегату, теплового та гігротермічного режимів робочої камери, а також правильної його експлуатації. Ці фактори впливають на втрати при випіканні, які можуть змінюватись від 6 до 12 %, що впливає на вихід хліба. У даній роботі наведено фізичну і математичну модель процесу випікання тістових заготовок в хлібопекарських печах на прикладі розробленої автором промислової печі К-ПХМ-25 (Україна). Приведена математична модель процесу випікання хліба в газових каналах пекарної камери з врахуванням радіаційно-конвективного теплообміну, масообміну з врахуванням введення водяної пари для зволожування тістових заготовок та турбулентності багатофазного потоку. Залежність турбулентності багатофазного потоку сформульована на основі осереднених за Рейнольдсом системи рівнянь Ейлера. Дана модель дозволяє з достатньою точністю і детальністю враховувати технологічні режими та конструктивні особливості сучасних конвеєрних хлібопекарських печей. А також дозволяє проводити широкі параметричні дослідження сполученого теплообміну в них з виходом на кінцевий показник-якість готових виробів. Ключові слова: промислова піч К-ПХМ-25, радіаційно-конвективний тепломасообмін, математична модель процесу випікання хліба.
NASA's Project Mercury began as a response to the cold war with the Soviet Union and had a number... more NASA's Project Mercury began as a response to the cold war with the Soviet Union and had a number of goals: to place a manned spacecraft in orbital flight around the earth; to investigate man's performance capabilities and his ability to function in the environment of space and to recover the man and the spacecraft safely. An aspect of preflight testing included the use of an altitude chamber to test each capsule and allow the astronauts to engage in simulated missions within a vacuum environment. In 1985, the chamber was modified for an unusual mission. During 1985 into 1987, the chamber was converted to an environmentally-controlled, hydroponic plant growth chamber termed the "Biomass Production Chamber". The chamber hosted crop studies of wheat, soybean, lettuce, potato, and tomato and demonstrated intensive, closed environment farming until decommissioned in late 2001. Significant findings included: the nutrient solution could be reconstituted without replacement for at least four crop cycles; cooling the nutrient solution was important for potato crops and; redundant sensor systems were important to ensure consistent control and data collection. Nomenclature
An educational program was initiated during the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) in 1997.... more An educational program was initiated during the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) in 1997. The CUE project was a series of plant experiments performed by Ukrainian cosmonaut, Leonid Kadenyuk, on Mission STS-87. A collaborative educational program was developed which was called "CUE-Teachers and Students Investigating Plants in Space (TSIPS)" in which students from both the U.S. and Ukraine conducted ground controls for the space experiments. The educational collaboration established during this project has continued with the development of other programs. These programs included the NASA SEEDS II project, the NASA Farming in Space Project, the International Water Institute and most recently, the Daphnia project. The purpose of the recent trip was to participate in a teacher symposium and to initiate a student-exchange program. Eight students from Lake Brantley High School with a teacher and a parent chaperone accompanied the KSC representatives. In addition, a reporter and cameraman from a local television station went along to cover the student experiences. Colleagues from the Junior Academy of Sciences in Kiev hosted the group with meetings, tours, and field trips. Lake Brantley has formed a follow-up program, which they call CUE-STEPS (CUE-Science, and Technology Exchange Program for Students). The students hope to collaborate on research in space life sciences and ecology. A visit to central Florida by a Ukraine student and teacher delegation is planned for spring of 2001.
The hydrodynamics of tree islands during the growth of newly planted trees has been found to be i... more The hydrodynamics of tree islands during the growth of newly planted trees has been found to be influenced by both vegetation biomass and geologic conditions. From July 2007 through June 2009, groundwater and surface-water levels were monitored on eight recently planted tree islands at the Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA) facility in Boynton Beach, Florida, USA. Over the 2-year study, stand development coincided with the development of a water-table depression in the center of each of the islands that was bounded by a hydraulic divide along the edges. The water-table depression was greater in islands composed of limestone as compared to those composed of peat. The findings of this study suggest that groundwater evapotranspiration by trees on tree islands creates complex hydrologic interactions between the shallow groundwater in tree islands and the surrounding surface water and groundwater bodies.
GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA - 2016, 2016
The decline of tree islands in the freshwater-Everglades wetland because of hydrologic manipulati... more The decline of tree islands in the freshwater-Everglades wetland because of hydrologic manipulation, has compromised valuable ecosystem services. Although the role of tree islands in maintaining freshwater quality stems largely from evapotranspiration processes, fundamental questions remain about the effects of different geologic materials on their hydrogeochemical functioning. To reduce this uncertainty, the lithological composition of a set of man-made tree islands was investigated coupled with long-term hydrologic and hydrochemical data. Key results indicate that limestone substrates and peat substrates with elevated proportions of sand, facilitated surface water-groundwater interactions and mineral dissolution. However, limestone-based islands were more effective in lowering the water table and concentrating solutes in response to evapotranspiration during low surface water stages. Additionally, the peat substrate of an island with low sand content favored the thermodynamic conditions for calcite accumulation in the phreatic zone, while phosphorus concentrations in the groundwater were associated with the breakdown of organic matter. v
In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), ... more In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), an ideal plant water delivery system is one that can grow edible crops with minimal resource consumption and minimal risk to crew members. There are also concerns associated with the ability to control fluid escape and biofilm formation resulting in potential dangers to systems, crops, or crew members. To identify an appropriate system, candidate systems were assembled and operated under simulated ISS environmental conditions (T, CO 2 , and RH) with red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cultivar 'Outredgeous') as a model crop. Fluid reservoirs and randomly selected planting sites were sampled every seven days until maturity at which point edible plant biomass and root samples were also taken. Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi growth patterns throughout each planting cycle were determined by plate counts on appropriate agar media. The candidate systems were compared to a classic hydroponics system as a control and harvested crops were compared to controls as well as Veggie-grown and market produce. Plants harvested from candidate systems yielded lower average heterotrophic bacteria and fungi per gram of plant mass levels when compared to market and Veggie samples as well as those from the control system. Additional studies to evaluate the system sanitation regimen as well as testing additional crops should be considered to aid in the selection of an ideal system.
Many wetlands around the world contain raised ridges or islands dominated by higher order vegetat... more Many wetlands around the world contain raised ridges or islands dominated by higher order vegetation with elevated ion and nutrient groundwater concentrations, surrounded by low lying hollows and sloughs with low nutrient and ion concentrations. Similar to these wetlands, the Everglades are characterized by a ridge-slough-tree islands continuum where some of the highest soil and groundwater nutrient concentrations have been
Recently, evapotranspiration has been hypothesized to promote the secondary formation of calcium ... more Recently, evapotranspiration has been hypothesized to promote the secondary formation of calcium carbonate year-round on tree islands in the Everglades by influencing groundwater ions concentrations. However, the role of recharge and evapotranspiration as drivers of shallow groundwater ion accumulation has not been investigated. The goal of this study is to develop a hydrologic model that predicts the chloride concentrations of shallow tree island groundwater and to determine the influence of overlying biomass and underlying geologic material on these concentrations. Groundwater and surface water levels and chloride concentrations were monitored on eight constructed tree islands at the Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA) from 2007 to 2010. The tree islands at LILA were constructed predominately of peat, or of peat and limestone, and were planted with saplings of native tree species in 2006 and 2007. The model predicted low shallow groundwater chloride concentrations when inputs of regional groundwater and evapotranspiration-to-recharge rates were elevated, while low evapotranspiration-torecharge rates resulted in a substantial increase of the chloride concentrations of the shallow groundwater. Modeling results indicated that evapotranspiration typically exceeded recharge on the older tree islands and those with a limestone lithology, which resulted in greater inputs of regional groundwater. A sensitivity analysis indicated the shallow groundwater chloride concentrations were most sensitive to alterations in specific yield during the wet season and hydraulic conductivity in the dry season. In conclusion, the inputs of rainfall, underlying hydrologic properties of tree islands sediments and forest structure may explain the variation in ion concentration seen across Everglades tree islands.
The Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on Mission ST... more The Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on Mission STS-87. The educational component, entitled “Teachers and Students Investigating Plants in Space” (TSIPS), involved students and teachers in the U.S. and Ukraine performing ground controls for the “Brassica rapa-Seed Terminal growth In Chamber” (B-STIC) experiment. Teachers in both countries were trained in the experimental protocols for culturing and pollinating Brassica rapa plants in simulated flight hardware. Teachers and students in the two countries have been exchanging letters which has resulted in a rich exchange of culture and science. For the mission, an Ukrainian Payload Specialist (PS) performed pollination in space while an alternate Ukrainian PS and hundreds of thousands of students in the U.S. and Ukraine performed the same tasks on Earth. Two communication downlink sessions were held so that students asked the PS about the experiments taking place on orbit. Participating st...
Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR), Nov 20, 2019
In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), ... more In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), an ideal plant water delivery system is one that can grow edible crops with minimal resource consumption and minimal risk to crew members. There are also concerns associated with the ability to control fluid escape and biofilm formation resulting in potential dangers to systems, crops, or crew members. To identify an appropriate system, candidate systems were assembled and operated under simulated ISS environmental conditions (T, CO 2 , and RH) with red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cultivar 'Outredgeous') as a model crop. Fluid reservoirs and randomly selected planting sites were sampled every seven days until maturity at which point edible plant biomass and root samples were also taken. Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi growth patterns throughout each planting cycle were determined by plate counts on appropriate agar media. The candidate systems were compared to a classic hydroponics system as a control and harvested crops were compared to controls as well as Veggie-grown and market produce. Plants harvested from candidate systems yielded lower average heterotrophic bacteria and fungi per gram of plant mass levels when compared to market and Veggie samples as well as those from the control system. Additional studies to evaluate the system sanitation regimen as well as testing additional crops should be considered to aid in the selection of an ideal system.
In 1994, President Clinton of the United States (US) and President Kuchma of Ukraine signed an ag... more In 1994, President Clinton of the United States (US) and President Kuchma of Ukraine signed an agreement to support joint activities in space. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) have developed a joint Space Shuttle mission which will include a Ukrainian Payload Specialist. The Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) Mission is targeted for late 1997 and features a number of plant experiments to be carried in plant growth hardware on the Space Shuttle in the middeck. In conjunction with these experiments, an educational component called the CUE TSIPS (Teachers and Students Investigating Plants in Space) is being developed for high school classrooms to participate in the experiment by performing ground-controls. Teachers in both Ukraine and the U.S. have been trained in the protocols of the Brassica-Seed Terminal growth In Chambers (B-STIC) experiment. This experiment was developed by Dr. Mary Musgrave at Louisiana...
One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is ... more One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is consequences from exposures to solar particle event (SPE) protons and galactic cosmic rays (GCR). For long-term crewed Lunar and Mars explorations, the production of fresh food in space will provide both nutritional supplements and psychological benefits to the astronauts. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. In this study, we evaluated the effect of two different compositions of charged particles-simulated GCR, and simulated SPE protons on dry and hydrated seeds of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the crop plant Mizuna mustard [Brassica rapa var. japonica]. Exposures to charged particles, simulated GCRs (up to 80 cGy) or SPEs (up to 200 cGy), were performed either acutely or at a low dose rate using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Con...
One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is ... more One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is consequences from exposures to solar particle event (SPE) protons and galactic cosmic rays (GCR). For long-term crewed Lunar and Mars explorations, the production of fresh food in space will provide both nutritional supplements and psychological benefits to the astronauts. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. In this study, we evaluated the effect of two different compositions of charged particles-simulated GCR, and simulated SPE protons on dry and hydrated seeds of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the crop plant Mizuna mustard [Brassica rapa var. japonica]. Exposures to charged particles, simulated GCRs (up to 80 cGy) or SPEs (up to 200 cGy), were performed either acutely or at a low dose rate using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Con...
Tree islands in the Everglades are critical landscape features, but anthropogenic modification of... more Tree islands in the Everglades are critical landscape features, but anthropogenic modification of the Everglades during the past century has led to the degradation and loss of many of the tree islands that originally dotted the Everglades landscape. Many of the tree islands have lost elevation and the majority of their woody species such that they are now covered with emergent plants such as sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense). A simple, cost-effective tree planting technique is needed for restoring degraded Everglades tree islands. We patterned our design after a natural Everglades process that creates floating islands, which promotes tree survival and growth in both flooded and dry conditions and may lead to the development of fixed islands. Commercial peat bags were tested as a means to provide the medium for the growth and establishment of potted tree saplings native to Everglades tree islands. Three tree species (Annona glabra, Ficus aurea, and Acer rubrum) and five treatments were evaluated. The results indicate that the preferred deployed peat-bag configuration should provide the greatest additional elevation to minimize inundation and be planted with a single Everglades tree island species sapling, with a single commercial tree fertilizer spike inserted for nutrients. Although most plants survived and many thrived for the two-year period of this study, determining whether the trees planted using this technique can become established will require longer-term studies and extensive field tests.
Об'єктом дослідження є фізична та математична моделі, призначені для опису тепломасоперенесення в... more Об'єктом дослідження є фізична та математична моделі, призначені для опису тепломасоперенесення всередині пористого матеріалу під час випікання. З метою підвищення якості та одночасного зниження енергоспоживання у виробництві, а також покращання техніко-економічних показників роботи печей, тривалості і безпеки їхньої експлуатації ведеться удосконалення конструкцій пічних агрегатів, розробка нових і оптимізація теплових режимів їх роботи. Однією з найбільших проблем є задача по заміні застарілих конструкцій печей новими, з автоматичним регулюванням теплового режиму випікання, що забезпечить високу якість хліба при зниженні витрат палива, пари, електроенергії та людських ресурсів. Оскільки якість виробленої продукції, зокрема смак, аромат, пористість, глянець, зовнішній вигляд та інші показники хлібобулочних виробів в значній мірі залежать від конструкції пічного агрегату, теплового та гігротермічного режимів робочої камери, а також правильної його експлуатації. Ці фактори впливають на втрати при випіканні, які можуть змінюватись від 6 до 12 %, що впливає на вихід хліба. У даній роботі наведено фізичну і математичну модель процесу випікання тістових заготовок в хлібопекарських печах на прикладі розробленої автором промислової печі К-ПХМ-25 (Україна). Приведена математична модель процесу випікання хліба в газових каналах пекарної камери з врахуванням радіаційно-конвективного теплообміну, масообміну з врахуванням введення водяної пари для зволожування тістових заготовок та турбулентності багатофазного потоку. Залежність турбулентності багатофазного потоку сформульована на основі осереднених за Рейнольдсом системи рівнянь Ейлера. Дана модель дозволяє з достатньою точністю і детальністю враховувати технологічні режими та конструктивні особливості сучасних конвеєрних хлібопекарських печей. А також дозволяє проводити широкі параметричні дослідження сполученого теплообміну в них з виходом на кінцевий показник-якість готових виробів. Ключові слова: промислова піч К-ПХМ-25, радіаційно-конвективний тепломасообмін, математична модель процесу випікання хліба.
NASA's Project Mercury began as a response to the cold war with the Soviet Union and had a number... more NASA's Project Mercury began as a response to the cold war with the Soviet Union and had a number of goals: to place a manned spacecraft in orbital flight around the earth; to investigate man's performance capabilities and his ability to function in the environment of space and to recover the man and the spacecraft safely. An aspect of preflight testing included the use of an altitude chamber to test each capsule and allow the astronauts to engage in simulated missions within a vacuum environment. In 1985, the chamber was modified for an unusual mission. During 1985 into 1987, the chamber was converted to an environmentally-controlled, hydroponic plant growth chamber termed the "Biomass Production Chamber". The chamber hosted crop studies of wheat, soybean, lettuce, potato, and tomato and demonstrated intensive, closed environment farming until decommissioned in late 2001. Significant findings included: the nutrient solution could be reconstituted without replacement for at least four crop cycles; cooling the nutrient solution was important for potato crops and; redundant sensor systems were important to ensure consistent control and data collection. Nomenclature
An educational program was initiated during the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) in 1997.... more An educational program was initiated during the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) in 1997. The CUE project was a series of plant experiments performed by Ukrainian cosmonaut, Leonid Kadenyuk, on Mission STS-87. A collaborative educational program was developed which was called "CUE-Teachers and Students Investigating Plants in Space (TSIPS)" in which students from both the U.S. and Ukraine conducted ground controls for the space experiments. The educational collaboration established during this project has continued with the development of other programs. These programs included the NASA SEEDS II project, the NASA Farming in Space Project, the International Water Institute and most recently, the Daphnia project. The purpose of the recent trip was to participate in a teacher symposium and to initiate a student-exchange program. Eight students from Lake Brantley High School with a teacher and a parent chaperone accompanied the KSC representatives. In addition, a reporter and cameraman from a local television station went along to cover the student experiences. Colleagues from the Junior Academy of Sciences in Kiev hosted the group with meetings, tours, and field trips. Lake Brantley has formed a follow-up program, which they call CUE-STEPS (CUE-Science, and Technology Exchange Program for Students). The students hope to collaborate on research in space life sciences and ecology. A visit to central Florida by a Ukraine student and teacher delegation is planned for spring of 2001.
The hydrodynamics of tree islands during the growth of newly planted trees has been found to be i... more The hydrodynamics of tree islands during the growth of newly planted trees has been found to be influenced by both vegetation biomass and geologic conditions. From July 2007 through June 2009, groundwater and surface-water levels were monitored on eight recently planted tree islands at the Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA) facility in Boynton Beach, Florida, USA. Over the 2-year study, stand development coincided with the development of a water-table depression in the center of each of the islands that was bounded by a hydraulic divide along the edges. The water-table depression was greater in islands composed of limestone as compared to those composed of peat. The findings of this study suggest that groundwater evapotranspiration by trees on tree islands creates complex hydrologic interactions between the shallow groundwater in tree islands and the surrounding surface water and groundwater bodies.
GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA - 2016, 2016
The decline of tree islands in the freshwater-Everglades wetland because of hydrologic manipulati... more The decline of tree islands in the freshwater-Everglades wetland because of hydrologic manipulation, has compromised valuable ecosystem services. Although the role of tree islands in maintaining freshwater quality stems largely from evapotranspiration processes, fundamental questions remain about the effects of different geologic materials on their hydrogeochemical functioning. To reduce this uncertainty, the lithological composition of a set of man-made tree islands was investigated coupled with long-term hydrologic and hydrochemical data. Key results indicate that limestone substrates and peat substrates with elevated proportions of sand, facilitated surface water-groundwater interactions and mineral dissolution. However, limestone-based islands were more effective in lowering the water table and concentrating solutes in response to evapotranspiration during low surface water stages. Additionally, the peat substrate of an island with low sand content favored the thermodynamic conditions for calcite accumulation in the phreatic zone, while phosphorus concentrations in the groundwater were associated with the breakdown of organic matter. v
In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), ... more In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), an ideal plant water delivery system is one that can grow edible crops with minimal resource consumption and minimal risk to crew members. There are also concerns associated with the ability to control fluid escape and biofilm formation resulting in potential dangers to systems, crops, or crew members. To identify an appropriate system, candidate systems were assembled and operated under simulated ISS environmental conditions (T, CO 2 , and RH) with red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cultivar 'Outredgeous') as a model crop. Fluid reservoirs and randomly selected planting sites were sampled every seven days until maturity at which point edible plant biomass and root samples were also taken. Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi growth patterns throughout each planting cycle were determined by plate counts on appropriate agar media. The candidate systems were compared to a classic hydroponics system as a control and harvested crops were compared to controls as well as Veggie-grown and market produce. Plants harvested from candidate systems yielded lower average heterotrophic bacteria and fungi per gram of plant mass levels when compared to market and Veggie samples as well as those from the control system. Additional studies to evaluate the system sanitation regimen as well as testing additional crops should be considered to aid in the selection of an ideal system.
Many wetlands around the world contain raised ridges or islands dominated by higher order vegetat... more Many wetlands around the world contain raised ridges or islands dominated by higher order vegetation with elevated ion and nutrient groundwater concentrations, surrounded by low lying hollows and sloughs with low nutrient and ion concentrations. Similar to these wetlands, the Everglades are characterized by a ridge-slough-tree islands continuum where some of the highest soil and groundwater nutrient concentrations have been
Recently, evapotranspiration has been hypothesized to promote the secondary formation of calcium ... more Recently, evapotranspiration has been hypothesized to promote the secondary formation of calcium carbonate year-round on tree islands in the Everglades by influencing groundwater ions concentrations. However, the role of recharge and evapotranspiration as drivers of shallow groundwater ion accumulation has not been investigated. The goal of this study is to develop a hydrologic model that predicts the chloride concentrations of shallow tree island groundwater and to determine the influence of overlying biomass and underlying geologic material on these concentrations. Groundwater and surface water levels and chloride concentrations were monitored on eight constructed tree islands at the Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA) from 2007 to 2010. The tree islands at LILA were constructed predominately of peat, or of peat and limestone, and were planted with saplings of native tree species in 2006 and 2007. The model predicted low shallow groundwater chloride concentrations when inputs of regional groundwater and evapotranspiration-to-recharge rates were elevated, while low evapotranspiration-torecharge rates resulted in a substantial increase of the chloride concentrations of the shallow groundwater. Modeling results indicated that evapotranspiration typically exceeded recharge on the older tree islands and those with a limestone lithology, which resulted in greater inputs of regional groundwater. A sensitivity analysis indicated the shallow groundwater chloride concentrations were most sensitive to alterations in specific yield during the wet season and hydraulic conductivity in the dry season. In conclusion, the inputs of rainfall, underlying hydrologic properties of tree islands sediments and forest structure may explain the variation in ion concentration seen across Everglades tree islands.
The Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on Mission ST... more The Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on Mission STS-87. The educational component, entitled “Teachers and Students Investigating Plants in Space” (TSIPS), involved students and teachers in the U.S. and Ukraine performing ground controls for the “Brassica rapa-Seed Terminal growth In Chamber” (B-STIC) experiment. Teachers in both countries were trained in the experimental protocols for culturing and pollinating Brassica rapa plants in simulated flight hardware. Teachers and students in the two countries have been exchanging letters which has resulted in a rich exchange of culture and science. For the mission, an Ukrainian Payload Specialist (PS) performed pollination in space while an alternate Ukrainian PS and hundreds of thousands of students in the U.S. and Ukraine performed the same tasks on Earth. Two communication downlink sessions were held so that students asked the PS about the experiments taking place on orbit. Participating st...
Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR), Nov 20, 2019
In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), ... more In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), an ideal plant water delivery system is one that can grow edible crops with minimal resource consumption and minimal risk to crew members. There are also concerns associated with the ability to control fluid escape and biofilm formation resulting in potential dangers to systems, crops, or crew members. To identify an appropriate system, candidate systems were assembled and operated under simulated ISS environmental conditions (T, CO 2 , and RH) with red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cultivar 'Outredgeous') as a model crop. Fluid reservoirs and randomly selected planting sites were sampled every seven days until maturity at which point edible plant biomass and root samples were also taken. Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi growth patterns throughout each planting cycle were determined by plate counts on appropriate agar media. The candidate systems were compared to a classic hydroponics system as a control and harvested crops were compared to controls as well as Veggie-grown and market produce. Plants harvested from candidate systems yielded lower average heterotrophic bacteria and fungi per gram of plant mass levels when compared to market and Veggie samples as well as those from the control system. Additional studies to evaluate the system sanitation regimen as well as testing additional crops should be considered to aid in the selection of an ideal system.
In 1994, President Clinton of the United States (US) and President Kuchma of Ukraine signed an ag... more In 1994, President Clinton of the United States (US) and President Kuchma of Ukraine signed an agreement to support joint activities in space. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) have developed a joint Space Shuttle mission which will include a Ukrainian Payload Specialist. The Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) Mission is targeted for late 1997 and features a number of plant experiments to be carried in plant growth hardware on the Space Shuttle in the middeck. In conjunction with these experiments, an educational component called the CUE TSIPS (Teachers and Students Investigating Plants in Space) is being developed for high school classrooms to participate in the experiment by performing ground-controls. Teachers in both Ukraine and the U.S. have been trained in the protocols of the Brassica-Seed Terminal growth In Chambers (B-STIC) experiment. This experiment was developed by Dr. Mary Musgrave at Louisiana...
One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is ... more One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is consequences from exposures to solar particle event (SPE) protons and galactic cosmic rays (GCR). For long-term crewed Lunar and Mars explorations, the production of fresh food in space will provide both nutritional supplements and psychological benefits to the astronauts. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. In this study, we evaluated the effect of two different compositions of charged particles-simulated GCR, and simulated SPE protons on dry and hydrated seeds of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the crop plant Mizuna mustard [Brassica rapa var. japonica]. Exposures to charged particles, simulated GCRs (up to 80 cGy) or SPEs (up to 200 cGy), were performed either acutely or at a low dose rate using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Con...
One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is ... more One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is consequences from exposures to solar particle event (SPE) protons and galactic cosmic rays (GCR). For long-term crewed Lunar and Mars explorations, the production of fresh food in space will provide both nutritional supplements and psychological benefits to the astronauts. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. In this study, we evaluated the effect of two different compositions of charged particles-simulated GCR, and simulated SPE protons on dry and hydrated seeds of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the crop plant Mizuna mustard [Brassica rapa var. japonica]. Exposures to charged particles, simulated GCRs (up to 80 cGy) or SPEs (up to 200 cGy), were performed either acutely or at a low dose rate using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Con...
Tree islands in the Everglades are critical landscape features, but anthropogenic modification of... more Tree islands in the Everglades are critical landscape features, but anthropogenic modification of the Everglades during the past century has led to the degradation and loss of many of the tree islands that originally dotted the Everglades landscape. Many of the tree islands have lost elevation and the majority of their woody species such that they are now covered with emergent plants such as sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense). A simple, cost-effective tree planting technique is needed for restoring degraded Everglades tree islands. We patterned our design after a natural Everglades process that creates floating islands, which promotes tree survival and growth in both flooded and dry conditions and may lead to the development of fixed islands. Commercial peat bags were tested as a means to provide the medium for the growth and establishment of potted tree saplings native to Everglades tree islands. Three tree species (Annona glabra, Ficus aurea, and Acer rubrum) and five treatments were evaluated. The results indicate that the preferred deployed peat-bag configuration should provide the greatest additional elevation to minimize inundation and be planted with a single Everglades tree island species sapling, with a single commercial tree fertilizer spike inserted for nutrients. Although most plants survived and many thrived for the two-year period of this study, determining whether the trees planted using this technique can become established will require longer-term studies and extensive field tests.
For continuous human habitation of space to occur political will and public opinion has to suppor... more For continuous human habitation of space to occur political will and public opinion has to support this endeavour. Educating the public about space and the methods needed to support humans in microgravity will help improve understanding of the space industry and political support of space research exploration. The only practical method to allow permanent human habitation of space is the use of biological life support (BLS), which uses plants to purify water and produce oxygen and food. To teach people about BLS, a plant growth chamber was developed and displayed in the Edmonton Space and Science Centre (ESSC) in Alberta, Canada. This plant growth chamber uses ceramic porous tubes to grow radishes to maturity on a continuous growth cycle. The chamber was constructed, using off the shelf components to limit costs and simplify the chamber design. Descriptions were provided with the display, on the history of plant growth in microgravity, the operation of the porous tube system, and direction of future ideas and developments works. The environmental conditions (water and air temperature, relative humidity, etc) inside the chamber are displayed for observation. This display helps improve the public’s understanding of biological life support in microgravity and provides a practical science display for the ESSC.
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Papers by Thomas W Dreschel