MARCH 28, 2018
BURNETT COUNTY SENTINEL
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www.burnettcountysentinel.com
Student team’s work goes low-gravity LINDA LUHMAN SENTINEL STAFF
GRANTSBURG—A team of four middle school students from around Wisconsin will see their hard work soar when their experiment goes to the International Space Station (ISS) in June. The students, of the iForward School, are the first K-12 students from Wisconsin and members of the only online school ever to be selected to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP). Once there, the team’s experiment will be conducted by astronauts at the ISS while they concurrently run a control experiment on the ground. The experiment is designed to determine the role micro-gravity has on the metal gallium’s structural properties when subjected to heat. For the students and staff of the school, headquartered in Grantsburg, this marks the culmination of nearly a year of application and preparation. On March 12, the iForward team learned that their experiment was among those selected for the SSEP Mission 12. Budding scientists Four students will present their experiment at the National Air and Space Museum(NASM) in Washington, DC in late June. These students represent communities across the state of Wisconsin. Eighth-grader Dominic Parker of Sobieski said of the project, “The experience I had so far doing SSEP has been really cool. It is the coolest science experiments I’ve ever done. I like working with all the other kids, and I had a lot of fun with my group.” Holmen’s Grace Mullikin, grade 6, shared, “We were in the top ten experiments in the school and were taking two extra classes to understand the science of gallium and to also have the correct spelling and grammar for our science proposal. In the end, we had a great time with our teachers, Mr. Ron J. Jerveny, Mrs. Constance Quade, and Mrs. Jena Winder. Thank you to everyone who has helped my team and me to get here now!” “I feel that making it this far is an accomplishment, and I am really excited about it. It is an honor to be able to work with this group, and I am glad that I was able to do this,” shares Andrew Nichols. Nichols is in the seventh grade and hails from Racine. “Throughout the process of this
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Authors of the gallium proposal show how they are able to complete work remotely. Team members are (Clockwise from upper left): Andrew Nichols, Anita Finch, Dominic Parker, and Grace Mullikin.
experiment, there has been joy, frustration, expectation, and a lot of patience. There have been a few complications in our experiment. We have had choices to make and challenges,” added Anita Finch, who is iForward’s only Grantsburg native on the team and is in seventh grade. “This has been such an honor, and I am excited to see what and where this journey brings us next!” Melting metal Of the 101 proposals gathered by the school, iForward chose three to move forward to the next review. The proposals that moved to the next step were Fermentation of Yeast in a Microgravity Environment, Determining the Density, Porosity and Flexural Strength of a Cement Cylinder Set in Microgravity, and Grain Size and Distribution Analysis of Gallium in Microgravity. The SSEP National Review Board chose Distribution Analysis of Gallium in Microgravity. The proposal is explained by Assistant Director of the SSEP project, teacher Constance Quade. “Gallium is a metal that has a very low melting point. In fact, when held in hand, the heat from the human body will melt the metal. When the body heat is removed, gallium will reharden. That led us to ask the question, what would happen to the structure of gallium if it rehardened without the pull of gravity? Would the metal be as dense? How would it affect the structure? Would it be able to be used the same way? What would happen to the properties of the metal?” The unique mechanical properties of gallium is key in considering the metal
as a feasible material for use in space exploration and construction. As the students’ proposal summary states, “The possibilities are endless whether for vehicle design, permanent structures, containment vessels, electronics, or other applications yet to be invented.” Trials and speeches Currently, members of the team are working with UW - Eau Claire and Carthage College to develop contingency plans for various aspects of the experiment. “The colleges and faculty have been wonderful. Carthage has worked with this before,” Beesley said. With team members spread across the state, logistics of experimentation can be challenging. However, the experiment is structured so that one person can conduct it. “Before (the experiment) goes up, there will be a timetable. Since we are the only remote school, it might be that the kids go to four different colleges to conduct the experiment. It’d be nice to have them together. But it can be tough,” Beesley admits. Then there is the SSEP National conference at the end of June, where the student teams will present their designs. “The team has to perform live trials in front of third parties and people who can ask questions. They’ve done some of these things, but now it’s a little more intense and involves different variables,” Beesley said. SSEP Program The SSEP program is collaboratively hosted by NASM, the National Center
for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education. The program gives student teams an opportunity to design and propose experiments to fly in low Earth orbit. In addition to the science, students are learning skills in proposal writing and presentation as part of this project. The selected teams will conduct a poster presentation, deliver a seven-minute oral presentation, and participate in a two-minute question and answer session to a panel of scientists and visitors at the SSEP National Conference. As part of a three-step application process, proposals go through vetting on the local level before being submitted to the National SSEP Review Board for further consideration. Proposals selected to move to the next stage are then subjected to further testing and refinement. Beesley said the process was not always smooth sailing. “There were a couple of hurdles. We had an error but were able to rectify the problem. But I think that happens a lot in discovery.” iForward iForward is the Grantsburg School District’s nationally-recognized tuition-free online charter school. Available to Wisconsin middle and high school students, the program offers essential coursework as well as vocational and college prep classes. Students also have the opportunity to join clubs and groups. Principal Billy Beesley has been striving to include iForward as one of the 31 participating SSEP program communities for several years. Competition is extremely tight, including an application process to participate and adjusting curriculum to meet the SSEP requirements. Once accepted, students were tasked with designing and submitting a minimum of 60 proposals. Out of a total 2,498 proposals submitted, iForward students were responsible for 101 entries. The experiment materials are expected to launch for the ISS on June 9. This particular date coincides with iForward’s graduation date, a fact that isn’t lost on Beesley. He shared that he’d love to be able to conduct remote graduation at Cape Canaveral on launch day. “It’d be nice for our 300 kids (in iForward) who can say ‘wow, I worked on something in this program and one of us got to takes this into space.’ ”
BMC welcomes new team member GRANTSBURG—Burnett Medical Center (BMC) is pleased to welcome certified registered nurse anesthetist, Brent Kapfer, to the BMC Team. Kapfer will be joining the medical staff of Burnett Medical Center in late April 2018. Brent graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. He then received his Master of Science Degree in Nurse Anesthesia at the Minneapolis School of Anesthesia in 2001. Throughout his career, he has practiced at Regions
Hospital in the Level 1 Trauma Center, has performed independent CRNA practices at Fairview Lakes and Hudson Hospital, and has been at High Pointe Surgery Center and practiced pain management at Fairview Lakes and St. Croix Falls hospitals. Brent is certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Basic Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation. He has also been certified through the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists since 2001. Brent is originally from
North Branch. He has been married to his wife, Stephanie, for 20 years and they have three kids, two daughters, ages 11 and 14, and a son, aged 16. As an anesthetist at BMC, Brent will play an important role in the delivery of quality patient care. Brent will collaborate with many members of the healthcare team in the hospital to ensure patients receive the most appropriate care accord-
Brent Kapfer, certified registered nurse anesthetist will be joining the BMC Team in late April. SUBMITTED
ing to their individual needs. “We are very excited to welcome Brent to BMC and to bring high-quality anesthesia services to our community,” said Gordy Lewis, Burnett Medical Center CEO. Burnett Medical Center is privileged to welcome Brent to the BMC Team and appreciates the extensive knowledge and over 17 years of diverse experience he will bring to the facility!