GiS Spotlight: Honorable Mention Jacqueline Chan
Each year, we recognize 10 Honorable Mentions whose proposals stand out in their scientific rigor and creativity. This year, we were proud to honor Jacqueline Chan (17), a student at Livingston High School in Livingston, New Jersey. Here, Jacqueline shares the thinking behind her proposal and offers tips to future Genes in Space participants.
Briefly explain your topic/experiment: To advance long-duration human space travel, my experiment examines how microgravity affects mutation rates of Epstein-Barr Virus over time.
Why did you choose to participate in Genes in Space? From a young age, I have been fascinated by both the human body and space, and further pursued these interests in high school through the cosmology course at Columbia Science Honors Program and the science research program at my school. When I learned of this competition, I was immediately captivated by the idea of combining my two fields of interest to design a novel experiment which could have the potential of advancing space exploration.
How did you choose your topic? I have always been fascinated by the idea of long-duration space missions and the possibility of sending humans to other planets for colonization. As space travel is increasingly commercialized and more astronauts are tasked with long space missions, safeguarding human health is paramount. I explored some NASA blog pages and research articles and discovered that the viral load of the highly infectious Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), which lays dormant in over 90% of the US population, increases 10-fold during spaceflight and that its shed rate increases as a function of time in space, I wanted to investigate whether these trends are correlated with an increased mutation rate. Understanding how EBV behaves and evolves in space will allow researchers to better develop countermeasures that will make long-duration missions and future colonization efforts safer and more feasible.
What did you gain by participating in Genes in Space? Through exploring different research topics, I have learned a lot about the various applications of PCR. Working with my mentors in refining my experimental design has taught me the importance of collaboration as each individual brings different knowledge and unique perspectives to the problem. Participating in Genes in Space has opened my eyes to the emerging field of space biology as well as the value of recognizing the intersections between fields of study.
Do you have any advice for future Genes in Space contestants? Don't feel obligated to design a complex experiment based on an advanced topic as it is more important (and better to) gain a thorough understanding of a more "simple" topic, articulate your ideas and experiment eloquently, and back all your claims with evidence/citations. Also, it is very important to choose a topic which truly interests you, as you will be more motivated to read pertinent research articles and it will make the research process and experimental design all the more enjoyable. Pursue your topic of interest with the mentality of using this competition as a learning experience!
