Jamaican students make NASA history

On August 8 Jamaica made history by participating in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Amateur Radio in International Space Station (ARISS) programme.

A total of 12 participants were selected to each ask a question of Satoshi Furukawa, a Japanese astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

"Do you believe that we will find life forms on other planets within our lifetime?" Cornwall College student Khamal Clayton, representing Jamaica, asked of Furukawa.

Other questions posed by selected participants included: "What are the impacts of space travel (ascent, orbit and descent) on the human body?"; "Is the debris from space harmful to our marine environment when dumped into oceans?"; and "What has been your most rewarding experience being on the ISS?"

Prior to the interaction with astronauts, all participants were engaged in a lecture and discussion with Camille Wardrop Alleyne, assistant programme scientist at the Johnson Space Centre, in Houston, Texas, United States.

Trinidadian astronaut

Alleyne is the first Caribbean female astronaut to work on the ISS and, through her efforts, the island nations of Jamaica, her home country Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada and St Lucia have now been added to the list of countries participating in the ARISS programme.

A delegation of six students and one chaperone represented Jamaica at the 10th Annual Caribbean Youth Science Forum (CYSF) in Trinidad during the period August 7 to 14. The Scientific Research Council (SRC), as the national focal point for CYSF, was responsible for the selection of participants to the annual forum.

The Jamaican team comprised Sherine Williams (Clarendon College), Paula-Marie Ivey (Westwood High School), Zahra Henry (St Andrew High School), Herona Thompson (Immaculate Conception High), Brandon Burke (Munro College) and Clayton. The students were the national finalists of SRC's Annual Schools' Science & Technology Oratorical Competition which was held in 2010. Kerry-Ann Curtis, of the SRC, travelled with the students as chaperone.

The CYSF is designed to encourage senior high school students to pursue careers in science, technology and innovation via field trips, social and cultural activities, lectures, discussions, and interaction with scientists. Jamaica was one of five Caribbean islands represented at the forum, and there were more than 250 students in attendance.