Principal Investigator: Christopher April Co-Investigator: Lily Wetherbee Co-Investigator: David Pacitto

 Studies have shown that planarian worms are able to regenerate in a gravity based environment.  This experiment will compare regeneration, if it can take place, in a microgravity environment.

 Planarian worms are flat worms that have an amazing ability to regenerate.  In their environment they are scavengers.  They live under rocks in still water ponds.  Planarians are free living animals.  In the natural environment the planaria reproduce by fission.

 The original experimental design was to cut the worms in half.  Launch complications altered the time frame, requiring revisions to our experiment. Dr. Sanchez Alvarado, an expert planarian worm investigator from The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, guided us to train the worms to regenerate by fission. We needed some HELP!

 By starving, crowding, and conditioning them to a cool, low oxygen environment we expect the worms to regenerate over a longer period of time.

 F.M.E tube will contain neutral buffered formalin, six planarian worms and Fiji water.  The astronauts will release a clamp that holds the formalin preserving the worms for further examination.

Our hypothesis is that the lack of gravitational force will not allow the planarian worms to pull apart (through binary fission) and regenerate. The expectation is when our mini lab returns to earth there will still be only six worms in the tube.

A sincere thank you to the following community members, organizations and partners for providing this research opportunity. Partner Institutions North Attleborough Middle School North Attleborough Public Schools American Firearms School, LLC Chartwell International, Inc., Checon Corporation, Compu-Call, Inc., Cryan Landscape Contractors, Inc. Dyer-Lake Charitable Foundation, Inc. E.A. Dion, Inc. Howard Hughes Medical Institute & Stowers Institute for Medical Research iAutomation ICG Consultants Corp. Kid’s Day, Mini Systems,Inc., North Attleboro Industrial Park Association North Attleboro School Committee North Attleborough Public Schools-RA Smith Educational Fund Off the Leash Doggie Daycare, Inc. Rhode Island Hospital, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Center for Stem Cell Biology Research Robinson Physical Therapy Sensata Technologies Shelter Tree Sidelines Seal Coating & Line Painting Company Sousa & DeMayo, Inc. The Artcraft Company W.R. Sharples Company, Inc. W.H. Riley & Son Contributors: Dr. Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, Mark Dooner, Hobbs Family Private Donors: Bates Family, Cobbs Family, Copley Family, Superintendent Susan Cullen, Dion Family, Dusel Family, Ekk Family, Everton Family, Ferrigno Family, Foster Family, Hanson Family, Hobbs Family, Lagasse Family, LeStage Family, Levesque Family, Menard Family, Moscowitz Family, Moynihan Family, Nerz Family, Oliver Family, Opdycke Family, Pirri Family, Poirier Family, Short Family, Sweet Family, Wagner Family, Weiner-Jackson Family, West Family, Yeomans Family, Young Family, Zarrela Family SSEP Community Program Co-Director Principal-Victoria Ekk