Planting Awe

How Space Farming Nurtures Curiosity and Confidence in STEM

Lisa S. Tsay / Saginaw Valley State University

Through hands-on space farming experiments with NASA programs, Midland students are discovering more than science—they are discovering themselves. Awe, I have learned, isn’t just a fleeting feeling; it can be a teaching strategy that grows curiosity, confidence, and lasting engagement in STEM.

At Herbert Henry Dow High School and Jefferson Middle School, “Space Farmers”—student scientists participating in NASA’s HUNCH (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware) and NASA’s Growing Beyond Earth (GBE) programs—have planted seeds under simulated space conditions (Hitt, 2018), collaborated with engineers, and even shared results with NASA scientists (Chalk, 2021; Midland Daily News, 2022). Their work has reached as far as national conferences and even a peer-reviewed journal (link forthcoming), but those milestones began with simple awe-filled moments in the classroom.

DHSF at NASA HRP Conference

Awe Through Authentic Inquiry

Even when students carefully followed research protocols, their outcomes didn’t always match expectations. Rather than seeing this as a failure, they learned to ask why. One student explained, “It transformed my mindset in all my science classes.” That same persistence later carried into award-winning research at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR), where students explored nitrate levels in space-grown vegetables (Midland Daily News, 2024). In any classroom, teachers can create similar moments by allowing room for surprise and guiding students to investigate unexpected results.

Awe Through Belonging

Many students described feeling like “real scientists” when they presented at conferences or shared their prototypes with NASA engineers. Presenting their 3D-printed Otoscopy-in-Space adapter to NASA astronauts, or discussing an AI emotion-detection system with engineers at NASA’s Human Research Program Investigator’s Workshops (HRP-IWS), deepened their sense that their voices mattered (Midland Daily News, 2025).

But belonging didn’t just happen on big stages; it began when shy students found their voices in small group discussions, or when second graders worked side by side to troubleshoot why their seeds didn’t sprout (Tsay, 2025b). Classrooms can cultivate this same sense of belonging by emphasizing teamwork, peer feedback, and authentic audiences—even if that audience is just another grade level down the hall.

Awe Through Connections

I have also learned that awe extends beyond the classroom. When NASA mentors visited our community, they didn’t just meet high school researchers—they also joined families at a mall event where kids built lunar bricks and rolled “microgravity dice” (Tsay, 2025a). Later, through the Astrobiology

DHSF with Dr. Gold at 2025 HUNCH FDR

STEM Activation Program (ASAP), our high schoolers guided elementary students through sprout houses and lunar habitat models (Tsay, 2025b). What started as awe in a second-grade classroom has echoed outward, fueling achievements such as the Dow High team’s first-place win in the ASGSR conference (Midland Daily News, 2024) and NASA’s GBE Student Research Symposium (Chalk, 2021) and recognition at HUNCH’s national Final Design Review (Midland Daily News, 2025). In each case, students saw that science is not confined to textbooks; it is a way of making sense of the world around them.

By 2025, nearly 40% of Dow High students were enrolled in AP or IB STEM courses, rebounding sharply after a dip in 2022 (Midland Public Schools, 2023, 2024, 2025; U.S. News & World Report, 2025; Niche, 2025). Every member of the Dow High Space Farmers took at least one advanced science course before graduation. While statistics like these are encouraging, the heart of the story is simpler: when students feel their work matters, they rise to the occasion.

Fist in Program History

In August 2025, the Dow High Space Farmers achieved a milestone unprecedented in the program’s history—the official acceptance of their research paper in the Gravitational and Space Research Journal. The paper, Balancing Nutrient Content and Nitrate Levels in Space Agriculture: Investigating LED Light and CO₂ Effects on Space-Grown Leafy Green Vegetables, details experiments conducted under NASA-simulated growth chamber conditions with neutron-irradiated seeds. The work earned first place with a perfect score at the 40th American Society for Gravitational and Space Research Conference in December 2024.

“This acceptance affirms that our students’ work stands up to the same level of scientific rigor expected in the professional research community,” said the Dow High Space Farmer founder, Margaret E. Hitt. “It’s not just a win for us—it’s a win for Midland and for STEM education.” For the Dow High Space Farmers, the journal publication marks a new chapter: their findings will now join the permanent scientific record, contributing to both space agriculture and sustainable farming research here on Earth.

Takeaways for Educators

Build room for unexpected outcomes and let curiosity guide the next step.
Provide authentic audiences, whether peers, parents, or community members.
Connect learning to larger contexts—space, local environments, or everyday life—so students see themselves as part of something bigger.

From elementary sprout houses to high school research, awe has been the common thread. These experiences don’t just enrich STEM instruction—they build identity, purpose, and possibility. For Michigan educators, the message is clear: when we make space for awe, we make room for transformation.

References

Chalk, D. (2021, May 21). Dow’s Space Farmers shine in national contest. Midland Daily News. https://www.ourmidland.com/insider/article/Space-Farmers-shine-in-national-contest-16194870.php

Hitt, M. E. (2018, November 17). Jefferson students team with NASA for space plants. Midland Daily News. https://www.ourmidland.com/lifestyles/article/Jefferson-students-team-with-NASA-for-space-13401097.php

Midland Daily News (2022, June 07). Jefferson Middle School, Dow High students present to NASA. Midland Daily News. https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Jefferson-Middle-School-Dow-High-presents-17176618.php

Midland Daily News (2024, December 12). Dow High students take top honors for space agriculture research. Midland Daily News. https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/dow-high-students-take-top-honors-space-19975906.php

Midland Daily News. (2025, April 16). Dow High's Space Farmers present research on astronaut health. Midland Daily News. https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/dow-high-s-space-farmers-present-research-20275642.php

Midland Public Schools. (2023). 2022–2023 Annual Education Report [PDF]. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1675796412/midlandpsorg/awmrdzrfsovtsikglbmb/MidlandPublicSchools2022-23AER1.pdf

Midland Public Schools. (2024). 2023–2024 Annual Education Report [PDF]. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1707832599/midlandpsorg/czbwstvvbehd0wyvnkvn/2023-2024MidlandPublicSchoolsAER1.pdf

Midland Public Schools. (2025). 2024–2025 Annual Education Report – H.H. Dow High School [PDF]. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1739803761/midlandpsorg/tpqavtrqfkjvihk7yjnp/2024-25AER_DHS_Cover_Letter3.pdf

Niche. (2025). H.H. Dow High School Academics [School report]. https://www.niche.com/k12/hh-dow-high-school-midland-mi/academics

Tsay, L. S. (2025a, January 29). Space farmers a big attraction at Kid’s Day at Midland mall. Midland Daily News. https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/space-farmers-big-attraction-kids-day-midland-20063169.php

Tsay, L. S. (2025b, May 16). Astrobiology STEM Activation Program inspire young explorers. Midland Daily News. https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/astrobiology-stem-activation-program-inspires-20329435.php

U.S. News & World Report. (2025). H.H. Dow High School in Midland, MI [School profile]. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/michigan/districts/midland-public-schools/h-h-dow-high-school-10139

This article is published on MSTA-LINKS, Fall 2025 Edition.

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