[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING GABRIELLA MELENDEZ, TORIANA CORNWELL, AND SHANIYLAH WELCH

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, this afternoon, three students from the 
Hamlin Park Academy--Gabriella Melendez, Toriana Cornwell, and 
Shaniylah Welch--will participate in the Fourth Annual State of 
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Address hosted by the White 
House.
  After months of planning, fundraising, and research, these three 
bright women partnered with Western New York STEM Hub to develop and 
fine-tune their experiment, ``Tumor Growth in Microgravity,'' which 
earned them the nickname ``Spud Launchers.''
  Through collaborative efforts with NASA, these spud launchers will 
test the ability of potatoes to grow in microgravity, toward the goal 
of learning about how plants might grow on other planets.
  Their experiment won the national competition held by the Student 
Spaceflight Experiments Program and will be conducted abroad at the 
International Space Station this year.
  These three young women are role models to all of the bright young 
minds in our community. Their success is a result of their curiosity 
and their hard work. It is a testament to their families, the Buffalo 
Public Schools system, Western New York STEM Hub, and, most 
importantly, their teachers.

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