[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING VANDERBURG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 Mr. HELLER. Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate John 
C. Vanderburg Elementary School on its team of fifth grade students and 
facilitator selected as a national winner in the Student Spaceflight 
Experiments Program, SSEP. This team of students should be proud of its 
achievement as 1 of 11 national winners selected for the opportunity to 
have their experiment conducted on the International Space Station.
  Facilitator William Gilluly and student investigators Shani 
Abeyakoon, Kendall Allgower, and Avery Sanford created a winning 
proposal titled, ``Soybean Germination in Microgravity.'' The 
experiment seeks to gain further clarity on whether soybeans can be 
used as a vitamin and nutrient-dense food source for astronauts during 
long-term space travel. The experiment is expected to be conducted on 
the space flight scheduled to take place in early 2017. During this 
time, astronauts will activate the experiment as the students conduct 
the same experiment on land, ultimately comparing the results to 
evaluate the effects of microgravity on the germination of seeds.
  SSEP is a national science, technology, engineering, and math 
educational program with the National Center for Earth and Space 
Science Education, which works to inspire future generations of 
scientists and engineers. I extend my sincerest congratulations to 
these Nevada students selected as winners of the SSEP competition. They 
stand as role models to future Vanderburg Elementary students of what 
hard work and determination can accomplish.
  I am excited to see local students bringing recognition to both 
Nevada and Vanderburg Elementary School for their advancement in a 
national competition. These students should be proud to call themselves 
top contenders in a competitive environment. I ask my colleagues to 
join me and all Nevadans in congratulating Vanderburg Elementary School 
for its success and honorable representation of Nevada.

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