A letter home to Parents/Guardians
A letter home, or a modified version of the letter in your school newsletter, will help parents to understand the importance of this project in the development of their children's scientific literacy and their acquisition of knowledge about space and agriculture, and practical experiences in hypothesis testing, data collecting and decision making. Communicating this information to parents is highly recommended by the Tomatosphere Project Team.
Tomatosphere is a Canadian-based research project involving more than 9,000 classrooms of Grades 2 to grade 10 students ("Tomatonauts") across Canada, the United States and other nations. The project is directly connected to the science curriculum in Canada through the Pan-Canadian Science Protocol which is used as a model for science curriculum in most provinces. The project enables students to make a contribution to a real science experiment involving the development of seeds with a high germination rate for prolonged space travel.
Insert a statement such as "This year, your student in Ms X's class will have the opportunity to contribute to this project by incorporating the Tomatosphere experiment into the regular science curriculum.
Food availability and life support are major limiting factors in extended space exploration. Plants will be needed to provide a source of fresh, nutritious food and to produce a vital life support system - including oxygen, fresh water and carbon dioxide uptake. Scientists need to know if space travel affects plant germination and plant growth, before these extended missions can take place.
The tomato seeds used in the experiment are a plum tomato seed from traditional, conventional sources and have not been altered through any means (including biotechnology). They are a variety of seed from H.J. Heinz Canada - H9478 F1. In 2006, students will be dealing with two groups of seeds. One type of seed is a control group which will be used as a basis for comparison with the second set of seeds. The control group consists of Heinz H9478 seeds which have had no exposure to any extraneous conditions. The second set of seeds - also Heinz H9478 - has been exposed to conditions which simulate the space maneuver of aerocapture; the seeds were placed in a centrifuge to simulate the g-load that would be experienced as the seeds entered the Mars atmosphere; the seeds were placed under this pressure for seven minutes, similar to what would be experienced en route to Mars as the space vehicle was slowing down. In addition, the simulator also involved higher than normal temperatures. In the research project, students will germinate the seeds, but will not know the origin of the seeds until the results of the experiment are reported to the project's web site. This is known as a 'blind study' and adds to the authenticity and scientific validity of the project as well as heightening student interest.
The students will observe:
- The time required for each seed to successfully germinate.
- The per cent of successful germination in each treatment.
- The seedling vigour as determined by height measurements.
- How similar seedling vigour is in each treatment.
Students will observe the tomatoes from seedling germination, and, if possible, to full-grown tomatoes (approximately 3 months). The critical germination period is 2-3 weeks, and the growth period is about four to six weeks. Students will learn about the exciting world of science, space exploration, food and nutrition. The emphasis is on the life support environment that is required in space. However, applications are also made to the sustainability of life here on earth.
You may want to insert a section here relating the experiment to curriculum. For example, "The curriculum focus is related to the Pan-Canadian Science Protocol. For grades 3 and 4, the emphasis is on the plants, for grades 5 and 6, the focus is on space and living in space, and for grades 8-10, the central themes relate to energy and the environment." Alternatively, you could send how a "skills" list as was done in one school in Alberta last year.
Tomatosphere is sponsored by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, Heinz Canada, H.J. Heinz Company Foundation, Ontario Centres of Excellence, Stokes Seeds and the University of Guelph.
