College sets its sights on space

Horticultural research being carried out at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) is headed for outer space.

A project on how bacteria fertilise plants will be carried on an International Space Station (ISS) mission next year.

It is one of eight projects selected for inclusion in the Space Florida ISS Research Competition, which was open to commercial and academic programmes worldwide.

LIT’s project was led by Prof Gary Stutte and co-supervised by Dr Patrick Murray.

Laboratory work was carried out by Martin Hayes, a postgraduate research student at the college.

The LIT project will involve a clover-like plant being flown to the space station where its reaction in space will be analysed by astronauts over five weeks.

It will be the first time that an Irish institution has had a lead role in an experiment to the space station.

Prof Gary Stutte said: “This is a great privilege for me and LIT. Being one of just eight applicants globally chosen for this research space mission is a huge statement and validation for the progressive and critical nature of our research programme.

“Having our research fly to the ISS and being able to partner and mix with elite organisations in this area such as NanoRacks, Nasa, and ISS is a stepping stone to bigger and better things for science, research, and innovation at LIT.”

Last year another LIT graduate, Gerard Newsham, had his research programme carried on board the last space shuttle mission.

LIT president Maria Hinfelaar said: “This is another incredible achievement by our advanced research team. It speaks volumes about the research work being carried out here, work that has the potential to revolutionise agriculture and deliver food sustainability”