NASA Invites U of I Graduate to Appear on Tumblr Answer Time
May 20, 2021
MOSCOW, Idaho — May 20, 2021 — A recent University of Idaho graduate will be the first non-NASA employee to be featured on NASA’s Tumblr Answer Time.
In a broadcast expected to reach 1.3 million viewers, Hannah Johnson, a 2021 chemical engineering graduate from Coeur d’Alene, will answer questions relating to her experience with NASA’s Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS) program, building research payloads focusing on bacteria resistance in space.
The scientific question-and-answer segment will be hosted on NASA’s Tumblr account 9-10 a.m. Pacific time Thursday, June 3. Questions for Johnson to answer during the segment can be submitted through Friday.
Johnson is part of a U of I student team, one of five selected nationwide to participate in the SPOCS program. The team spent the past semester researching how microgravity impacts the efficacy of polymers known to resist bacteria on Earth. Their experiment tests polymer coatings on an aluminum substrate used in the handles astronauts use to move through the International Space Station (ISS) and to hold themselves in place while they work.
In December, the U of I experiment will fly to the ISS and remain undisturbed for 30 days before returning to Earth.
Media note:Hannah Johnson is available for interview. Her contact information is available upon request. Email alexisst@uidaho.edu.
—
Media Contact
Alexiss Turner
Marketing & Communications Manager
U of I College of Engineering
208-885-7511
alexisst@uidaho.edu
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho, home of the Vandals, is Idaho’s land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to nearly 11,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky and Western Athletic conferences. Learn more at uidaho.edu