This is Kai Rasmussen’s blog.  He is the webmaster for astrobotany.com, and UW molecular biology research undergrad.  These are updates about the process, if you are interested.

T’was the first day of classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Throughout thee yonder night t’was a soft twinkling of snow upon thee crest of Bascom Hill.

My first class of my last semester was Biochem 575: Biology of Viruses.  I’m looking forward to this class.  Although it is known to be difficult, I have always been interested in infectious disease.  I have always been particularly moved by the story of Dr. Carlo Urbani, a microbiologist and physician who first discovered SARS coronavirus and eventually succumbed to the disease.  His early identification is thought to have saved millions of lives.  He is truly among medical greats.  In this virology class we’ll be learning about the biology behind viruses, diseases and emerging virus diseases.  I’m hoping that this can strengthen my microbiology background.  Our sister site, astromicrobiology.com is soon to be home to some microbiology data from the International Space Station.  We’re going to work this data in a way that becomes meaningful, just like astrobotany.com.  I’m excited to see if we can dive headfirst into astromicrobiology and learn more about microbiology in the process.

Tip for Botanists: condensation is a problem in sealed petri dishes if you are aiming to perform imaging.  We are using autoclaved black THOMAS filter paper on the petri dish lid with our FlashLapse devices.

Expect more content from our news and media sections!  Have a great day everyone.

Let’s grow plants in space.