I'm a second-year M.S. student in Biosystems Engineering focusing in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), and I conducted my thesis project in the Mars-Lunar Greenhouse (MLGH) Prototype Laboratory on the optimization of spectral quality with quantum dot technology to enhance yield in CEA. The MLGH is a full-scale, modular bioregenerative life-support system (BLSS) utilizing hydroponic polyculture to recycle oxygen and water while providing fresh, nutritious produce for astronauts during sustained missions on the moon or Mars. As MLGH lab manager I have had the privilege of leading lab tours for individuals and groups of all ages and backgrounds, and I volunteer at Biosphere 2 (B2), the largest controlled environment on Earth, by giving specialty tours on the Future of Food in Space. These unique facilities, however, are relatively remote and so are difficult to visit for many individuals from underrepresented groups in STEM fields.

The UA/NASA Space Grant Graduate Fellowship will help me to democratize access to these facilities via the development of accessible, immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences designed around middle and high school learning objectives in the life and Earth sciences. Anyone with access to a web browser or VR headset will be able to experience a virtual tour of B2 and an educational game within a navigable planetary surface habitat based on the MLGH design. Both VR experiences will be developed with and released as open source software to maximize accessibility.