Student Scientist’s Space Biology Experiment Wins 2025 Genes in Space Competition Written 21 August 2025
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Nitya Johar (center) with Genes in Space Co-Founders Sebastian Kraves of miniPCR bio, Kevin Foley of Boeing, Scott Copeland of Boeing, and AIAA President-Elect Keoki Jackson. | Credit: AIAA–©
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Under the bright lights of the ASCEND stage in Las Vegas, a remarkable moment for student innovation took flight. Nitya Johar, 17, of Skyline High School in Sammamish, Washington, was announced as the 2025 national winner of the Genes in Space competition. Her pioneering experiment will investigate codon usage bias in space, a discovery that could advance spaceflight medicine and biomanufacturing in microgravity.
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