Valley View Middle School students, led by STEM teacher Jill Weaver, have developed two experiments for the Space for Teachers Embedded Teacher Program.
Weaver will travel to Bordeaux, France, and on November 20, she will conduct two student experiments in 22 seconds of microgravity aboard Air Zero G, an Airbus A310 parabolic aircraft operated by Novespace.
The first experiment is an educational satellite kit from Robinson Aerospace. The RASCube will operate throughout the flight, collecting angular velocity and environmental data through each gravity change.
The Student RASCube Engineering Team includesTristan Lambert, Haiden McNamee, and Tyler Rohbach.
Students Hayden McNamee, Tristan Lambert and Tyler Rohrbach with the CubeSats
📸 Jill Weaver
The second experiment grew out of a classroom partnership with researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and a year of study in human physiology, research methods, and innovations in space medicine.
Valley View students created a cradle and retention strap that can support an Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE) Reader in zero gravity. Weaver will need 12 seconds to get a reading during her experiment.
The Student Medical Team includes Bexley Durkle, Logan Leis, Clara Hearlihy, and Carlie O’Dell.
Officer Nickolas helps test the AGE Reader with students CarlieO’Dell and Linus Bridewell
📸 Jill Weaver
The AGE Reader measures skin autofluorescence, which reflects compounds that build up in tissue and are linked to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The AGE Reader measures without a needle or a blood sample, making it a good candidate for space.
This will be the first time either the RASCube or the AGE Reader has been used in microgravity, and Weaver’s students will analyze the results.
Jill Weaver during her technical experiment walkthrough with French engineers
📸 Jill Weaver
“Participating in the Space for Teachers program has made this Zero-G flight about far more than experiencing weightlessness. Preparing the AGE Reader and RASCube experiments has inspired my students to see themselves as scientists, engineers, and innovators and to recognize the power of their questions and ideas. As I prepare to fly, I’ll carry their curiosity and perseverance with me. The moments of zero gravity may be brief, but the confidence and possibilities they’ve gained can lift them for a lifetime,” Weaver said.
Weaver is one of 15 Space for Teachers educators scheduled to fly student experiments in November. Participation in the Space for Teachers Embedded Teacher Program is funded by the NASA Ohio Space Grant Consortium.
© 2026 Twin Creek Times