Wyoming Space Grant Student Researcher Earns Regional Recognition

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Drea Hineman,a University of Wyoming student from Gillette, has earned regional recognition for her innovative space-farming research supported by NASA.

Hineman is a senior majoring in plant production and protection in the UW Department of Plant Sciences. As a Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium research fellow, she studies sustainable food production in reduced-gravity environments — in other words, farming in space.

The Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium sponsors education and research programs in support of NASA missions. Hineman’s fellowship project addresses a key problem astronauts face when cultivating lettuce plants in space: salt accumulation in the soil.

Reduced gravity also means reduced drainage. Aboard the International Space Station, water — and salts dissolved in that water — don’t drain away like they would on Earth. Instead of exiting the growing pod, salt accumulates in the soil, stressing the plants.

Read the full article on: thefencepost.com

Original Post Date: 11.26.25

Author Credit: University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources

Image Credit: Photo by Paulo Mello Neto, UW Ph.D. student and member of JJ Chen’s lab.