Postville youth win International Award through NASA

by Olivia Enyart

In the early months of this year, four of Postville’s youth from both the Postville High School and the Rise Academy in the Postville Community School District teamed up to create an experiment for the Plant the Moon Challenge Spring of 2026 through NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), competing in a field of 155 high school entries from across the nation and on a global scale.

Team members of the group the members called SmellsFishy1! included Angie Barrutia, Olivia Enyart, Yehuda Leib Mahr, Isabella Koenig, and Hattie Ruff. The adult advisors for the experiment were Postville High School Science Teacher Sean Singewald and Postville Community School District Home School Coordinator Annette Fry.

The main purpose of the challenge was to grow edible plants in simulated moon soil, or regolith, with a maximum of an eight-week growth period which began February 16 and ended April 2. The study conducted by the Postville group explored the effects of fish-based organic fertilizer on the growth and harvest of baby spinach in combination with the use of hydrobeads as a watering system and constant nutrient source.

The idea was that astronauts would need a source of protein to continue life on the moon. By growing tilapia, the astronauts would have a sufficient source of animal protein. However, they would have fish emulsions from that growth process which would need to be disposed of.

Due to rapid growth rates, the Postville students chose spinach as their plant of choice. Rainbow trout fish tailings from the Chuck Gipp Fish Hatchery in Decorah were used to evaluate the effect of using fish waste products as fertilizer. The fish tailings were collected through Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) employee Brian Malaise.

In the beginning of their experiment, the students found after looking under a microscope that the regolith was composed of “crystalline structures” which could easily harm young plant life. After that discovery, the group made the decision to use the paper towel method combined with a heated mat to begin the germination of the baby spinach seeds. They also inserted some seeds into hydrated hydrogel beads for germination, but this was an unfortunate loss. Advisor Singewald values the fact that the students were able to learn that some solutions are simply not feasible, noting, “Good ideas don’t always bear fruit.”

After three days, the cotyledons, or first leaves, emerged and the seedlings were transplanted into growth tubes. “The growth tubes were constructed from 4”x4”x3” PVC Y-connectors allowing for growth vertically,” one student explained. She also explained that by blocking off the 17-centimeter water line tube with a cellulose sponge, they were able to prevent soil from entering the water line while still allowing for absorption. With the combination of the hydrogel beads, the soil was kept at a near perfect moisture content for growing spinach.

This process is helpful in space because when watering plants under low gravity, the water tends to form orbs which can drown and dehydrate plants at the same time. The hydrogel beads were also used in helping guide plant growth to areas throughout the growth tube.

“Various soil compositions were tested, including combinations of lunar regolith, Earth soil, fish tailings, straw manure, and hydrobeads,” shared advisor Singewald. “They were watered using distilled water and water from the classroom fish tanks.”

Each soil composition grew up to four plants. Soil compositions included Moon Control 1, Earth Control 1, Earth Control 2, Earth Control 3, Experiment 1, Experiment 2, and Experiment 3. Plant growth over the five-week chosen period was found by measuring leaf development, plant height, leaf size in centimeters, and the harvested wet mass.

Unfortunately, the group experienced a loss of plant life after finding two cellulose sponges decomposing. They were reinforced with foam substrate scrub sponges to continue the experiment.

In the final stages of the contest, members were asked to put together a research paper and video to help explain the aim of their experiment. They assigned each other to the roles of writing the research paper and the script for the video. All members were included in taking data measurements and helping with major stages of the experiment with Ruff taking lead in plant moisture content and plant growth.

In the research paper, Enyart explains how the experiment ran and their reasons for running the experiment as they did. The research paper, along with other award-winning research papers can be found online at https://plantthemoon.com/awards-spring26/. The research video can also be found online at https://youtu.be/rfPmdpg1_iU.

The group’s research found that it was not any of the pure earth soil compositions which grew the best, instead it was Experiment 2 with the composition of 50% moon soil, 15% earth soil, 15% fish tailings, and 20% fish water hydrogel beads. The results from that Experiment 2 were enough to win Postville’s SmellsFishy1! group Best of State honors for Iowa and the international award for growth at the high school level.

Jared Long-Fox, Planetary Exploration Research Scientist at the University of Central Florida voiced how impressed he was with the group’s data collection. He greatly appreciated how the experiment tended to go full circle with the idea that astronauts would need a protein source and so on. The group’s research will go on to help scientists find ways to grow plants in space.

Advisor Singewald stated that this became a full circle experience for him and knows this was greatly beneficial to the students. “Being able to bring the fisheries, space, and affecting growth on earth and in space to the kids was definitely enriching,” he noted.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the Plant the Moon Challenge, visit the Challenge’s website at plantthemoon.com.

For additional photos and information, pick up the Wednesday, July 15, 2026 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.