Northwood High student could have his experiment conducted in the final frontier

A Northwood High School junior has been named a finalist in a global contest that challenged teens to design science experiments that can be performed in space.

Pranav Singh is one of 60 students, including just 10 from the United States, to make the cut in the YouTube Space competition, which was sponsored by YouTube, Lenovo and Space Adventures, in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Now the rest of us have a chance to help select six regional winners. Through Tuesday, Jan. 24, the YouTube community can vote for their favorite entries online. A panel of judges that includes none other than Stephen Hawking and some pretty smart folks from NASA will also weigh in. Pranav’s experiment seeks to study the effects of microgravity on the genetic recombination rates of the Drosophila melanogaster, which is more commonly known as the fruit fly. "It feels great to have the opportunity to become a finalist," Pranav said. "However, more than the title itself, I cherish the support I have received from my family and friends and would especially like to thank my teachers at Northwood." The six regional winners are expected to be announced in February, and a month later they’ll gather in Washington, D.C., to experience a zero-gravity flight and receive laptops from Lenovo. Two global winners will ultimately have their experiments performed 250 miles above the Earth aboard the International Space Station. That event will be streamed live on YouTube.