Edmonton students compete for their project at International Space Station – Edmonton

Science clbades these days are not what they used to be.

Technology and innovation is at the forefront of Julie Arsenault's clbades at Edmonton's Michael Strembitsky School, and they are hoping to take their science projects to new heights.

The students are taking part in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), designed to inspire future scientists and engineers by North America.

"Students design experiments from scratch," Arsenault said. "[They] compete for the chance to be on the International Space Station, which is very important because we are always competing for resources and funding. "

For the students participating in the competition, getting selected is a big deal. Grade 8 student submissions from seventeen different Edmonton schools.

The SSEP expands to see a wide range of topics, including seed germination, micro-organism life cycles and cell biology in a zero-gravity environment.

READ MORE: University of Alberta space team receives funding to launch second satellite

Strictly adhering to scientific research methods, the Edmonton students were sent a specialized microgravity mini-laboratory to conduct their earthly research in. Each tube-like lab holds just 10 milliliters of mbad, causing them to get creative with their proposals.

"It's been a really authentic cross-disciplinary effort," Arsenault said.

"Science is not just about memorizing facts and googling details, which is all really cool, but it's about understanding how to design an experiment," she said, "noting the winning student will be writing about their experiment in a clear and concise way."

Down the hall at Michael Strembitsky School, the Grade 3 students were also excited for an SSEP competition of their own, though the odds of having their art design turned into a patch of astronaut are much lower.

"Grade 3 student Meena Sundar explained" There's only one person, from one school, from one clbad that can get it into space.

It's a competition that gets kids thinking about their schoolwork and their careers.

"We could have a future astronaut on our hands, or maybe a future engineer, or a NASA worker – you just never know," Grade 3 teacher Kimberley Harris said.

The Edmonton student will be tested on Nov. 6.