{"id":347308,"date":"2026-07-21T14:22:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/347308\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T14:22:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:22:25","slug":"usf-student-teams-win-national-recognition-for-space-related-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/347308\/","title":{"rendered":"USF student teams win national recognition for space-related research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ivan Martinez Diez-Muro wants to make drinking water as safe as possible aboard the
\n International Space Station. And, \u00a0the 28-year-old undergraduate <\/a>student in USF\u2019s College of Public Health<\/a> (COPH) hopes a novel idea takes off.<\/p>\n

With a boost from a national spaceflight organization, Martinez Diez-Muro has been
\n investigating new energy conversion technologies that might enhance the quality of
\n water for astronauts and even people at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe knowledge we gain could improve water purification systems for future space missions
\n while also inspiring cleaner, more sustainable technologies here on Earth,\u2019\u2019 the health sciences<\/a> student said.<\/p>\n

In a paper titled \u201cDark Adsorption in Space: Testing Cactus-Modified TiO\u2082\u00a0 Films Beyond
\n Earth,\u2019\u2019 his team looked at how microgravity affects the interaction between certain
\n materials enhanced by, of all things, a cactus extract. The investigation focused
\n on the earliest stages of photocatalysis \u2212 the acceleration of a chemical reaction
\n on materials that absorb light energy.<\/p>\n

He explained that gravity constantly influences how liquids move on Earth. Warm fluids
\n rise, particles settle and natural mixing occurs continuously. In microgravity, those
\n effects nearly disappear, so liquids behave very differently. Scientists can observe
\n molecular interactions without Earth’s gravity affecting the results.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat allows us to better understand fundamental processes like adsorption, chemical
\n reactions and fluid movement,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cIn many cases, gravity masks these subtle
\n interactions, so removing it gives researchers a unique laboratory that simply doesn’t
\n exist on Earth.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The team included Riva Nathani, a biomedical major in the College of Arts and Sciences<\/a>, and James Ma, a computer science major from the College of Engineering<\/a>. Faculty support came from Dr. Norma Alcantar, professor and associate dean for research
\n in the College of Engineering; and Dr. Saundra Johnson Austin, director of Student Engagement for Research and Innovation<\/a> (SERI) in the office of USF Research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking together on a project with real-world applications in space research allowed
\n me to grow as a student researcher and gain a deeper appreciation for the importance
\n of interdisciplinary teamwork,\u2019\u2019 Nathani said. \u201cI believe this project has significant
\n merit because it explores sustainable, nature-inspired approaches to water purification
\n in microgravity. Understanding how adsorption and fluid behavior change in space is
\n essential for developing reliable life-support systems.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Their paper raised plenty of eyebrows, winning a Top 3 honorable mention from the
\n Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), part of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education<\/a>. This competitive, nationwide research initiative involved 3,700 students from across
\n the country and gave 10 teams awards for microgravity experiments with the potential
\n for flight aboard the International Space Station. In its inaugural appearance in
\n the program, USF produced three winners \u2013 including first place.<\/p>\n

The program encourages curiosity, teamwork, critical thinking, and innovation while
\n showing young scientists that their ideas can contribute to real-world discoveries.\u2019\u2019\n <\/p>\n

Ivan Martinez Diez-Muro<\/p>\n

That top prize went to the study \u201cMicrogravity Effects on Chitosan Hydrogel Structure
\n for Potential Wound-Care Applications,\u2019\u2019 led by principal investigator Krystal Walford,
\n an engineering undergraduate student. Their experiment is scheduled to go into orbit
\n in October.<\/p>\n

Along with Martinez Diez-Muro\u2019s team, another USF group won an honorable mention for
\n its research study \u201cNutritional Retention of Germinating Black Currant Seeds in Microgravity,\u2019\u2019
\n led by principal investigator Karam Shahrouri, a mechanical engineering major. Both
\n honorable mentions were recognized for their strong scientific design, innovation
\n and competitiveness at the national level.<\/p>\n

\u201cSSEP is unique because it gives students the rare opportunity to design real experiments
\n that can be conducted aboard the space station.Instead of simply learning science
\n in a classroom, students become researchers solving authentic scientific problems,\u2019\u2019
\n Martinez Diez-Muro said. \u201cThe program encourages curiosity, teamwork, critical thinking
\n and innovation while showing young scientists that their ideas can contribute to real-world
\n discoveries.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Martinez Diez-Muro also was invited to present at a national conference at Kennedy
\n Space Center, where he spoke on student-led research that connects public health with
\n spaceflight and scientific innovation. In addition, he presented his research at a
\n recent OneUSF Research Day on campus.<\/p>\n

Austin said Martinez Diez-Muro is making and difference through his commitment to
\n research excellence and scholarly engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI witnessed these qualities firsthand\u2019\u2019 in SSEP, she said \u2026 \u201cwhere Ivan and fellow
\n researcher Riva Nathani were recognized as Top 3 finalists at USF, exemplifying scientific
\n rigor and leadership that distinguish him as an exceptional emerging physician-scientist.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Although his team\u2019s experiment won\u2019t be aboard the space station, the group continues
\n to test its underlying mechanisms in the laboratory. Martinez Diez-Muro is honing
\n his scientific chops by working as a research assistant with the Hibernation Intelligence
\n Base for Education Research & International Alliance, an international research collaboration
\n based in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Martinez Diez-Muro had been dreaming of doing space-related work since 2009, when
\n he attended NASA\u2019s Space Camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of those moments that didn’t feel real at first,\u2019\u2019 he said of the national
\n honor. \u201cDeep down, I believed our team had created something meaningful, but hearing
\n that we were recognized among the Top 3 honorable mentions nationally was incredibly
\n rewarding.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt validated the countless hours we spent researching, writing, revising and learning
\n together,\u2019\u2019 he added. \u201cIt’s an experience I’ll always remember because it reminded
\n me that persistence and hard work truly pay off.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ivan Martinez Diez-Muro wants to make drinking water as safe as possible aboard the International Space Station. And,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347309,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-347308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}