Before
leaving on the Space Shuttle Columbia
STS-90 Neurolab mission, Penn State faculty
astronaut Dr. James A. Pawelczyk invited
Penn State students to suggest items he
could take with him in his Official Flight
Kit. Four Penn State New Kensington students
suggested Penn State grass seed, because
of the University's leadership in turfgrass
education, research and development. Pawelczyk
carried 53 grams of seed, selected by
Dr. David R. Huff, associate professor
of turfgrass breeding and genetics. The
resulting "space grass" was
planted in the greenhouse facility of
the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences,
and Pawelczyk, who calls himself "the
Johnny Appleseed of turfgrass," presented
one-square-foot plots of the turf to each
campus. The seed continues to grow.
