GILLETTE, Wyo. -- Drea Hineman, a senior at the University of Wyoming from Gillette, is earning regional recognition for her innovative research on space farming, where she studies how to grow lettuce in reduced-gravity environments. Hineman, a plant production and protection major in UW's Department of Plant Sciences, recently presented her work at a regional symposium in Boise, Idaho, after being selected as a Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium research fellow.
Her research addresses a key challenge faced by astronauts: salt accumulation in soil. In space, water does not drain naturally from plant-growing pods, causing salts to build up and stress the plants. To study ways to mitigate this problem, Hineman has been running experiments in the Laramie Research and Extension Center greenhouse since July 2025, using an automatic sensor-based irrigation system to simulate water movement under reduced-gravity conditions. She is currently exploring whether inoculating lettuce plants with fungi can help the crops tolerate higher salinity.
Hineman first learned to operate the irrigation system as a research apprentice in Assistant Professor JJ Chen's lab, who later became her mentor in the NASA fellowship program. The fellowship is highly competitive, and Hineman's application was ranked first among 29 undergraduates for the 2025 cycle.
At the Boise symposium, organized by the educational nonprofit Spacepoint, Hineman was the only agriculture student to present. The event, themed around interplanetary life, aims to spark interest in space-related careers and was attended by high school and college students as well as mid-career professionals. Hineman said the opportunity gave her a chance to introduce space farming to attendees who were unfamiliar with the concept.
"I never thought that I'd be capable of this," Hineman said. "When you think of Wyoming, you don't think, 'Oh yeah, I can go to college and do a space farming research project'...But once I found out what I was really interested in, that's when I realized my drive."
Chen praised Hineman's initiative and ability to communicate her work. "This is her own idea, her own research," he said. "As the only agriculture major student invited to present at the conference, Drea effectively communicated to attendees from Washington, Idaho, Montana and California that students can meaningfully contribute to science and space exploration."
Kyle Averill, founder and director of Spacepoint, said the event's purpose is to make the space industry accessible to a broader audience and connect it to participants' interests on Earth.
Hineman's work highlights the potential for students from landlocked states like Wyoming to contribute to the growing field of space agriculture, tackling challenges that may one day be critical for sustaining life beyond Earth.