KU Biology + Engineering
Teacher and student resources

Growing Plants on the Moon

Engaging students in biology and engineering through lunar plant-growth experiments, sensor systems, and hands-on design.

This site supports teachers interested in the Plant the Moon and Plant the Moon Jr. competitions, as well as teachers seeking new ways to bring engineering and biology together. This page was built off in-person workshops conducted in 2026.

KU faculty contributors

Dr. Sara Wilson, Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Jennifer Gleason, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Student contributors

Clara Banks, Mechanical Engineering

Mateo Nieto, West Middle School

Funding acknowledgment: This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Cooperative Agreement No. 80NSSC20M0109. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASA.

Plant the Moon competitions

Competition information and experimental guides for different grade levels.

High school, college, and beyond

Plant the Moon Challenge

Competition resources for high school students, undergraduates, and professionals.

Challenge website Experimental guide
For teachers

Educator guide

A quick guide for educators implementing the competition with students.

Open educator guide

If you are interested in having a Kansas middle school aged team be sponsored for Plant the Moon, Jr. complete this form by December 15, 2026.

Sign Up Link

Introduction and workshop videos

This workshop starts with the biological context and Plant the Moon competition expectations. It is followed by discussion of how engineering is an important part of how NASA conducts their experiments with plants in space.

Set up the Arduino Uno and sensor kit

The following materials support using the Arduino Uno and Arduino Sensor Kit in classroom experiments.

Kansas middle school teachers can request a free kit for these exercises before December 1, 2026 (while supplies last).

Request Form Link

Sensor-kit exercises

The following are instructional videos for the Arduino and Arduino Sensor Kit with links to the companion code.

Exercise 2

Read the barometric pressure sensor

VideoCode

Additional resources on the Arduino Sensor Kit's other sensors

Sensor Kit Link

Follow Up

When you complete these videos we have an anonymous survey that we would like participants to complete.

Survey Link

If you are interested in having a Kansas middle school aged team be sponsored for Plant the Moon, Jr. complete this form by December 15, 2026.

Sign Up Link

Do you need to match these activities to Next Generation Science Standards? Find lesson plans based on standards here:

Lesson Plans

Dr. Wilson maintains a website of other resources around mechantronics. You can find that page here.

Mechatronics Resources