Team Insecta’s Research on Crickets as Food for Space Travel
As space exploration efforts accelerate and the global space race reaches new heights, NASA is grappling with providing astronauts with nutritious, easy-to-grow food in an environment devoid of gravity. Department of Biology’s student research team (Team Insecta) is exploring the suitability of crickets as a food source in space.
The team members are guided by our Biology professors Heath MacMillan and Sue Bertram, and have been mentored by Matt Muzzatti, a PhD graduate post-doctoral fellow who is optimizing the diet of farmed crickets to enhance their nutritional value.