Ohio State University will host a replica of the George Washington Carver Science Park Terrestrial Laboratory, which currently operates on the International Space Station.
The lab will research preserving Ohio’s water quality, improving crop genetics and production, and increasing animal health for farmers.
Voyager, an aerospace company that specializes in space exploration, chose a proposal from “Team Ohio” which includes Ohio State, One Columbus, the State of Ohio and JobsOhio.
The effort will start later this year with a facility at Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. By 2023, it will break ground on a stand-alone facility located at the university’s Aerospace and Air Transportation campus.
Voyager named the lab after George Washington Carver to honor his legacy. Carver was a prominent Black scientist and inventor in the early 20th century, who developed hundreds of food products and practical, sustainable farming methods.