A key objective of the National LEO Research and Development Strategy is to stimulate STEM education and workforce development through creative programming like Genes in Space™. Started in 2015 as a collaboration between Boeing and miniPCR bio, Genes in Space™ inspires young minds to solve real-world problems in the biological and physical sciences. Each year, the contest invites students in grades 7-12 to design pioneering DNA experiments, with one winning experiment to be carried out by astronauts onboard the space station. Genes in Space™ has received thousands of inspiring, student-led proposals, and alums have enabled outstanding space biology milestones.