WORLD FIRST MARSLINK MISSION UPDATE - 2006By Dr. Dana M. Barry, C.P.C.Dr. Dana M. Barry's World First MarsLink team continues to make progress. A story about her successful program which received a National Award of Excellence from the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2004, recently appeared in an international journal. This online journal, titled The Science Education Review, is published in Australia. Dr. Barry (of Clarkson University U.S.A. and President of Ansted University's Scientific Board Malaysia) has an international team with members in the United States and Malaysia. Her Mission is supported by NASA and Space Explorers, Inc. and sponsored by the Northern New York Section of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Barry and her team are very grateful to Space Explorers, Inc. for their continued interest and outstanding support. U.S.A. In November 2005, Dr. Dana Barry served as a Visiting Professor in Japan. She incorporated her MarsLink Mission Project (which is a creative way to teach science and chemistry) into her education seminar about creativity and creative thinking. Dr. Barry also carried out Mars' gazing activities in Japan as well as in the United States. In addition, she gave a Mars Exploration Workshop (with information about her World First MarsLink Mission) to senior citizens. Dr. Barry's activity was part of the spring 2005 SOAR (Stimulating Opportunities After Retirement) Program held at SUNY Potsdam. The MarsLink team members at Norwood Norfolk Central School, in Norwood, New York, belong to a science club. They individually analyze incoming data from Mars and carry out other space-related activities.
This activity was followed by a discussion that compared the gravity of Earth to that of Mars. The class determined the approximate mass of the worms and other toys. Finally, they predicted each item's mass on Mars. Since the gravity of Mars is about 0.38 of Earth's, a 100 gram object would be about 38 grams on Mars. In addition, the group briefly talked about the Mars Exploration Rovers (which are of great interest to them because their names are included on a disk aboard the rovers). MALAYSIA Baron Sir Professor Dr. Roger Haw (founding member of Ansted University) is a coordinator for the MarsLink team members in Malaysia. The team includes students at Ansted University and St. Xavier's Institution. They belong to an Astronomy Club, which is advised by Dr. Chong Hon Yew (Ansted University Advisory Council member and Professor of Physics at the University of the Sciences in Malaysia, USM). These motivated students attend planet/star gazing sessions and participate in planetarium shows, space-art painting contests, astrophotography, and rocket launching. MAJOR MARSLINK PUBLICATION Barry, Dana M. "World First MarsLink Mission Participants Learn and Enjoy Science," The Science Education Review, 68 (2005). |
Team participants from St. Mary's School, in Canton, New York, completed MarsLink projects with assistance from Dr. Dana Barry. She met with them and carried out a fun-filled workshop about toys and polymers during National Chemistry Week (October 2005). The children learned about polymers and used them to create many beautiful and colorful worms.
