WORLD FIRST MARSLINK® MISSION UPDATE - 2010By Dr. Dana M. Barry, C.P.C.Dr. Dana M. Barry’s World First MarsLink® team continues to make progress. Members in the United States, Malaysia, and Japan participate in planet/star gazing sessions and other space-related events and contests. MarsLink Space Mission activities are now a component of her International Program in Creative Education. She initiated this program, in collaboration with Dr. Hideyuki Kanematsu of Japan, to promote and develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills in students of all ages. In April 2009, Dr. Barry carried out a modified Mars Explorer Mission with fifth and sixth graders at St. Mary’s School in Canton, New York. She also led a discussion that compared Mars with the planet Earth.
In addition, students in Japan (led by Dr. Kanematsu) continue to carry out creative design experiments using aluminum. They use aluminum foil to design, build, and test boats (holding washers), by floating them in a tub of water. The goal is to determine the best boat design for carrying cargo. Dr. Barry’s World First MarsLink Mission is supported by NASA and Space Explorers, Inc. and sponsored by the Northern New York Section of the American Chemical Society. She and her team are very grateful to Space Explorers, Inc. for their continued interest and outstanding support. MARSLINK –RELATED / SCIENCE PUBLICATION Kanematsu, Hideyuki and Barry, Dana M. “Engineering Design and Creative Education,” MEMOIRS of Suzuka National College of Technology, Japan, 42 (2009). |
In the summer and during the month of October, Dr. Barry held student workshops that focused on the Periodic Table of the Elements. She emphasized elements such as iron and aluminum that are found on the Red Planet. The students in the photo are studying the Periodic Table of the Elements to obtain ideas for designing their own Periodic Table of Items. The students were asked to create a special table for various items that they analyzed (examples: coins containing the element copper, nails containing the element iron, and snack food packages made of the element aluminum).
