OUT OF THIS WORLD: PARADE OF MARS ROVERS
UNVEILED AT UH COMPETITION
Third Annual Event Attracts Future Scientists, Yields Innovative
Designs
HOUSTON, Feb. 11, 2005 – Young scientists and engineers
fired up their model cars for a journey to a distant planet during
the 2005 Mars Rover Model Competition at the University of Houston.
More than 260 primary and middle school students from 23 schools
in the Houston area displayed their models, judged in the categories
of free form, radio control and solar power. Houston’s First
Lady, Andrea White, presented a total of 30 awards.
The entries were subject to scrutiny by top minds in the fields
of academics and space exploration, with 140 volunteer judges from
the UH College of Education, NASA-Johnson Space Center, the Houston
Section and UH Student Chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics, the UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Ambassadors and the Memorial High School Robotics Team.
“We have a shortage of American children entering college
who intend to major in science or engineering,” said Edgar
Bering, professor of physics and electrical and computer engineering
at UH. “This presents a major long-term threat to the future
of the American economy. The challenge for educators is convincing
elementary school students that science and engineering are exciting,
relevant and accessible career paths. Events like this help, offering
hands-on projects that provide very true-to-life results that encourage
children to take learning beyond the textbook.”
With current aerospace engineering and science professionals beginning
to age, combined with low youth interest in these fields, the talent
pool is waning and the next generation of professionals is in jeopardy.
In an effort to alleviate the future shortage of aspiring scientists
and engineers, the Mars Rover Model Competition aims to enhance
space science, planetary exploration and robotics teaching to children
in grades three through eight.
“Events such as the Mars Rover Model Competition are very
important to the future of science,” said Karen Staley, a
sixth- and seventh-grade science teacher at Fort Settlement Middle
School in Fort Bend Independent School District. “In a world
where information is just a keystroke away, young people can become
overwhelmed by the possibilities. These events bring out the need
to dream and believe in various possibilities.”
Staley also hosts her own Mars rover competition every fall, extending
her lab hours so that students may use it to work on their projects.
Among notable winners at this year’s competition, Jeffrey
Pacht, a repeat winner from Fort Settlement Middle School, took
first place for his AT-ME solar power model. His unique rover could
both roll and walk. Equipped with four legs, it also could function
with three in the event one was damaged under the harsh Mars environmental
conditions, Staley said.
“Jeffrey Pacht’s model is the product of one young
man’s ingenuity and commitment to quality and accuracy,”
Staley said. “He considered the importance of providing a
detailed plan to those judging the model, he had confidence in his
work and he wasn’t afraid to compliment or help others out
at the competition. These qualities put Jeffrey and his project
ahead of the others.”
The competition with other rover teams and learning from one another
are critical aspects that provide for an exciting, enthusiastic
experience in the Mars rover program and hopefully foster an optimistic
attitude toward science and engineering fields, Bering said.
“A lot of students at this age feel limited by their age,
but this competition allows them to go beyond those limits and,
most importantly, allows them to realize that their dreams can become
a part of our future in science and technology,” Staley said.
In constructing the mobile robots to explore Mars’ surface,
the program involves a curriculum unit and a contest. In the curriculum
portion, students conduct research on Mars to determine the means
of operation and structure for their unique rover and then illustrate
their plan in a written report. Students must become experts on
the planet and understand the elements to design a vehicle sufficient
to explore the surface. In the process, the young scholars learn
to work in teams, communicate, navigate the Web, effectively use
books and periodicals and get information firsthand from engineers
and scientists in the field.
Students construct the models as part of a six-week classroom or
homework project on Mars. A minimal cost (less than $25) for materials
– mostly found objects and simple art supplies – is
permitted for the models. Teams must enact a five-minute skit presentation
for judges at the competition.
In addition to Pacht and other winners from Fort Settlement Middle
School, awards also went to students from Windsong Intermediate,
Colony Meadows Elementary, Westwood Elementary, Mark Marek Elementary,
Manvel Junior High, Woodlands Christian Academy, Bales Intermediate,
Post Oak Montessori School, Southside Elementary, the Science Magnet
Program in Seabrook, Humble Middle School, St. Catherine’s
Montessori and St. Francis Episcopal Day School. A full listing
of winners can be found at http://troll1.phys.uh.edu/MarsRover/roverwinners.htm.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
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