by Hilary Sigler
Last December, hundreds of elementary and middle school students accompanied by their parents, guardians and members of the UWG Physics Department filled the Crider Lecture Hall to set out on an adventure to Mars. This virtual trip to Mars was led by physics professors Dr. Javier Hasbun and Dr. Benjamin de Mayo.
The students experienced an interactive evening demonstrating low level flights over the surface of Mars and a view of the night sky’s constellations, followed by a virtual trip to Mars with landings on its two moons, Phobos and Deimos. The latest results from the current Mars probes Curiosity and MAVEN were summarized, and Martian snow was produced. The hands-on activities and exhilarating lectures encouraged the new explorers with an understanding about Mars, and all of its inhabiting resources.
The event was made possible by a $21,000 Georgia Space Consortium-NASA grant, which supports many events including Physics Demo Night. For more information regarding these and other events, please visit www.westga.edu/cosm.
