A Journey to Mars: HPUniverse Day and Its Impact on Young Minds and a Community
Abstract
Once every fall semester, the High Point University Department of Physics hosts an astronomy-themed public outreach event called HPUniverse Day. More than one hundred faculty and students come together to expose local kids and their families to space, science, and beyond through twenty different discovery stations. Examples include hovercraft rides, water-bottle rockets, virtual reality demonstrations, the fabric of spacetime, and many other experiments. In order to keep the event from feeling stagnant, we invoked a new cohesive theme this year that took advantage of mainstream discussions about the colonization of Mars and its recent 2018 opposition. Upon arriving to HPUniverse Day, visitors were greeted as if they were cadets arriving for mission training for their "Journey to Mars." The newly enlisted cadets started at the World of Physics station where they learned about basic physics that could help them later in their training. Next the cadets listened to informational seminars on the environment of Mars, equipment to help during their tenure on the planet, and techniques to ease their interplanetary travel. Volunteers demonstrated how to use thermal and high-speed cameras, taught about relativity and methods for exoplanet discovery, and modulated standing waves in a Reubens' tube. Volunteers from the biology, chemistry, and education departments then provided insight into searching for and analyzing life on Mars as well as using robotic technologies for conducting research and building a colony. Getting closer to their final goal, the cadets conducted test launches with water-bottle rockets and blasted off to Mars. Finally, the cadets navigated across the surface of Mars using hovercrafts designed by students and faculty. HPUniverse Day enhances the collaborative nature of our physics department, while also strengthening the bond between our university and the surrounding community.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #233
- Pub Date:
- January 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AAS...23314705C