FRS 001M — Sec. 001 — (1 unit) — CRN 53293 — R 4:10-5:30 pm — 186 Physics/Geology
NASA’s Mars Exploration Program

Instructor: Dawn Sumner, Department of Geology, School of Letters and Science

Description: Controversial reports of evidence for life in a Martian meteorite sparked public interest in Mars, resulting in more funding for missions to Mars. This seminar will focus on factors that influence the program, including the politics of funding, enhancing technological capabilities, the value of addressing fundamental scientific questions, and public perception of the space program and its results. We will use NASA's web pages to identify plans for Mars exploration and as a starting point for discussions of Mars exploration. We will have lively discussions about science and politics with an emphasis on getting to the core of why we explore Mars, what benefits we can expect, and how the program works. To help understand a topic more deeply, students will work in small groups to evaluate an aspect of the program in more detail. Students will get first hand experience in evaluating the quality of information they find, interpreting that data, and using it to develop and justify positions. In addition, they will gain a deeper knowledge of one of the most interesting places in the solar system.

Format: The seminar will start with an introduction to Mars and NASA's Mars exploration program. Each student will choose a topic and present basic data to the other students on this topic early in the quarter (5 minute informal talk). Topics can include things like evidence for water on Mars, goals of the Mars research program, Mars in the popular media, the amount of funding spent to pursue Mars research, etc. Students will then divide into small groups based on interest and will research a more specific topic together. During the scheduled 1 to 1.5 hours each week, we will discuss these topics and how they are related to each other and the Mars program. By the end of week 7, each student will prepare a 500 word summary of an aspect of their group's topic, which will act as part of the group summary. The last class, the groups will present their results to the class. Students are required to attend and participate in discussions. Grading: 20% of grade will be based on the quality of their participation in discussions; 20% will be based on initial presentation; 30% will be based on written summary; and 30% will be based on presentation of results to the class.

About the Instructor: Associate professor Dawn Sumner is a member of the Geology Department. Her research focuses on the early evolution of life and ocean chemistry on Earth. She uses field descriptions of rocks, microscopy, and chemical analyses to interpret environmental chemistry and the chemical properties of bacterial communities. Dawn is also a member of NASA's Mars Exploration Payload Advisory Group and is currently working on a special committee to revise the scientific goals involved in the search for life on Mars.