China and US high school students to explore Mars together at ASU

TEMPE, Ariz. – In the first-ever program of its kind, joint teams of U.S. and Chinese high school students will start exploring Mars first hand at Arizona State University. Beginning January 27 and running for nine days, 16 students drawn from all over China will meet with eight equally skilled students from Nogales (Ariz.) High School. Together, the space-minded students will take part in the China Youth Space Academy at ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility.

Mars is a natural focus because ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration is an international leader in space science, with instruments operating both in orbit and on the surface of Mars. Each student team, consisting of U.S. and Chinese students, will decide on a Mars geological problem to solve. Then the teams will command the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which is currently in orbit around the Red Planet, to take images and data to solve the problems. In the final step, the student teams will analyze their data and report on their findings, just as working scientists do.

"The Space Academy program was created to excite high school students from the U.S. and China about careers in space science and engineering," says Jennie Si, professor of electrical engineering in ASU's Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering. Si is also is director of ASU's China initiatives and special projects in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs.

The Chinese students were chosen through an academic challenge joint partnership between ASU, the Chinese government-run Web site, China.com.cn, and Flying Spirit International Ad (Beijing) Co. More than 12,000 students registered to take an online test that evaluated the students' knowledge of the solar system and space exploration. Then 40 semi-finalists competed for two days in November 2007 to produce the 16 winners. ASU Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs R. F. Shangraw led a delegation of five ASU faculty and staff members to serve as judges for the competitions held in Beijing.

Both the online test and the final competition, which included designing a human outpost on Mars, were developed by ASU staff in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. The competition questions and challenges reflected the combined science and engineering focus of the school.

"The Chinese students who entered the Space Academy competition were all very impressive," says Philip Christensen, Regents' Professor of Geological Sciences and director of ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility. He is also the designer of the instrument on Mars Odyssey that the student teams will use to study Mars. During the final round of competition in Beijing, Nov. 17-18, Christensen was one of the judges. For their team projects at ASU, all the students will be working under Christensen's guidance.

The Nogales students also have a long space exploration pedigree. "Students from this high school have taught NASA administrators and other government officials how to take Mars images," says Brian Grigsby, director of ASU's Mars Education Program. "The Nogales students have also organized space-related events in their city, and they have helped teach other students throughout the area about space exploration and science."

The China Youth Space Academy is one of the many ways Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration is educating the next generation of space explorers. The school aims to fuse the study of science with engineering and send its graduates on career paths to expand knowledge of Earth, the solar system and the universe.

The School of Earth and Space Exploration in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering is just one example of how ASU is pioneering the New American University. ASU is building an institution that combines the highest levels of academic excellence, the finest quality of teaching and research, inclusiveness and access for the broadest demographic, and maximum societal impact.

The effects of the Space Academy will be felt long after the students leave and not just in the realm of space exploration. Such collaborations are a necessity in today’s society, and will only increase in importance. Effectively tackling global issues of concern involves efforts from around the world. Involving students in global partnerships helps prepare them for a more successful future.

"The China Youth Space Academy will carve a new path in cross-cultural learning," says Jennie Si. "ASU is committed to finding and developing brilliant minds from around the country and the world."

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Note to editors and reporters: Opportunities to interview and photograph the students will occur several times during the China Youth Space Academy. Please contact either Robert Burnham or Nikki Staab for details and to make arrangements.

Sources:

Jennie Si, (480) 965-6133, si@asu.edu
Philip Christensen, (480) 965-7105, phil.christensen@asu.edu
Brian Grigsby, (480) 965-5514, brian.grigsby@asu.edu

Media contacts:

Robert Burnham, (480) 458-8207 cell, robert.burnham@asu.edu
Nikki Staab, (480) 727-9329, (602) 710-7169 cell, nicole.staab@asu.edu