The Department of Planetary Sciences welcomed pupils and teachers from St Machar Academy to the Science Teaching Hub for a morning of exploration and discovery.
Dr Miracle Israel Nazarious and Dr Thasshwin Mathanlal, Research Fellows in Planetary Sciences, led the pupils through a brief history of space exploration, as well as an overview of ongoing and future missions – including going over the development of HABIT at the University of Aberdeen, and the instrument’s role in the European Space Agency’s ExoMars-2 mission.
The pupils learned about how they could pursue different careers in space exploration, including the process of becoming an astronaut. They also took a virtual trip to the Red Planet where they explored various features of the planet and searched for Curiosity and Perseverance, the two rovers currently active on Mars.
David Clark, a science teacher from St Machar Academy, said “22 of our S3 pupils got answers to many questions, a chance to explore the surface of Mars and programmed their own sensors.”
Curiosity was piqued from the start of the day, with questions including whether it would be possible to explore some of the gas planets, how space exploration helps us in our day to day lives, and how to become an astronaut.
Dr Nazarious noted that “it was exciting to see young minds and their creativity,” adding that although he wasn’t sure what to expect from the students, “at the end of the day they put a smile on my face with their enthusiasm and plenty of brilliant questions.”
If you work at a secondary school and are interested in learning more about the School of Geosciences, including organising a day on our campus or arranging a virtual outreach event, please contact geosciences-outreach@abdn.ac.uk.