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Mars Exploration 'By Mind Alone': Project for High SchoolStudents
Please inform any High School educators you may know. This
international project is supported by the UK's Earth and Space Foundation, but based in Portland, Oregon. MARS EXPLORATION 'BY MIND ALONE' 23 January 2004 PORTLAND, Oregon - Explorer Cameron McPherson Smith (36) will encourage high-school-age students to 'mentally explore Mars' by planning expeditions to the red planet while they monitor his upcoming winter expedition in Iceland. Students will follow Smith's progress, via internet, on his fourth attempt to make a 200-mile solo trek on the Vatnajokull ice cap. The expedition begins in mid-February 2004. 'Exploring and colonizing Mars is a natural continuation of human exploration of our universe,' says Smith, an archaeologist. 'We've been exploring new terrain for at two million years, with new technologies such as fire and, later, watercraft. Exploring Mars, to me, is no different.'. As Smith skis across the ice cap, at roughly 16km (10 miles) per day, students monitoring his progress will complete a variety of assignments stimulating them to think about Mars exploration. By watching Smith's expedition, students will be able to think more realistically about exploring remote and hostile environments. Among the assignments, one asks students to write a fictional journal of a Mars explorer, another that they prepare a detailed plan to explore some surface feature, and another that they create visual art as it might be done on Mars. The lessons were developed by Smith and Chuck Sullivan, a writing instructor at Portland Community College. 'It was important to us to allow for students with all sorts of talents and interests to participate,' Smith says, 'because Mars colonization will have to include all of humanity, not just "rocket scientists".' Materials for teachers and students can be found at the expedition website (http://www.soloice.com). Assignments can be submitted for evaluation in an international competition. Awards range from books to participation in Smith's next expedition. Smith teaches anthropology and archaeology at Portland State University and Linfield College. He is a Life Fellow of London's prestigious Royal Geographical Society and has participated in expeditions to Africa, South America, Alaska, Canada and Iceland. His expedition (www.soloice.com) is sponsored by the Earth and Space Foundation and outdoor gear manufacturers Patagonia and Outdoor Research, among others. Smith and Sullivan can be reached by email at . Contact: Cameron Smith at: *END OF FILE* |
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