OGDEN, Utah — University students from around the state will present their research at the Utah Space Grant symposium hosted at Weber State University, May 8 from 9 a.m.-noon in the Tracy Hall Science Center Rooms 232 and 363.

The symposium will include nearly 40 space-related presentations from various universities. All of the projects received funding through the Utah NASA Space Grant Consortium, which helps provide opportunities for college students to pursue educational experiences in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

“This event gives NASA-funded students an opportunity to showcase their work, and we can catch up with the other affiliate members on science education outreach in the state of Utah,” said John Armstrong, WSU physics associate professor.

Armstrong collaborated with Michael Hernandez, geosciences professor, to conduct research on the variability of Mars’ climate history. Armstrong and Hernandez mentored 10 students who assisted in research by surveying more than 1,000 craters on Mars’ South Pole in a search for liquid water.

“Here on Earth, our atmosphere has greater pressure in relation to surface temperature, which allows us to experience water as a solid, liquid and gas,” said Orana Paullus, a WSU student on the research team. “During the Martian summer, its polar ice caps experience sublimation, the process in which ice skips a liquid state and moves directly from solid ice to gaseous vapor. Finding liquid on Mars is like finding a needle in a haystack. That is where we came in.”

The students used a combination of digital imaging and geospatial data to identify the location of craters, and used temperature readings to study the climate interaction between the surface and atmosphere. Their findings will be on display at the symposium in Tracy Hall Room 232.

“During this research, I have been able to apply what I have learned in both my geology and remote sensing classes while working with researchers from the physics and geography departments,” Paullus said. “This is a real-world taste of what planetary science holds for us in our futures.”

The Utah Space Grant symposium is held every year in May and rotates among Utah institutions. The network of participating colleges and universities helps to advance NASA’s prioritized areas of research in science, aeronautics, human exploration and space technology.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

Contact:

John Armstrong, physics associate professor 801-626-6215 • jcarmstrong@weber.edu

Author:

Rachel Badali, Office of Marketing & Communications 801-626-7295 • rachelbadali@weber.edu