Sixth grade participates in "Plant the Moon/Mars Challenge"

Community Prep is thrilled to be working with Brown University this spring as part of the NASA Space Grant Consortium!

Community Prep alum and trustee, Maija Hallsmith '07, shared this incredible opportunity with Community Prep, as she works as Program Assistant for Diversity Initiatives at Brown. Nikki Guyon, the sixth-grade science teacher, was excited to take on this project with her sixth-grade scientists. 

This challenge is designed to answer the question, can we grow crops on the Moon or Mars? The basic premise of the challenge is that each student group designs its own experiment to grow plants in simulated Mars soil (called regolith simulants). After a 10-week growing period ending on April 7, students will submit final project reports and join the global network of researchers helping to expand our space exploration capabilities. On May 15, all participants will be invited to showcase their work at a virtual symposium, at the conclusion of which the Science Advisory Board will select Best-In-Show award winners. 

Our students received a real soil simulant from the University of Central Florida’s CLASS Exolith Lab, and each team designed their own experimental parameters, such as the structure of plant growth setup, amount of water used, nutrients or fertilizer to discover if it is possible to grow crops in the soil. This project allows our students to practice the scientific method and design process by researching, designing, planting & monitoring, and then analyzing and presenting their projects. 

We cannot wait to share what our students designed and their findings!