At Play in the Fields of Mars

by Jailson Lima

Chemistry Department, Vanier College, Montreal, QC, Canada

In previous posts, I pointed out that good planning is key to designing effective instruction. The importance of the teachers’ learning ecology was emphasized since they are expected to “talk the talk and walk the walk” in STEAM pedagogies. However, we must also be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of all the parts involved, which include both the students and the institutions where the activities take place. I will address these issues by describing my creative process for designing a major assignment in a course that I teach.

The mission statement of the institution that I am affiliated with, Vanier College, underlines that “we believe in and cultivate creativity, critical thinking, and excellence.” For this reason, the administration encourages innovation both in and out of the classroom. The college supports new initiatives that are founded in sound pedagogy, an attitude that is also followed by my department. Teachers have access to professional-development funds and have a few days allotted each year for attending conferences and workshops. This learning ecology, which is conducive to exploration, allows teachers to expand their pedagogical boundaries by incorporating their own personal interests. Consequently, I have always received full support from the institution to explore STEAM pedagogies. How about yourself? What kind of support is provided by your institution?

The students in the Liberal Arts program, who were targeted by the activity described here, have a peculiar learning ecology. When compared to students in pre-university Natural Science cohorts, the profile of most Liberal Arts students is noticeably different. They have limited background knowledge from their high-school science courses, and most of them lack interest in the natural sciences. They generally encounter difficulties with mathematical formulas and calculations and do not see the purpose of having a mandatory science course as part of their Liberal Arts program. In a way, the group’s profile resembles that of disengaged high-school students that would never consider a career in science as a viable option. Despite these shortcomings, students in this program generally have good writing skills and possess curious, inquiring minds. The science course is offered in the last semester of their program, when their acquired knowledge of history, philosophy, and mythology is above what can be expected from an average college student. Finding ways to spark students’ curiosity and imagination in this course has been the main challenge for me since it became evident that the approaches that had previously been used with science cohorts were not well suited to Liberal Arts students. To increase the complexity of this endeavor, most of these students do not share my excitement about astrochemistry, astronomy, or space exploration. As a matter of fact, they generally hold a negative view of space exploration as something that should not be prioritized in national budgets. In their point of view, our limited resources would be better employed if they were entirely allocated towards alleviating humanity’s serious social and environmental issues, as if this political decision belongs to an either/or dichotomy.

After careful analysis of the learning ecologies of all participants, I proposed that the course’s term paper be a 3,000-word sci-fi story that takes place in the distant future when humans have established colonies on Mars. This creative-writing project is composed of milestones to ensure that the stories’ plots incorporate correct scientific data. As a first step, they collect and select relevant information from reliable sources such as the NASA website, TED talks, books, and articles from popular science magazines that are suited to their level, such as Scientific American.

In their stories, students contextualize the topics that we study in the Liberal Arts science course, such as Classical Newtonian Physics, electricity & magnetism, electromagnetic radiation, quantum theory, and Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. For example, the gravity on Mars (3.71 m/s²) is roughly a third of that on Earth (9.81 m/s²). Students reflect on and list the consequences of such a pronounced reduction in gravity on human physiology. Mars’s atmosphere would be another serious hurdle to such missions since it does not contain oxygen and is made of 95% CO₂. Relative to Earth, the air on the Red Planet is extremely thin, which renders it incapable of filtering out harmful radiation from outer space. What are the foreseeable consequences of such a harsh environment on human settlers? What type of constructions are needed to deal with the lack of oxygen and the exposure to radiation? Where will they get water? What kinds of energy can be harnessed to meet the settlers’ needs? Can Mars eventually be terraformed? The first stage of this assignment involves more than simply transferring pieces of information but instead it requires an emotional engagement with the subject through active participation. It requires reflection over an extended period with ample opportunities for feedback and revision.

In an attempt to include knowledge previously acquired in their mythology course, the paper’s plot must include a reference to a Greek myth of their choosing. This assessment was intentionally designed to create a link between science and their previous courses. Incorporating Greek mythology in a sci-fi story centered on space exploration has myriad possibilities. Greek myths portray the fragility and absurdity of the human condition as well as what is quintessentially human such as the need to go out and explore, learning to reflect and discern, and being courageous, brave, curious, and astute. The variety of the themes that students come up with is fascinating: some students write about the time when Martian colonists fought wars of independence from Earth, others about a dystopian society that repeats the same old mistakes due to the greedy nature of the Martian elites. Other works were centered on individuals whose hubris made them transgress boundaries that should not be crossed, creating epic narratives similar to those famous Greek tragedies where individuals (e.g., Prometheus, Sisyphus, and Arachne) dared to defy the gods.

A second milestone of this project includes an art lab that uses powdered iron oxide (i.e., rust) as a pigment for an egg tempera paint. This substance is one of the main components of the Martian regolith and gives the planet its distinctive red color. Students are invited to imagine humans that were born in such an inhospitable environment and were surrounded by a landscape dominated by this red color. How would Martian artists express their feelings using this ubiquitous color?  How would this distinct red color be present on a hypothetical Martian flag?

By requiring them to explore creative storytelling, this assignment promotes students’ intellectual maturity through engagement with the scientific concepts studied while playing imaginatively with their favorite mythological figures, personal interests, and the material from their favorite courses in the Liberal Arts program. Students share their interests and create something that is personally meaningful while developing a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

A sample of a student sci-fi Mars story is available here.

STEAM projects like the sci-fi Mars story assignment fosters creativity, trial-and-error, the ability to integrate concepts, and the use of higher-level cognitive domains. By fusing scientific concepts with elements of mythology and creative storytelling, we empower students to explore the boundaries of their knowledge and imagination. This approach, grounded in a supportive learning ecology, promotes critical thinking. By embracing a shift in teaching strategies to a new culture of learning in which the environment plays a major role, privileges play, and promotes questioning and self-reflection, we not only fulfill our institutional mission of cultivating creativity and excellence but also equip our students with the skills and mindset needed to thrive in a complex, ever-evolving world.

Images: Martian flags and creative lab (photos by Jailson Lima)