Nov 18, 2022

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It took thousands of scientists and engineers from around the world to spend countless personnel hours and billions of dollars to successfully launch NASA's Perseverance mission to Mars. This audacious project was designed to place a remote-controlled vehicle on the planet's surface to study the rock record to better understand the geologic processes that sculpted the Martian crust. New tools, equipment delivery techniques, and computer systems were developed by teams consisting of members speaking different languages on multiple continents. For this mission to achieve its goals, experts in astronomy, rocket propulsion, electrical engineering, and photography had to share ideas and collaborate. Although WISS won't be launching students into space any time soon, our Diploma Programme (DP) science department will challenge them to emulate NASA's team through their "Surviving on Mars" group 4 project.


In November, thirty-two Grade 12 students will participate in a two-day, hands-on simulation designed to promote a greater appreciation of science and technology's environmental, social, and ethical implications. The IB organizes the "experimental sciences" within group 4 of the Diploma Programme curriculum. The group 4 courses, Biology, Chemistry, Design Technology, and Environmental Science and Society, give students the knowledge and scope to think critically about the world around us.


Like the Perseverance mission, the Survive Mars group 4 project is a collaborative activity where students studying different science subjects work together on a scientific challenge, allowing for concepts and perceptions from across the disciplines to be shared and to develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and their influence on other areas of knowledge. It may also allow them to understand the limitations of scientific study, for example, the shortage of appropriate data and/or the lack of resources. The project is a pass/fail (participated/did not participate). But don't worry. The goal is not for our student-created action plans to meet NASA's stringent feasibility tests. Rather the emphasis is on understanding interdisciplinary cooperation and the processes involved in scientific investigation. Although students may not comprehensively solve all the challenges of sustaining life on Mars, they will be able to reflect meaningfully on the process of working with others, what it means to listen to multiple perspectives actively, and to contribute their expertise towards a common goal bravely.


Like our IB Diploma Programme teachers and students, this group 4 project will be out of this world.


Contributed by: Brandon Risenhoover - IB Diploma Programme Coordinator and Deputy Secondary Principal at Western International School of Shanghai.


Sources:

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8662/meet-the-people-behind-nasas-perseverance-rover/

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/science/goals/#:~:text=The%20Perseverance%20rover%20is%20designed,crust%20and%20surface%20through%20time.

https://resources.ibo.org/data/d_4_biolo_gui_1402_6_e.pdf



来自世界各地的数千名科学家和工程师花费了无数的人力、时间及数十亿美元,才成功完成美国宇航局的火星发射任务。这项惊人的项目旨在将一架遥控飞行器放置于火星表面,从而借此研究岩石记录,以便更好地理解火星地壳地质过程。新的工具、设备交付技术及计算机系统的开发,均由来自不同大陆、说着不同语言的成员们所组建的团队共同完成。为了实现这一任务所设定的一众目标,来自天文学、火箭推进、电子工程及摄影领域的专家们分享各自的想法,共同协作。尽管WISS短期内无法将学生送入太空,但科学部将通过国际文凭课程(DP)中的小组四项目火星生存来使得他们得以挑战自我,并让他们模仿美国宇航局的团队协同合作。


3212年级的学生将于11月的第一周参加为期两天的实践模拟活动,该活动旨在提高他们对科学环境、技术环境、社会及伦理影响等多维度的认知。IBDP课程的第四组中开展实验科学,其涉及包括生物、化学、设计技术、环境科学与社会在内的四门课程,这为学生们提供了批判性思考周围世界的知识和范畴。与毅力任务一样,小组四的火星生存项目也是一项协作活动,学习不同科学学科的学生们将一同应对科学挑战,分享来自跨学科的概念和看法,并发展对科学学科之间的关系、其之于其他知识领域的影响等方面的理解。它还可以让学生们从中了解到科学研究的局限性,例如:适当数据的缺乏和/或资源的缺乏。项目本身是及格/不及格(参加/没有参加),然而我们的目标并非让我们的学生制定行动计划来满足美国宇航局般严格的可行性测试。相反,本项目的重点是理解跨学科合作、科学调查所涉及的过程。虽然学生们可能无法全面解决火星上维持生命面临的一切挑战,但他们将能够有意义地反思与他人合作的过程,理解积极倾听多方观点的意义,并勇敢地为一个共同目标而贡献出自己的专业知识。


就像我们DP的老师们和学生们一样,这项项目将是最棒的。


中学课程副校长 大学预科文凭课程协调员






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