biology & physical SCIences NASA GRANT II Wilson contributes to research When the Mars Exploration Rovers landed on the red planet in January, a few Harding students were able to relish a bit more in its achievements. Junior Amanda Wooldridge and sophomore Philip Ashley assisted Dr. Ed Wilson, professor of chemistry, in his research to prove life does exist on Mars. Wilson, professor of chemistry, pled his case and received a three-year $670,000 NASA grant in October to do investigative research on how to build a machine capable of detecting life on Mars. "I'm just so overwhelmed, I didn't think we we're going to get it," Wilson said. "I told everybody that I was going to scream my head off if 1got it but 1didn't. 1just thanked God for the privilege." The grant aided in developing an instrument to study biogenic gases on Mars. "We are looking for more than just signs of life," Wilson said in the Feb. 6 issue of the Bison. "Our instrument will measure the atmosphere's constituents, which will help us understand what resources Mars may be able to provide for us on Earth." Wilson used some of the money to offer scholarships for those students assisting him. Scholarship amounts ranged from $1,000 to $6,500 "It's a blast to work [for Wilson]," Ashley said. "He knows what he's talking about and he helps to connect you with a lot of people. 1 hope to make some good connections with the people out at NASA. This experience is a great thing to have on a resume." In August, Ashley, Wooldridge, senior Amanda Gerlach and junior Alex Hamilton, Wilson and Dr. James Mackey, professor of physical science, traveled to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. They observed scientists work on full-scale models of the rovers. -Cairey Tai Freshmen Adam Young and Elizabeth Cramblett make weight measurements in a chemistry lab Jan. 27. "I enjoy labs because you get more into hands-on situations," Young said. (Photo by Russell Keck) 174 11 academics Junior Shea Salley and senior Amy Robertson peer through their microscopes to get a closer look into the world of microscopic organisms in the invertebrate zoology class. The upper-level biology class allowed students to do a hands-on study of different types of animals. (Photo by Russell Keck)
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