Professor of Chemistry Dr. Ed Wilson works with senior julianne Pettey on jan. 24. Pettey worked with Wilson to build instruments that could be used for field studies for on eventual space mission to Mars. Ashe/ Parsons On Nov. 15, Dl Wilson explains the function of the Mars Spectrometer. Wilson received a grant from NASA to help fund the space project.. Ashe/ Parsons The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was the world's largest research institution on science and technology of airplanes and space, and only the most elite scientists, chemists, astronauts and researchers qualified to work for the prestigious organization. Professor of Chemistry Dr. Edmond Wi Ison, a certified level two rocket technician, was one of those world-class NASA scientists. Wi Ison had worked for Harding for 40 years in addition to working with NASA's jet propulsion laboratory. One of the many laboratories within NASA, the jet propulsion lab specialized in robotic exploration of the solar system and conducted major programs in space-based earth sciences. Wilson, whose office was full of old rockets he built himself, said he loved his job. "My research involving the search for life on Mars allows me to help solve one of the great mysteries of mankind: is there life somewhere else in the universe, or are we alone?" Wilson said. "I get the chance to apply all of my knowledge gathered over the years to build a very sophisticated instrument that might get a chance to f ly on a future Mars mission. What could be better than that?" With a $1 million grant from NASA to use in the construction of robotic devices, Wilson worked alongside senior Julianne Pettey and junior ~cd] Wilson NASA grant funds mars project Darah McDaniel to build instruments that could be used for field studies for an eventual space mission to Mars. Wilson and his crew worked to develop a biological gas absorption spectrometer, which consisted of a laser that shot a beam out to a reflector and was used to search for microbial life in space. Although the instruments were highly complex and difficult to construct, Wilson said his work would have been much more difficult without the help of his student crew, who were granted undergraduate research scholarships from NASA. McDaniel said Dr. Wilson gave her and the other students plenty of room to do their own res8'arch. "Doing NASA research w~h Dr. Wilson has really changed my opinion about scientific research," McDaniel said. "It's not about a scientist in a dark laboratory. It involve~cr4ot of collaboration and communication with other people in your fie1,i! who are willing to help you." As part of their research·, McDaniel, Pettey and Wilson traveled to California to visit two NASA labs and get a glimpse of the difficulties that even NASA scientists regularly faced when experimenting. "The people we visited were very impressed with the workmanship and knowledge that Darah and Julianne showed them when we visited," Wilson said. "I am thrilled to help train future scientists and engineers at Harding in a very exciting and dynamic way." Kelsey Sherrod faculty 159
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==