Heather Walker knows her thermodynamics class can be intimidating. The concepts are critical for the engineering students who take the course, but part of the work for Walker is to help students see through the complexities and realize the incredible ways thermodynamics change our lives every day. That's why Walker, teaching assistant professor of chemical engineering, reached out to Alyssa Carson, an 18-year-old from Louisiana who has been chosen as one of the astronauts for NASA's Mars mission in the 2030s.
Carson, who goes by the nickname "NASA Blueberry," was selected by the agency for her lifelong passion for space exploration and has been actively training to leave Earth since she was 15. Carson joined Walker's Thermodynamics class April 24 and spent an hour sharing her story and fielding questions from students.
Carson's visit was more than just a celebrity appearance — the group's discussion tied in with key elements of the class.
"In our course, we study energy transfers," Walker said. "In Alyssa's mission to Mars, there is discussion of all of the astronauts being cooled to put them into a (what jobs can you get with a computer science degree) state of torpor. There are energy requirements for the rocket and pod. They will have to grow their food and be able to generate power and water on the surface of Mars. There are almost endless engineering applications."
Walker said she's been following Carson's story for several years.
"I found out about Alyssa a couple of years ago. She was a 15-year-old who was being tapped and trained to be on the first mission to Mars in the 2030s. That's pretty incredible - just a fascinating story. Her drive and sacrifice to reach her goal is inspiring. I've talked about her in class over the last couple of years because there are a lot of innovative engineering applications in the space field right now."
Carson, who goes by the nickname "NASA Blueberry," was selected by the agency for her lifelong passion for space exploration and has been actively training to leave Earth since she was 15. Carson joined Walker's Thermodynamics class April 24 and spent an hour sharing her story and fielding questions from students.
Carson's visit was more than just a celebrity appearance — the group's discussion tied in with key elements of the class.
"In our course, we study energy transfers," Walker said. "In Alyssa's mission to Mars, there is discussion of all of the astronauts being cooled to put them into a (what jobs can you get with a computer science degree) state of torpor. There are energy requirements for the rocket and pod. They will have to grow their food and be able to generate power and water on the surface of Mars. There are almost endless engineering applications."
Walker said she's been following Carson's story for several years.
"I found out about Alyssa a couple of years ago. She was a 15-year-old who was being tapped and trained to be on the first mission to Mars in the 2030s. That's pretty incredible - just a fascinating story. Her drive and sacrifice to reach her goal is inspiring. I've talked about her in class over the last couple of years because there are a lot of innovative engineering applications in the space field right now."
No comments:
Post a Comment