Terraforming Mars

The Collaboratory

Mars and its potential habitability have intrigued humanity for centuries.  Since 1965, when the Mariner 4 spacecraft found Mars to be a lifeless, barren world, our imagination has taken a new turn--that of terraforming Mars and making it habitable for humans.  Students in this collaboratory were guided through a multidisciplinary approach to the problem of terraforming: they reviewed scientific and science fiction literature, built self-contained ecosystems in which plants were grown in simulated Martian soil, attended active learning sessions about Mars, and used fishbowl discussions and worldbuilding tools to visually explore possibilities of a terraformed Mars of their own design. Students also explored the social, political, geological, and environmental impacts of a terraformed Mars.

The Outcomes 

Terraforming Mars VR

Students worked with Brian Cantrell from USC’s World Building Media Lab to research, speculate, and sketch out future aspects of a terraformed Mars, ranging from infrastructural and energy needs to the cultural and social makeup of early settlers. Students then worked with Ahmanson Lab staff and Erik Loyer, an award-winning creative technologist, to build out an annotated virtual reality experience of their speculative world. See more about Terraforming Mars VR on our digital projects page. 

Ecosystems + Scientific Posters

Students worked in two teams to simulate how plants thrive in Martian soil Using a three-chamber ecosystem with digital sensors to capture environmental elements (i.e., oxygen levels). They recorded sensor data and visual observations in their lab notebooks over an 8-week period. The project culminated in a peer-reviewed academic paper and scientific poster that each team presented as part of a mock academic conference. Learning objectives included team building, understanding the ethics of scientific research, interpreting and visualizing data, and designing and presenting scholarly materials.