Middle school students from around the globe learned how to identify life on Mars http://goo.gl/EbwKWb during the NASA, ECA Collaboratory, and Google Mission Mars Virtual Field Trip. #MarsFieldTrip

Transcript:

[♫ Inspirational background music ♫]

Lisa May (Program Executive, NASA): The Mission To Mars Virtual Field Trip is a great way
to bring classrooms together
as if we were on a real field trip together,
investigating something and learning about something
new and magnificent.
And we are really fortunate that we are able to share
the excitement of Mars by taking classrooms around the world
with us on our journey to Mars.

James Green (Director of Planetary Science, NASA): It's a wonderful opportunity for us
to be able to partner with the State Department and Google
in a unique form that allows us to
tell everyone about what we do.
So what we did is we were connected
over a virtual network with schools all around the world
and having local students come by
gave us the opportunity to get them excited
see things and hear things from NASA scientists
like they have never had that opportunity before.

Tyshoun (8th Grade Student Participant, Kramer Middle School): We were chatting with people, kids all around the world
about the NASA experience on the road to Mars
and how Obama is going to send people to Mars in 2030
to see if there was ever life on Mars.

Rosalind Daniels (8th Grade Science Teacher, Kramer Middle School): When I heard about this program I was so excited because it will allow the students
to have a real life example
of how we can interact with things going on in Space.
So I feel like this is a great opportunity
for them to expand their learning
and become more interested in things going on in Space.


Andrew (6th Grade Participant, Kramer Middle School): What was cool is that I got to talk
to an expert of science.


Leilani (8th grade participant, Kramer Middle School) : I asked a question and they will answer it
and I know a whole lot of new things in less than one minute.

Sharia (7th grade participant, Kramer Middle School): Because it is more interactive instead of just the teacher
standing there and telling you. It's more interactive
because you have other opinions not just one persons.

Lisa May: Certainly kids of this age really crave a connection
and to feel like they are a part of something bigger
and it gives them that larger perspective
and compatriots around the world that they can connect with.

Andrew: Because maybe one of the other countries could have helped me out with questions that I didn't know and I will learn about it.

Rosalind: I have a lot of students that are interested in robotics,
they want to be engineers.
I hope they understand that this is something that they can do.
I am just hoping that by this experience
their eyes will open
and they will become more interested in this field.

[♫ Inspirational background music ♫]

Cinematography & Editing by Kelsey Brannan.