High school students from Wyoming and Colorado participate in the Teton STEM Academy
during an activity on UW’s campus July 12. Chelsea Lund, left, a teacher at Black
Butte High School in Rock Springs, led a “Mars Base Design” lab in which students
used radiometers to determine whether planets near stars could be classified as habitable
zones. (UW Photo)
Twenty-five high school students from across Wyoming and one from Colorado worked
in teams to determine whether planets near different-colored stars could actually
be habitable. To help make that determination, the students participated in an experiment
using radiometers, which measure light, to record the outer and inner limits of habitability
around different types of stars.
The activity was part of the Teton STEM Academy taking place through July 18 on the University of Wyoming campus. The nine-day event
offers hands-on activities in the interdisciplinary sciences, including life sciences,
physical sciences, engineering and math, all covered under a general theme of planning
a journey to Mars.
“Science has always been an interest of mine. I like to find out how things work,”
says Brett Pettibone, a student at Lander Valley High School. “Astronomy has always
been my favorite of the sciences.”
Mackenzie Jones, who will be a junior at Lyman High School this fall, has been part
of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) club since she was in
sixth grade. When she learned of the Teton STEM Academy, she saw it as a great opportunity.
Jones says she has already learned something interesting.
“I learned that Mars has blue sunsets and sunrises,” she says. “At midsunrise on Mars,
if Earth is lined up just right, you can see Earth from Mars.”
“We want these kids to see scientists as people who solve important problems,” says
Chip Kobulnicky, a professor in the UW Department of Physics and Astronomy, and co-director of the Teton STEM Academy. “We’ve relied on scientists to solve
COVID problems or climate disasters.”
Chelsea Lund, a teacher at Black Butte High School in Rock Springs, led a “Mars Base
Design” lab July 12 in UW’s Enzi STEM Facility. During the exercise, the students
used radiometers to measure light from stars to determine whether planets near the
stars could be classified as habitable zones.
Using a ruler, the students measured, in centimeters, the distance from various stars
to their planets. As light hit the radiometer, it began to spin. Five rotations in
10 seconds determined the outer limit of a habitable zone, while 10 rotations in 10
seconds defined the inner limit.
Haley Sessions, middle standing, a UW alumna from Meeteetse and a Teton STEM Academy
counselor, leads a group of female students through an exercise using a radiometer
to measure the inner and outer limits of a planet’s distance to a star. Pictured,
clockwise from left, are Jaysha Chavez, of Rock Springs; Samantha DeClercq, of Riverton;
Nathan Morgan, a UW graduate from Laramie and a camp counselor; Stella Wayte, of Casper;
Selma Piri, of Laramie; and Mackenzie Jones, of Lyman. (UW Photo)
“The habitable zone also is called the ‘Goldilocks Zone,’” Lund says. “Not too hot
and not too cold.”
Diego Diaz, of Casper, surmised that Europa, one of Jupiter’s four large Galilean
moons, was a good candidate for hosting life. He referenced the moon has an ocean
and volcanic activity under the water body.
Campers, entering ninth through 11th grades this fall, were chosen based on demonstrated
interest and academic potential in math, science, astronomy and space. The camp also
includes trips to the Snowy Range near Laramie and to the large research telescope
at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory on Jelm Mountain.
“I’m really excited about the hike,” says Isabelle Lobingier, who will be a freshman
this fall at Powell High School. “We’ll be doing soil and water testing -- growing
bacteria.”
Professional astronomers; UW graduate students majoring in astronomy or education;
and high school and junior high school teachers are leading the week’s activities.
In 2018, an anonymous donor from Teton County made a three-year, $150,000 commitment
to the Teton STEM Academy, formerly known as the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer
Science Camp that ran from 2010-15 on UW’s campus before funding dried up.
“Inspiring young people like this is the most important thing I do all year,” Kobulnicky
says. “Camps like this show good results for recruiting to UW or other colleges. These
students have a distinct interest in the STEM fields, which we hope to cultivate.”
Teton STEM Academy attendees, listed by hometown, are:
Brighton, Colo. -- Dylan Leonard.
Casper -- Jake Boatman, Diego Diaz, Madeline Elston, Andrew Gruner, Kira Lester, Tori
Lester and Stella Wayte.
Cheyenne -- Solomon Moritz and Brayden Neville.
Lander -- David Binns, Brett Pettibone and Randall Wise.
Laramie -- Joseph Coast, Julia Gatlin, Joseph Lindley, Selma Piri and Kat Shupe.
Lyman -- Mackenzie Jones.
Jackson -- Parker Harris.
Kemmerer -- Ryan Carroll.
Powell -- Isabelle Lobingier.
Riverton -- Samantha DeClercq.
Rock River -- Lexi Mainardis.
Rock Springs -- Jaysha Chavez.
Sheridan -- Joseph Harper.
