Undergrads find that being part of Mars research isn't just for postdocs

May graduates Matt Siegler, left, and Alex Hayes assembled a miniature Martian landscape in the Space Sciences Building to conduct research of the optical instruments aboard each Mars rover. Frank DiMeo/University Photography

By Allegra Giovine '06

Alexander Hayes '03 built a laboratory in the basement of the Space Sciences Building, pulling together a team of students to assist him in optics research.

Matthew Siegler '03, a double-major in physics and film, became involved in outreach: "I began teaching groups that came to Cornell and telling them about the project."

Justin Wick '04, a major in applied and engineering physics and a minor in computer science, worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., and is still consumed by the programming that is vital to the Mars mission (read the story).

In addition to the Cornell faculty and other researchers involved in developing the Athena science packages to be carried by the two Mars roving vehicles after their scheduled landing on the planet's surface next January, three undergraduates have contributed greatly to the program.

The three students "have been a very integral part of what we've been doing," noted Diane Bollen, Athena project coordinator, who works closely with astronomy professor Steven Squyres, principal investigator for NASA on Athena. And as Hayes, Siegler and Wick follow the progress of the Mars mission, they continue their involvement in their research in cameras and optics, education and outreach, and programming.

Bollen said there has been no need to recruit students to assist on Athena since "we put up a little poster saying that we wanted students" eight years ago. Since then, undergraduates have been involved continually.

The students' commitment has by far exceeded simply assisting in research. The Space Sciences Building became more than a second home to Hayes, in fact almost a first home, Bollen remarked: "He's always here, and if he isn't, he's thinking about it."

Hayes, a major in astronomy and a College Scholar who studied astrophysics and astrobiology, has worked for more than four years with the astronomy department, making contact with Squyres even before arriving at Cornell.

His Athena research has been into co-registration of the visual data sent by the two rovers. His work will allow data collected from one rover camera to be combined with data from another optical instrument, enhancing, for example, spectral information about a target. Athena, said Hayes, allowed "an undergraduate do some important stuff. Instead of asking postdocs to do things potentially important to the mission, they're asking us."

Siegler worked for 3 1/2 years with the Athena project, becoming interested in Cornell's physics and astronomy departments while studying film during his freshman year at Ithaca College. One of his notable achievements after transferring to Cornell in his sophomore year was helping a team of students build a full-scale model of a Mars rover. The model, currently at the Ithaca Sciencenter, is destined to go to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., this month. (Read the story.)

Siegler also has done research in particle physics, interning with Fermilab (the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) near Chicago. Athena also gave Siegler the opportunity to work with Cornell alumnus Bill Nye, a Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 Professor, helping direct a demonstration tape of a TV commercial about Mars for the Public Broadcasting Service.

Continuing his work with particle physics, Siegler plans to spend a year doing research at CERN, the European laboratory for particle physics, near Geneva, and then, perhaps, to return for graduate work and more Mars research.

Wick became involved in Athena during his freshman year, simply showing up at Bollen's office inquiring about the Mars research. Since then he has worked with the mission manager at JPL on creating a virtual communications hub, the Science Activity Planner, to inspect data from the rovers and to send the vehicles new instructions.

Wick continues to do research for JPL. One of his bigger projects has been real-time collaboration: making sure that scientists in different locations -- at Cornell and JPL, for example -- can share data quickly and reliably.