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Alien soil grows familiar plants

Students ‘farm on Mars’ using simulated soil

Forest Hills — Every farmer has to contend with variables: from sunlight, to timing for planting, to crop choice. One variable that stays somewhat constant is the soil in which the plants grow. But what if that, too, was a variable? 

Thanks to a $1,448 grant from the Forest Hills Foundation, Central Middle School students in Avery Barry’s Project Lead the Way class were able to experiment with simulated Martian soil known as regolith; the supplier claims it is “as close to Mars as you can get without leaving the Earth.” 

NASA is one of the developers of the red material, made of ground basalt. Barry thinks the hands-on experience “is much more enriching than just analyzing graphs of plants being grown in space….”

During class, students teamed up to create a planning document and develop hypotheses about how seeds might grow in both Martian soil and Earth soil. Eighth-grader Addy McConnell worked with classmate Lauren Glupker, also in eighth grade, to choose English cucumber seeds for their experiment.

“The red soil might grow seeds just as well as Earth’s, but I don’t expect it to,” Addy speculated. “If it does, we could plant things on Mars.”

Nearby, seventh-graders Zariya Zaheer and Jaylen Scott talked about which lights to use to help the seeds that they said they chose at random, to grow. 

‘We might want to change something in Earth’s soil if there are surprises in how the plants grow in Martian soil.’

— eighth-grader Addy McConnell

“A week ago, we got to see how different grow lights work. The red/blue showed the most growth on a graph, so we chose that one instead of the white or red,” Zariya explained. 

Added Jaylen: “We’ll check on them every day.”

They guessed the seed planted in Earth soil would grow taller because it seemed to absorb more water. In fact, Barry talked to students early in the class period about watering the seeds in Martian soil slowly. Otherwise, she said, “The seeds will wash away because it’s so fine.”

This hands-on experience is much more enriching than just analyzing graphs of plants being grown in space….’

— Avery Barry, Central Middle School Project Lead the Way teacher 

Other students thought a lot about watering technique as they prepared their egg-cup farms and created plans for tending the seeds. Seventh-graders Brayden Zawacki and Jaxson Chopp, and classmate Aarav Patel thought watering would be really important. They chose three different seeds to plant: romaine, chives, and iceberg lettuce. “Ones we’d like to eat,” Brayden said. Aarav added that they chose plants they can eat so they can taste them when they’re grown. 

Seventh- and eighth-grade students discuss their seed-planting strategies

Over the next few weeks, students will tend the seeds and gather data as seeds sprout; hypotheses about whether or not Martian soil is effective in growing crops will be tested. Growth, rate of germination, height of plants and taste will be compared. 

“Maybe some students will be mapping out their 10-year career plan to end up at NASA working on a team that will get us to Mars.’

—  Avery Barry, Central Middle School Project Lead the Way teacher 

This unit is part of Project Lead the Way’s Flight and Space curriculum, and it and other hands-on experiences, Barry knows, create opportunities to be scientifically literate and to use critical thinking. 

Even more, some students may decide to pursue a career at NASA.

“The students in class right now could be future astronauts, or aerospace engineers or astrobiologists that are working on the front lines of innovation in space,” she said. “Maybe some students will be mapping out their 10-year career plan to end up at NASA working on a team that will get us to Mars.” 

Some, too, may be innovators here on Earth. 

Addy was open to the unexpected in the out-of-this-world experience.

“We might want to change something in Earth’s soil if there are surprises in how the plants grow in Martian soil,” she said. 

Read more from Forest Hills:
Next stop, Worlds! 
‘I am here for them through it all’

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Carol Lautenbach
Carol Lautenbach
Carol Lautenbach is a reporter and columnist for School News Network. She has been a writer since second grade when her semi-autobiographical story, "The Magic Pencil," earned her a shiny Kennedy half-dollar in a metro-Detroit contest. For three wonderful decades, Carol served Godfrey-Lee Public Schools in a variety of teaching and administrative roles. In her current work as a consultant and at SNN, she continues to be part of telling the story of the great promise of public education. Carol has also written for The Alan Review, The Rapidian and Midwest Living, and is co-author of the book, “Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice.” She loves to not cook, and she keeps her bag packed for art, outdoor and writing adventures.

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