While students generally associate Spring Break with sand and sunshine, very few would consider the Atacama Desert of Chile to be an ideal vacation spot.
This did not stop four students, a research assistant and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences from going on a five-day field excursion during the break.
Fred Rainey, an associate biological sciences professor, brought biology seniors Ifeyinwa Ifeanyi, Delaina Pitre, Matthew Rice and Michael Van Vrancken and research associate Danielle Bagaley on a field trip designed to learn more about areas on Earth with similar environmental conditions to Mars. The project is a cooperative effort between the University and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
“The Atacama is the driest place on Earth, and many of the areas of the desert have had no recorded rainfall,” Rainey said. “With virtually no vegetation, the area is very similar to the soils and conditions found on Mars.”
Rainey assisted the students, who were able to travel to Chile for free because of funding through NASA and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, in conducting experiments that will ultimately help NASA to accomplish the goal of sending a manned shuttle mission to Mars by 2009.
“In the end it was a great experience that didn’t cost the students anything,” said Rainey. “While some students had other places to be for the break and others chose to go to the beach instead, the ones that went to Chile were really enthusiastic.”
Rainey said the field trip was a first for the Department of Biological Sciences because most trips sponsored by the department are local and for much shorter periods of time.
Ifeanyi and Bagaley participated in a project to collect and analyze soil samples, searching for bacteria able to withstand extreme water shortages such as those on Mars.
“We are assisting in the formation of a new science, astrobiology, which focuses on the origin, evolution and destiny of life in the Universe,” Ifeanyi said. “It was fantastic working with people who are very renowned in their field of study, and I felt like I was doing something really important.”
Ifeanyi said doing research in the field was unlike any experience she could be able to have in the United States.
“The experiments we did in Chile were very different and made me realize how easy it is to take the technology you have here for granted,” Ifeanyi said.
Bagaley said she was excited about the firsthand experience she gained while doing fieldwork.
“All of the data I was able to come up with will be published in a paper, and actually, going to the Atacama Desert was a lot more helpful than getting someone else to bring samples back for me,” Bagaley said. “I was also excited about seeing some of the specific sites we learned about in classes.”
Both Ifeanyi and Bagaley also noted the new cultural and environmental experiences going to Chile provided them.
“While we had one blow-up bed in our tent as a small bit of luxury in the desert, it still wasn’t easy when the temperature dropped below 35 degrees at night,” Bagaley said. “Chile may not be considered one of the most luxurious places to go during Spring Break, but the experience was extremely valuable.”
Ifeanyi said she also acted as a translator on the trip.
“I finally got to put those Spanish classes to good use,” Ifeanyi said.
Bagaley said she thinks the group members got more out of Spring Break than students who went to Florida.
“It’s not every day that you get an all-expenses-paid trip to Chile,” Bagaley said. “I can always go to the beach in Florida, but this was a once in a lifetime experience that had a real impact on scientific study.”