Besides, students have started a “Mars Garden” that contained Mars Regolith Simulant --the same soil used by NASA and JPL to test the Mars Phoenix Lander! It closely resembles the chemical composition of the surface of Mars, especially when it has contact with water. Students have started growing potatoes in this Martian soil.
The Schweitzer Lego robotics team has also been preparing its robot for their annual competition. The students have been coding a new computer program to make sure that the robot successfully navigates a set of obstacles and performs various tasks.