Can we live on Mars?

Mary Denyse Magilligan, a senior at Lynbrook High School has earned a coveted spot as a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search, one of the country’s premier high school science fairs. The school has produced five other Intel Semifinalists over the past 11 years, including 2009 graduate Jing Jian.

In her original research project, entitled “Pioneer Organisms for Terrestrial Engineering in Mars,” Mary simulated the Martian environment and atmosphere using an apparatus that she built called a “Mars Jar.” She used the Mars Jar to test the viability of several microorganisms, known as pioneer organisms, to determine if they can begin the transformation of inhospitable terrain like Mars into an ecosystem capable of supporting life.

“Ever since I was little I had an interest in astronomy and my favorite planet has always been Mars,” said Mary. “So when I was looking for a research topic, I read articles involving outer space. One article, ‘Traces of Stowaway Earth Algae Could Survive On Mars, Study Finds’ inspired me to conduct my research.”

Through her research, Mary concluded that two of the five organisms she tested could in fact be used for successful terrestrial engineering of Mars. The ultimate goal of her research is to use planetary engineering to turn Mars into a habitable planet.

Mary conducted her research at Lynbrook High School. She developed the topic throughout her junior year and collected her data last summer. She worked via e-mail with two mentors—Dr. David J. Thomas, a professor from Lyon College in Arizona and Dr. David Allred from Brigham Young University in Utah. Lynbrook High School teachers David Shanker and Robert DeStefano guided her locally. Mary also had the honor of being chosen as a NASA SOAR Scholar, attending a three-week residential program at NASA Langley Research Center.