Christa McAuliffe Space Center visit - USU Women and Minorities in Physics Group

For the celebration of 2023 International Women’s Day on March 8, the USU Women and Minorities in Physics (WaMiP) group organized a trip to the Christa McAuliffe Space Center in Pleasant Grove, Utah. There were two activities that the group participated in.
The first activity consisted in a spaceship simulator, where we became the crew of the USS-Magellan, a carrier of other spaceships. Each one of us had a different role in the ship and problems were presented to us through a whole immersive environment that made us feel like we were actually there. This was a wonderful team building exercise, where everyone had to participate to complete the mission. Everyone loved this activity and there was a sense of community that had been generated by the activity.
The second activity was a movie at their planetarium. The movie was called “Distant Worlds - Alien life?” and it was developed by a consortium of German planetariums. The movie explored the possibility of alien life on other planets and how this life could look like based on our scientific understanding.

 The event was a resounding success and we appreciate the sponsorship of the Physics Department for activities like these, that foster an inclusive environment and promote community and teamwork within our students.