Did you know that three of our seventeen national laboratories had key roles in making the mission to explore Mars possible?

This July, NASA will launch the Mars Perseverance Rover, which will explore Mars for a full Martian year, studying the air and surface to bring back a wealth of data about the Red Planet.

Listen to Under Secretary of Science Paul Dabbar in the video below, as he shares how staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory helped make this mission happen, and how you can also help through NASA’s AI for Mars website.

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Under Secretary of Science Paul Dabbar shares why STEM learning enables Mars exploration and how you can get involved today.
Video courtesy of the Department of Energy

As the ‘Department of Exploration’, we study the smallest and largest parts of the universe, opening new horizons in science and discovery. STEM skills are critical for this work, and we want to encourage all students in America to learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as much as you can in school and do hands-on activities to try it out.

Go to NASA’s AI for Mars website here and jump in! We think you’ll love being part of the work to explore the red planet, by classifying existing pictures with categories to train the AI algorithm.

Visit www.energy.gov/STEM for additional STEM information, activities, and internship opportunities, and www.energy.gov/AI to learn all about our work in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and beyond.

AnneMarie Horowitz
AnneMarie Horowitz is the Chief of Staff for the Arctic Energy Office.
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