Goodrich – Lindsay Czap won’t soon forget Nov. 10, the day her question was selected among 10,000 other student entries as the winner at the fourth annual YES Expo in Detroit.
The expo was presented at Detroit’s Ford Field by the Michigan Technological University to help inspire middle and high school students to pursue education and careers in science and engineering.
Lindsay, a Goodrich Middle School 8th grade student, earned the privilege of asking highly respected NASA Scientist Steven W. Squyres her question in front of approximately 20,000 students at the expo.
‘At first, it was a little overwhelming to be on stage with Dr. Squyres to ask my question, but then I realized it was a really great honor and I got excited,? said Lindsay, 13.
Squyres splits his time between NASA in California and teaching astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, NewYork and is currently the scientific principle investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover Project.
The question Lindsay asked Squyres was, ‘When the Mars Rover was being tested on earth, did it have to be contained in a special environment compared to the Mars environment?? Squyres? answer, ‘We had to keep it in an environment that needed to be disinfected and constantly clean.?
Fascinated by the Mars Rover, Lindsay said, ‘It takes pictures and sends pictures to earth. It also has shovel arms to pick up dust and rocks for scientists to examine.?
Lindsay’s 6th and 8th grade science teacher, Cindy Rivet, said Lindsay is very giftted in analytical thinking. ‘She thinks outside the box. She can approach a problem, solve it and explore possibilities. She doesn’t limit herself,? she said.
Meeting Squyres was fun for both teacher and student. ‘We had the opportunity to meet Dr. Squyres backstage for awhile, and he could see that Lindsay had a genuine interest in science,? said Rivet.
Lindsay said that although she is considering being a doctor or psychiatrist, the opportunity to be an astronaut would be a thrill. ‘I don’t know if I would like the take off, but once I got into outer space it would be amazing to look back at the earth.?