Put Your Mom on a Mars Map

Help Fund Science Education and Research

I’ve written many times about Uwingu, the group of people that fundraises for science education and research by selling names for craters on their Mars maps. The idea is simple: when Mars explorers step out onto the surface of the Red Planet sometime in the next couple of decades, they’ll need already-created maps of surface features that they can refer to, without having to spend precious time naming things themselves. So, the Uwingu folks offer a naming opportunity on those maps, at prices starting as low as $5 per crater. Half of the proceeds go directly to funding for space research and science education grants, a much-needed boost at a time when science research funding is under attack.

For Mother’s Day, they’re offering a special campaign to honor Mom: through Mother’s Day (May 10th), you can get a decorative Mother’s Day certificate with your mom’s name on a Mars crater on the map. You can then choose to download and print the certificate, or you can get a framed keepsake version. If you name one of the 50 largest craters on the map, you get a gift certificate of equal value, which would allow you to put additional crater names—perhaps one for Father’s Day, or anyone you choose. It’s a unique gift, so check it out for YOUR mom. And, help out scientists and science students.

The Uwingu project has named 16, 299 craters on their Mars map, and there are thousands and thousands more available. The group offers certificates for 15 different occasions, including birthdays, Mothers and Father’s Days, Valentine’s Day,  anniversaries, baby announcements, and the holidays. In case you’re wondering where Uwingu’s research funding is going, let’s take a look at some of the grant recipients so far.

The Allen Telescope Array at SETI is a vital piece of the search for signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Now that astronomers are finding more and more exoplanets, this observatory’s work is taking on new meaning.

Astronomers Without Borders is a person-to-person network of astronomers who share the night sky as a global resource. The organization is involved in several educational projects, including Telescopes to Tanzania, Global Astronomy Month, the Sky Cube satellite, and the World at Night.

Explore Mars is an organization dedicated to the eventual human exploration of the Red Planet. Its efforts are focused on research into Mars exploration methods and providing help to educators to use Mars in the classroom as part of STEM efforts.

The International Dark-Sky Association is a world-wide organization that helps people understand the consequences of light pollution, and offers easy solutions to mitigate it. I was pleased to work with them as part of their Education Committee, and in 2013, Mark and I produced a short PSA for them called “Losing the Dark”.

The Galileo Teacher Training Program is a project that trains astronomy teachers across the world. Its main focus is to use astronomy as a gateway to greater scientific awareness.

The Purdue Multiethnic Training Program is a program aimed at boosting qualified students from under-representing groups pursing engineering degrees. It also runs an engineering boot camp where students work on rocket designs and aerospace engineering projects.

The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space is an international student organization dedicated to education and engineering projects in space exploration. Uwingu provided funds through the University of Colorado’s SEDS chapter.

In addition to these organizations and programs, Uwingu has funded PhD student travel to meetings, where they present the results of their research. Such presentations are a vital part of a scientist’s training.