My project was an astrochemistry themed board game, in which players would try to collect elements that compose a certain celestial body. There is a board to facilitate the choosing of cards, on which could be the elements, a “chance” card (steal, trade, etc), or a piece of astronomy trivia. The intention of the board game is to make the subject of planetary composition fun for new astronomers--to be both a fun game and a learning experience.

2) Reflect on the project …. What new content ideas did you learn? How did you understanding of astronomy expand as a result of this work?

I learned about the chemical composition of different planets. I also learned, however, about how much we don’t know: in trying to make the board game scientifically accurate, I realized that there simply isn’t data for many of the objects in our solar system. In the beginning of the project I learned about the creation of the elements, specifically the order of fusion, and how the isotopes of elements fused in particular ways, not just any isotope. Knowing, or trying to know, about the different types of chemistry in space expanded my knowledge of both astronomy and chemistry in general.

3) What did you learn about project management? What went well for you in this process? What were your struggles?

Fortunately, I had a great partner and we worked well together to manage time, divide tasks, and communicate. I personally struggled a bit with managing my class time, mainly because we worked on this project through AP exams and I was sometimes preoccupied. It worked well for my partner and I to divide tasks-- I would create one aspect of the game and she would do another, etc

4) If we were NOW in mid-project and NOT facing the end of school, what would be the next steps you would take with your project? How could you more closely attain your learning targets?

Because of time, we didn’t really get to finish and test the game. I would want to spend more time creating all the cards instead of just a sample, making the board itself more stable and efficient, and making sure the rules worked well by testing the playing. Also, I would like to have done some more research on how scientists are currently trying to determine the composition of planets. This would be an important step in achieving my learning targets as well as making the game more educational.