Sioux Falls student wins NASA award, personalized message from Mars Rover

Morgan Matzen, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
Roman Newson, an eighth grade student at Whittier Middle School in Sioux Falls, as seen on a May 31, 2022 Zoom call with NASA experts as he asks a question about the potential for life on Mars.
Roman Newson, an eighth grade student at Whittier Middle School in Sioux Falls, as seen on a May 31, 2022 Zoom call with NASA experts as he asks a question about the potential for life on Mars.

Roman Newson, an eighth grade student from Sioux Falls, is one of 15 national winners of NASA's "You've Got Perseverance!" award.

The award from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory highlights students' perseverance in academic pursuits. Local teachers and community leaders nominated middle-school-aged students for demonstrating their perseverance.

Newson was nominated by Kari Nichols, an eighth grade social studies teacher at Whittier Middle School. Nichols said she wanted to highlight Newson’s natural curiosity for the world around him, and his interest in space and life.

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On Tuesday, the students received a special message from the Perseverance rover on Mars, and met virtually with the rover team members based in mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Newson's message from the rover states: "Keep your curiosity and perseverance, Roman: They may take you to the stars!"

A customized message from the Perseverance Rover on Mars to Roman Newson, an eighth grade student at Whittier Middle School in Sioux Falls, reads: "Keep your curiosity and perseverance, Roman: They may take you to the stars!" That message as shared in a Zoom call with NASA on May 31, 2022.
A customized message from the Perseverance Rover on Mars to Roman Newson, an eighth grade student at Whittier Middle School in Sioux Falls, reads: "Keep your curiosity and perseverance, Roman: They may take you to the stars!" That message as shared in a Zoom call with NASA on May 31, 2022.

Newson had a chance to ask experts at NASA about the potential for life on Mars, a topic he’s interested in as it relates to his future dreams of becoming an astrobiologist.

He learned from the experts that life on Mars could potentially be similar to what we see on earth, and is most likely seen in cells living in water deep underneath Mars’ surface. There could also be remains of life on the planet’s surface, Newson learned.

“(I’m) trying to answer, are we alone in the universe?” Newson said. “I got more in-depth answers to my questions, and I’m able to understand it a little bit easier now.”

Both Nichols and Newson appreciated the experience, with Nichols even saying it was good for students from all over the U.S. to see experts from NASA were “normal people,” and that students could grow up to work at NASA just like they did.

Part of the prompt to win the award was to demonstrate perseverance; Newson said his ability to persevere came from his history of attending 13 different elementary and middle schools so far because his family has had to move multiple times.

“I never gave up my passion to keep learning and doing what I do,” Newson said.

Students will also receive a certificate from NASA with their personalized message in the mail.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls student wins NASA award, personal message from Mars Rover