Constructing a Life on Mars (CALOM)
CALOM Live
The Constructing a Life on Mars (CALOM) project gives young people the opportunity to work individually or as part of a team, to plan and design a settlement on Mars, exploring how they will get to Mars, how they will survive and how they will thrive.
Life on Mars: Travelling to and living on Mars is no longer science fiction. There has been a lot of interest recently in the possibility of travelling to and setting up a settlement on Mars. In July 2020 there were four missions launched which have sent satellites and rovers to explore the planet in preparation for humans setting up settlements on the planet.
CALOM uses the notion of a Life on Mars as a metaphor through which young people can find out about future progression and career opportunities and what employers across sectors such as space, advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction and design really value when recruiting young people. CALOM also gives young people the opportunity to find out about the technology that would enable humans to construct a Life on Mars; technology that is having a dramatic impact here on Earth on the future workplace these students will be progressing into. The Constructing a Life on Mars (CALOM) challenge uses the scenario of young people planning to travel to and settle on Mars'. Providing the opportunity to explore careers in the space, engineering, design, technology, and digital construction sector. It will also give them the opportunity to develop and demonstrate the skills and qualities valued by employers in these sectors.
Videos of our Live Events in Middlewich, Manchester and Warrington - Early 2020
Middlewich CALOM
Manchester CALOM
Warrington CALOM
CALOM Online
In response to COVID - 19 we have collaborated remotely with an amazing team to develop an online version of the CALOM programme. The online CALOM will give us the opportunity to work with a much wider cohort of young people, both across the UK and Internationally . We also developed three engaging films produced for the online CALOM project.
What People Are Saying About CALOM
CALOM is an exciting and innovative project that brought to life the realities of what careers in advanced manufacturing could lead to through an interactive exploration of what it would be like to live on Mars. CALOM was commissioned by GM Higher to be part of our Industry Insights programme which encourages local widening participation students to explore careers in key growth sectors,
— Jamie Bytheway
Broadly speaking I think this project was brilliant. The pre project meetings we had together really allowed me to set the scene for the kids and be quite excited myself! I really liked the Moodle platform and that there was a proforma to give a base structure yet the kids could go so far beyond that.