Volunteers need for La Luz Academy's annual Mars link up

Published April 8, 2014
By 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The Air Force Research Laboratory La Luz Academy is gearing up for its annual trip to Mars and is need of volunteers to assist with the expedition.

The Mars Survey of Topsoil for Extremophile Microbes Link-Up Day event will be May 2 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. It will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and volunteers are needed throughout the day and also for shorter time periods.

"Most of the volunteer interaction with the 5th grade students takes place in the morning when the students are demonstrating that they are ready to carry out the mission," said Diane MacAlpine, deputy director of La Luz Academy. "During this time, we need volunteers to man various holding stations and direct pedestrian traffic inside the facility."

She said in the afternoon, volunteer duties are oriented more towards crowd control and clean-up.

Morning volunteers are needed from about 8 to 11:15 a.m. Afternoon volunteers are needed from about 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All-Day volunteers are asked to help from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"If you would like to volunteer, but you aren't able to stay for the entire time slot, we can create a schedule that works best for you," MacAlpine said.

For more information or to volunteer, call 853-8110.