Group 4 is an IB collaborative project geared towards uniting students into teams to solve a themed problem. In Group 4, potential IB diploma candidates and those who take one or more of four specific IB sciences, which include Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Design Technology, formed teams of 10 and prepared to present their ideas in unique formats on Dec. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Each year of Group 4 poses a varying question based on current events and global trends, of which NASA’s increasing findings on Mars sparked this season’s astronomical question: “What would it take to colonize Mars?”
It has been confirmed that the question was not, in fact, based on Andy Weir’s The Martian, instead based on the cumulation of NASA findings and research about Mars, with the coordinator for the most recent topic being Science Department Chair member Janet Kahn.
Tatiana Brown, an IB Physics II student asserted that the book and movie was a great basis for study inspiration, and very accurate to the project.
“I think it’s nice that they decided on this topic because The Martian can be used as background info,” Brown said.
Regarding the topic of colonizing Mars, the teams had to narrow down the specific aspects of the problem, for example: supplying enough amounts of oxygen and food for the astronauts, ample protection from UV radiation as a thin wall protecting a human from the merciless vacuum of space, among other things.
Senior Abby McShane, a Group 4 participant by way of IB Physics II and IB Bio II, explained that Group 4 as a scientific activity requires a theoretical way of thinking.
“Well, it’s a bit tough to do ‘real’ research regarding the Mars topic just because a lot of the conclusions we draw are speculative in nature,” McShane said.
Along the same topic, the necessity of discussing a scientific problem, even if it is mainly theoretical, presents itself through Group 4.
“I think a theoretical issue is important to address as it may serve a practical application in the future,” senior Jade James said.
A main focal point for Group 4 coordinators is to develop a topic question theme which can bring group members together through involving as many IB class subjects as possible.
“My group’s focus is finding ways to generate energy on Mars, which one would think would be primarily physics and chemistry. I was surprised though, because we still had a lot to consider from a biological perspective,” McShane said. “We had to think about how energy would be delegated, and a lot of it went to fulfilling basic human needs for survival.”
Finding ways to stretch a Group 4 topic to meet different class themes can also be a challenge for junior and seniors in IB sciences.
“It was a very interesting and unique problem,” James said. “Luckily my topic of selecting potential candidates to Mars is very biology-based, yet it ties nicely with design tech and physics,”
As well as including a plethora of different sciences, Group 4 attempts to come as close as possible to realistic scientist discussions.
“In reality, that’s how research works: a collaboration of experts in different fields,” McShane said. “I’m in both IB physics and IB biology, and usually the material for each class is so vastly different that they don’t seem related at all. But in reality, they aren’t that different. Like blood circulation is all governed by physics’ fluid dynamic equations, and our body is basically a giant circuit that transmits nerve impulses.”