By Jessica Belli
Staff Writer
Meeting world famous astronauts and spending time with National Aeronautics and Space Administration members is usually an honor reserved for rocket scientists and engineers, not seventh graders. However, Margot Mel, a seventh grader, received this honor.
Margot Mel, a seventh grader at Manhattan Beach Middle School and Mira Costa senior Gabe Mel’s sister, has won a national essay competition sponsored by Raytheon and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, an affiliate of NASA. The essay competition required an analysis of the real life scientific plausibility of a science fiction movie. Mel analyzed the movie “Total Recall,” which came out in 1990.
After success at the local level, Mel was selected for first place within the entire country. She won one thousand dollars and met famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. Aldrin’s appearance was fitting as Aldrin himself has expressed much interest in the exploration and colonization of Mars, the main topic of Margo’s paper.
“I think humans will reach Mars, and I would like to see it happen in my lifetime,” said Aldrin “Mars is there, waiting to be reached.”
Dana Palmer, an English teacher at MBMS, told Mel about the essay competition. Mel was one of the few kids to enter the competition at her school.
“I was surprised that a lot of kids didn’t enter it and take the opportunity,” Mel said “I guess they didn’t really think they had a chance. Neither did I at first.”
Despite her uncertainty at the beginning, Mel excelled in the competition. Mel loves to write, and her passion for writing. Mel is an honor roll student, plays the trumpet and the piano and also participates in the drama department at MBMS.
“The fact that Margot took on this extra challenge truly shows her impressive determination. She is a talented writer and I was so happy to hear that she was recognized with the local and national awards.” Palmer said.
The movie that she analyzed, “Total Recall,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was made in 1990. In her analysis of the movie, Mel questions the possibility of colonization of Mars, the recovery of memory loss, and the lifestyle of the colonists. Mel spoke with experts and watched news reports to learn about the various scientific possibilities.
“The movie itself was entertaining, but it was pretty cheesy and it had bad special effects. It was pretty unrealistic scientifically,” said Mel.
A portion of Mel’s winnings will go to her class at MBMS and sponsor further scientific activities, through Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Mel plans to continue on with her passions for writing, music, mathematics, language and drama.
“I’m really glad I entered and put myself out there; I learned a lot from the experience,” Mel said.
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