(upbeat music) - [Tom] This week on Arizona Illustrated, Protest Reflections.

- [Christopher] You can fly to new locations and acquire data on Mars.

You can answer questions that would never have been possible on the ground before.

- [Tom] Angel's Creek.

- [Angel] This is the circulatory system of the borderlands.

- [Tom] A dancing scientist.

- [Jesus] I don't feel like with dance I'm ever limited.

It allows me to express my thoughts and all the things that I don't get to do when I'm in the lab.

- [Tom] And history and culture through murals.

- [Johanna] This mural actually represents the heart of Tucson to me.

(upbeat music) - [Tom] Welcome To Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara.

This wee, we're filming in Barrio Viejo south of Downtown Tucson.

Known for its brightly colored 19th century Adobe homes, this area was once home to some of the city's most prominent families, but many of the homes fell into disrepair.

And in 1971, the construction of the Tucson Convention Center led to the leveling of some 80 acres of homes.

Well, today this property is again in demand and some call it revitalization.

Others call it gentrification.

Either way, Barrio Viejo remains a Southern Arizona gem.

And as always the AZPM crew and I continue to practice social distancing and wearing masks when appropriate as the coronavirus remains a threat in Arizona.

While week to week numbers declined Arizona reported pandemic totals of over 800,000 confirmed cases and more than 15,000 deaths.

A settling down of a post-holiday surge continued adherence to preventative measures and increased vaccinations are cited for the weekly decline.

Vaccinations continue to increase, however, lack of supply and delays of shipments due to weather slowed efforts just as the state's new 24 hours/seven day a week clinic geared up at the U of A.

For information regarding vaccinations visit azdhs.gov.

February has been a busy month on Mars as it's being visited by three missions from three different countries.

Both the Hope craft launched by the United Arab Emirates and China's Tianwen-1 recently entered Mars orbit.

And the US's Mars 2020 craft with its innovative cargo of the first made for Mars helicopter touched down on the Red Planet just last week.

The University of Arizona is no stranger to the Red Planet having led NASA's Phoenix Mars mission launched in 2007.

That legacy continues.

Recently, NASA awarded a $3 million grant to a Uarizona-led project to develop a drone to help explore previously inaccessible regions on Mars; technology that a team of scientists and engineers is now testing in Iceland.

- [Christopher] There's a fantastic Icelandic poet, Halldór Laxness, who has a quote that begins, "Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens."

And this description of this sort of melting and merger between the earth and the heavens is really an experience that you have when you're in Iceland.

And when you're walking over the highlands and there are no houses and no sounds other than wind racing over these otherwise barren landscapes that on one hand it can seem bleak, but it actually encourages the imagination to be able to dream and to design and to be able to think about things in a different way.

And it's an opportunity, even if I'll never have an opportunity directly to go to Mars or another planet where you're transformed in your imagination from being on earth to being in this other world in this other landscape.

My name is Christopher Hamilton.

I'm an associate professor at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary laboratory.

And I'm the principal investigator of the RAVEN project.

I'm a planetary volcanologist.

And at the moment, I'm in Reykjavik in Iceland.

And I'm here on a Fulbright Iceland Fellowship to be able to work with colleagues at the University of Iceland and to be able to begin developing some of the foundational work for the RAVEN project.

(soft music) What we're interested in in the context of RAVEN is to be able to start testing new technologies and new environments where we could use a drone.

In particular, to access these previously very difficult and in fact probably impossible to explore on the ground environments.

And so if you're interested in understanding volcanic trains in a cold environment, which Mars is currently, then Iceland is really the best place that you can go to answer those questions.

(upbeat music) Large eruptions are really the key to being able to understand volcanic history of Mars.

In Iceland just a few years ago, there was a new eruption in the islands called Holuhraun.

And the moment I saw it, I knew that this was going to be a really important event and a very useful and valuable analog for Mars.

Drones offer more than just the ability to take pretty pictures from the air.

And so there are a number of different ways in which rovers and drones can work together to be able to do things that wouldn't be possible by either system alone.

(violin music) One of the really exciting things that our RAVEN project will have is a RAVEN Claw.

And so this will be a sample acquisition device and we're going to try a few different designs, scoops and also different types of drills that will let us use the drone to fly to a new location, acquire a sample and bring it back to the rover and then let the rover scientific laboratory perform the types of sophisticated measurements that we need to be able to answer the really tough questions from Mars.

- To have a drill that actually would drill on lava flow, on a young lava flow of Mars, that would be I think one of the most exciting things that I could imagine.

We have two types of drones that we normally use at the Holuhraun eruption site.

One is a quadcopter that you can pilot yourself.

We also have a fixed-wing that we call the (indistinct) because it's going to cover a lot of ground with a very high resolution.

- [Christopher] We also want to test out what you could do with different types of cameras.

So we'll be able to consider different wavelengths through hyperspectral cameras, thermal remote sensing cameras.

And we'll also be able to use different types of instruments like lasers or LiDAR to be able to develop topography.

- This is footage inside of a volcanic vent that erupted in Iceland in 2014 and 2015.

And we acquired data to get a 3D model of it.

So airborne imagery gives us the one type of data that we can use to examine surface properties.

The colors of the surface tell us things.

We can also construct stereo models or 3D topography.

- [Christopher] RAVEN includes quite a few opportunities for students.

And one of the really exciting ones is that we'll have a number of students actually developing from beginning to end a science operations plan that they just wouldn't be able to do with a regular Mars mission.

- It's going to be a PhD...

Being involved in the whole process how to get there, and even maybe influence a little bit what kind of scientific workflows would be required and decide which instruments on the drone would make sense.

I think that's a huge privilege.

(bright music) - [Christopher] On February 18th, the Mars 2020 mission will land in Jezero crater.

And this mission includes two components.

The first is a Rover called Perseverance and the second is a helicopter, which is a technology demonstration called the Ingenuity.

And this is a really exciting opportunity because for the first time, this vehicle will be able to demonstrate flight on another world.

And in doing that, it will open a whole new paradigm for how we can use similar technology scaled up to be able to travel further, bring more instruments and to be able to answer really new questions because we'll be able to demonstrate that if you can fly to new locations and acquire data on Mars, you can answer questions that would never have been possible on the ground before.

I think the thing that really makes RAVEN particularly exciting for me is that it's an opportunity to build on my own history of being able to have been a geologist.

To be able to spend time in different volcanic landscapes.

To try and understand them on our world and to be able to get a little bit of a deeper appreciation of what these types of volcanic trends would be like elsewhere.

And so, RAVEN itself is able to fill a very important role because drones are going to be an integral part of, in particular, how humans explore Mars in the future.

Being in the field and being in these aspects of nature challenge you to be able to think differently.

How could I be more efficient?

How could I explore this environment?

What would it look like from above?

Are actually some of the key motivators that enable us to, I think do better science and to be more creative when we try to approach these problems when we're exploring other worlds as well.

- [Tom] For more on the Rover-Aerial Vehicle Exploration Network or RAVEN, visit UArizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory website at raven.lpl.arizona.edu.

The Cienega Creek Natural Preserve is located just 25 miles from Tucson.

However, once you walk along its perennial stream and you're surrounded by it's lush, riparian vegetation, you're transported to a place that Tucson environmentalist and wilderness educator Angel Breault calls "The Circulatory System of the Borderlands".

- [Angel] This is one of my favorite spots to visit in Southern Arizona, because it is relatively close to our urban core.

It's 30-minute drive from my home in Downtown Tucson.

And it is an amazing, amazing intersection of water and desert.

Water is life.

And this is the "Circulatory System of the Borderlands".

This particular vein is Cienega Creek.

It's one of our few naturally remaining riparian corridors.

It's incredibly important because this acts as a highway for biota, but also historically, ideas and materials; people, plants, animals have been moving through riparian corridors like this for thousands of years in this part of the world.

And the fact that we still have this 30 minutes from Tucson is really an amazing thing.

It's important to experience and protect places like this because they are windows into our past and our potential future.

And you're in this experience where you're reminded of the fact that your home is just nearby but also that this is your home.

This is possible.

You know, cottonwoods in the Sonoran desert is not a miracle.

It is natural.

And I think to be able to experience that and to remember that this is the innate state of being here in the borderlands, it helps you remember who you are, where you are, and why we're here.

The natural world is the foundation for everything that we value and do.

It is the framework for our economic systems for our social systems, for our traditions.

Every time you take a bite of food, you can thank a pollinator for that.

Every time you take a sip of water, you can thank the Colorado River in southern Arizona.

And we can find the natural world, not just in places like Cienega Creek or in public lands and wilderness, but in our own backyard and in our urban ecosystems as well.

This is our lifeblood.

This is literally flowing through you and through this land.

And I think that visiting places like this is really, really important and crucial to understanding who you are.

And yeah, get out here or get out to the natural world wherever you can and enjoy it.

- Jesus Solis lives between many worlds.

Immigrant, first-generation college student.

LGBTQ Community member.

Writer, and mental health advocate.

When he found out that he and his family had been exposed to lead, he grappled with translating complex scientific information to them.

And that sparked a desire to make science accessible to all people.

A spark matched only by another passion of his, dance.

This film was released in late 2019 and won a 2020 Rocky Mountain Emmy.

It's a production of landmark stories, a part of the University of Arizona's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

(relaxing music) - [Jesus] That is literally definitive of who you are as a person, is just taken from you and you're just like, now what?

I definitely saw myself in the dance world longterm.

And when I was in college I was dancing like 30 hours a week.

And my foot kind of just snapped.

The realization had that like you're never going to dance the same again.

I've always struggled with my own stuff, so, it like sent me somewhere that I was just like, I really don't like this place.

I am the oldest in an immigrant household.

I was born in Mexico, raised in Las Vegas.

I was just kind of thrown into school.

I learned how to speak English.

I've always been the bridge for my family when it comes to interacting with the American world.

I helped raise my siblings.

My parents were always at work.

I didn't have the luxury of being like, Oh, I don't want to do this.

I just had to do that.

(somber music) Back in Las Vegas, I remember signing a lease and they made us fill out this form saying like, there is a possibility that you will be exposed to lead during your time here.

Either deal with it or don't.

And it was very difficult to communicate that to my Spanish-speaking parents; that was just information I didn't want to give to them, but I had to give to them.

Nobody should be okay with this just because we need a place to live.

- [Monica] There is no safe level of lead.

In what world is it okay to say that it's cheaper to let some people die than to protect environmental health.

It's wrong.

It's just fundamentally wrong.

Okay.

Hey (indistinct).

Well, come on in.

No, I mean, this is a reality academia right here.

So, Jesus has done a good job of keeping track of when there's been exceedances.

- [Jesus] I found Monica on the internet and this woman is doing like research, catering, for communities of color and underrepresented communities.

- Now, we won't use drinking water 'cause I mean, no one's drinking.

- [Jesus] And like seeing how contaminants actually affect these people.

- Which you found when you're trying to do lead reviews.

- Most people just said, email me.

It was, yeah.

It was just, you can email me.

I was like, okay.

It was just something that I wanted to be a part of.

And I got in and I was just like, let's go.

♪ Tell that girl she really popping though ♪ ♪ Stacking beds, making plans, yeah she unstoppable ♪ The people that suffer the hardest from environmental issues are usually people of color.

The type of work that Project Harvest does brings it to the forefront.

♪ Unstoppable ♪ - [Miriam] How are you doing?

- [Jesus] I'm good, how are you?

- I'm fine, how was your drive?

- It was all right.

Ready for the sampling?

- [Miriam] Yeah.

- [Jesus] Let's do it.

- [Monica] The research question came from community members who are growing their own foods and really wanting to know like is that source of pollution impacting my residential space.

- [Jesus voiceover] We are scientists that want to use the information we gather to help the people who it affects.

- And then we're just gonna pour the soil here.

Good, that's enough.

- [Jesus] There are those community members that really appreciate the work that you're doing.

People like Miriam.

- Soil, not irrigated.

There's something about knowing the truth and you can do something about it.

Inorganic, huh?

- [Jesus] They are labeled so I will know what to put where.

Cool.

Well, thank you, Miriam.

- You're welcome.

- I'll see you next time.

- [Miriam] Have a good trip.

(sad music) - I had my depressive episodes since I was like 16.

When I first came to Tucson was like the hardest it's ever been for me.

I go through episodes where I'm just like immensely anxious to the point where like it is physically crippling.

And I think that kind of comes with being the person that lives in between, you know.

Ready?

Five, six, seven, eight, step.

I know I couldn't let go of the art just because that's everything that I've known.

I see the issue there.

Go straight into it.

Step left up.

That's better.

We'll work on the falling.

After that injury, I helped a friend start a dance company.

We have, yeah, an hour.

So I want to teach at least a minute.

Sorry.

Guys, I'm not crazy I promise.

And it was more so for people who all of a sudden weren't able to dance.

So we were just kind of like a ragtag team of dancers.

Hinge, bam.

Oh, yes!

I'm a dancer and a scientist.

Okay, ready?

One, two.

(all laughing) You can even fall out of the turn like.

I don't feel like with dance I'm ever limited.

It allows me to express myself and all the things that I don't get to do when I'm in the lab.

- [Monica] Everyone has such a unique story and such a unique set of skills that they bring to the table.

- And I just wanted to thank the team.

To my committee, thank you all for being here.

Today, I'm gonna be presenting on.

If I hadn't found science and told myself, "Okay, well, grad school is your next step."

I probably wouldn't know a lot of the things I know now.

In communities that neighbor toxic release...

There's so many different environmental issues going on.

For the full and partial body context standards.

And the people, again that are being affected the most are the people like me.

More lead.

You'll see that again Hayden Winkleman.

I want to be able to eventually develop some form of environmental nonprofit that could help to combat that.

I am appreciative of science and all that it's taught me.

And everything is connected and everything affects somebody somewhere.

- He's a very talented student.

He is not only a scientist 'cause I will always remind him that he is a scientist.

And he's also a dancer.

- [Jesus] As he wavers between the news and the booze he waits astute.

To the paradigm that has been presented ready for the next opportunity.

It's gotten far.

Lord get him far in the opposite direction.

He knows the answer as he pivots he sees the sun rise.

- Jesus Solis received his master's degree in environmental science, from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2019.

And he returned to Las Vegas to pursue another lifelong passion, music.

Now to watch more films from the UA's landmark stories, visit Landmarkstories.arizona.edu Artist, Johanna Martinez, grew up on long Island surrounded by New York city's colorful graffiti explosion of the 1970s and 80s.

Her 30 years in Tucson is fueled by her passion to honor its history and culture.

- It's a mural done by a guy named Miles McGregor.

And he goes by El Mac.

The technique is absolutely amazing.

I don't think there's anyone in the world that I've seen uses Mac's technique.

It's single color, black and white.

I don't know exactly how he does it, but if you really look at it, it's a series of like circles that are layered to make the lines.

There's no mistakes.

Although he's not a Tucson artist, I feel honored to have his work in Tucson because I know he's worldwide very prolific.

I'm Johanna Martinez and I'm a muralist, artist, designer; jill of all trades here in Tucson, Arizona.

I've been here probably 30 years now.

You can see my murals on the buffet bar.

It's more of a sign than a mural by the old La Fortuna Bakery.

At Rubio and 20th Street, there's a donkey mural.

At Oasis on South 12th, the Respados place.

The Old Jerry's Lee Ho Market on 17th in Meyer.

I like to tell the stories of the neighborhoods that I work in and I represent.

This is especially dear to my heart.

I've known Salvador Duran for probably 20 years.

I met him when he first came to Tucson.

He's a very prolific painter and musician.

(harmonica music) Painted these beautiful murals along the alley here, which not everyone gets to see.

This mural actually represents the heart of Tucson to me.

You just feel his work.

You feel his spirit.

You feel Tucson.

You feel what's going on in this building.

And to me, he's probably my favorite artist in Tucson.

It's a pretty big statement, but it's really true.

Yeah.

This mural comforts me.

It was probably one of the first murals that I stopped and recognized and noticed.

It represents the pacifist.

Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar Chavez and Tonan goddess.

So it's like based on human rights and activism.

And it also is in this park called Cesar Chavez Park.

It's just a tiny little triangle.

It's just this very small corner of Tucson, but it's in the crux of all these different neighborhoods and all these different cultures and socioeconomic like realities.

Personally, how I read it, it's very Tucson.

- [Tom] Watch Arizona Illustrated stories on demand on our website azpm.org/ArizonaIllustrated.

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We'll be taking a short break over the next few weeks.

Thank you for joining us here on Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara and we'll see you soon.