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Electronic Book for Students with Visual Impairments Reaches for the Stars
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By NASA
1 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
During Aviation Day at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, researcher Will Banks, right, assists a student with the installation of his test article into a demonstration wind tunnel to gain a drag force measurement. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna For students considering careers in STEM, the field of aviation offers diverse and abundant opportunities they may never have realized.
During Aviation Day on Aug. 27, NASA Glenn Research Center’s Office of STEM Engagement welcomed middle and high school students to the research center in Cleveland. The one-day event enabled students to learn more about the field of aviation and advancements in technology related to the aviation industry.
Test engineer Cecila Otero, left, explains factors to consider when testing inside the 1×1 Supersonic Wind Tunnel facility at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna An aerodynamic drag challenge, virtual reality cockpit, and tours of icing and wind tunnel facilities were among the activities that connected students with NASA scientists and engineers working in aeronautics.
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By NASA
For some people, working for NASA is a lifelong dream. For others, it is an interesting and perhaps unexpected opportunity that comes up at just the right time and place.
Everything from family ties and influential teachers to witnessing human spaceflight history and enjoying sci-fi entertainment has helped bring people of all backgrounds together at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Several of them recently shared their inspiration to join the NASA team.
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“As a kid, I always had my head up looking at the stars. I loved astronomy and seeing videos of humans walking on the Moon fascinated me! I wanted to be the first female to walk on the Moon. When Star Wars came out, I wanted to build my own R2-D2 that could explore the galaxies. I was curious how things worked (so I could build a robot) and a cousin told me about engineering. That was the name for what I wanted to do! So, I went to the High School for Engineering Professions in Houston. The guidance counselor there told me about an opportunity to apply for a summer internship with NASA as a junior. I got in and I’ve worked with NASA as much as I could since I was 16 years old – internships and full-time positions. I may not get the chance to be an astronaut and walk on the Moon, but I know I will play a role in helping achieve that dream for another female and a person of color!”
– Alicia Baker, engineering project manager for Portable Life Support System test support, JSC Engineering, Technology, and Science (JETS) Contract
Alicia Baker in a spacesuit test chamber at Johnson Space Center.NASA/David DeHoyos “My dad was an aerospace engineer with Lockheed Martin. I went to take your kid to work day and got to stand in front of a booster engine. I’ve wanted to work in the space industry ever since. I almost didn’t enter the field after getting my aerospace degree, but I was fortunate to take an Intro to Human Spaceflight class during my last quarter of college. Without that class and the professor (who had worked at Johnson) I wouldn’t be here today. I’m so glad my path led me here. Johnson is such a great place to be, and I can look back and tell little Margaret that we did it!”
– Margaret Kennedy, aerospace systems engineer, Engineering Directorate Crew and Thermal Systems Division
Margaret Kennedy and her dad visited Space Center Houston when she started her job at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in October 2019.Image courtesy of Margaret Kennedy “In first grade, my teacher organized a ‘Space Week’ in which we learned about outer space. Her sons – who were studying engineering in college – came and launched model rockets for us. I knew from that point on that I wanted to work at NASA when I grew up.”
– Krista Farrell, International Space Station attitude determination and control officer and motion control systems instructor; Boeing Starliner guidance, navigation, and control instructor
Krista Farrell (center) stands with members of the Expedition 71 crew. From left: NASA astronauts Jeannette Epps, Matt Dominick, and Mike Barratt; Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin; and NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson. NASA/Josh Valcarcel “I didn’t think I would ever work for NASA. But multiple professors in college encouraged me to challenge myself and do some space research. I realized that it was something that I was very passionate about. Thanks to my research work for the Europa Clipper as an undergraduate student, I got my first internship at NASA and subsequently an offer to join the Pathways Program. Now I am part of a small group of engineers that solve entry, descent, and landing problems for multiple missions on Earth, the Moon, and Mars.”
– Sergio Sandoval, guidance engineer, Engineering Directorate Flight Mechanics and Trajectory Design Branch
Sergio Sandoval helps staff a NASA table during a Johnson Space Center community engagement event.Image courtesy of Sergio Sandoval
“Dad would take me to the viewing room of the original Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) during the Apollo era. He was one of the people supporting MOCR in the Staff Support Room. I have worked at Johnson for 27 years [as a contractor] for Lockheed Martin, Hamilton Sundstrand, and Jacobs Technology.”
– David Fanelli, software engineer, Energy Systems Test Area
“In early 1969, when I was a boy, my uncle visited the Johnson Space Center and brought back astronaut and mission photos of the recently completed Apollo 8 lunar orbiting mission. Those photos, coupled with a Saturn V rocket model I assembled, and the Time Life records and books about the Apollo space program my parents purchased for me, sparked my imagination. I knew I wanted to work for NASA one day. It wasn’t until many years later that that dream became a reality, when I joined NASA’s co-op program for college students during my second attempt to become an aeronautical engineer. After I graduated college, I began working full time as a civil servant engineer at Johnson.”
– David Fletcher, NASA lead, Gateway-Ready Avionics Integration Lab
David Fletcher (center) with his daughters Jessica (left) and Erica (right). Image courtesy of David Fletcher
“I remember watching Star Trek and Star Wars as a kid with my dad. I found some of his college notes in a box one day and thought the small, neat print on graph paper pads was really pretty. He went to the University of Texas at Austin to study astrophysics and engineering, but he never got to finish. Fast forward to 2022 and I find myself in Houston for an unknown amount of time, so I decided to go out and make some friends. I met a woman at a Geeky Game Night, and I learned that she was a food scientist at NASA! After talking some more, she told me to send her my resume. Later that week I received a call to set up an interview. I’m still in awe of how that one chance connection led me to my childhood dream of working at NASA.”
– Kristin Dillon, document/IT specialist, Space Food Systems Laboratory
“I grew up in a small agricultural village in India. My first introduction to spaceflight was reading Russian cosmonauts’ translated accounts of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project as a young girl. I am still not sure whether my father picked that book for me on a whim or with a grand dream for his daughter, but it certainly had me hooked. However, I found my true calling to make human spaceflight safer and more efficient after witnessing the Columbia mishap. India, at the time, did not have a human spaceflight program. Thus started a 20-year-long grand adventure of seeking opportunities, pursuing them, immigrating to the United States, and finding my path to NASA, which culminated in a Pathways internship at Johnson.”
– Poonampreet Kaur Josan, three-time Pathways intern, currently supporting the Human Health and Performance Directorate Habitability and Human Factors Branch
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Students take a tour of NASA Glenn’s Telescience Support Center, where researchers operate International Space Station experiments. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis School is back in session, and the joy of learning is back on students’ minds. Teachers and parents seeking ways to extend students’ academic excitement outside of the classroom should know NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland offers various opportunities to engage with NASA.
NASA educators encourage Ohio students and teachers to take part in the incredible space and aeronautics research happening right in their backyards.
“We have lofty goals to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon, on to Mars, and beyond. To get there, we’ll need all the creativity and talent available to us,” said Darlene Walker, Glenn’s Office of STEM Engagement director. “We offer programs, events, and experiences at Glenn to inspire and attract students to NASA careers.”
Throughout the year, NASA Glenn offers in-person and virtual events for students and schools.
6 Ways Students Can Engage With NASA Glenn
One-day events are open to students and teachers who are U.S. citizens as well as Ohio schools or other youth-serving organizations. Registration generally opens one to two months prior to the event. “Event dates may be subject to change. Check the Glenn STEM Engagement webpage for the most up-to-date information.”
Events are designed to inspire students and spark their interest in STEM fields. These events feature NASA experts, engaging STEM activities, and tours of Glenn facilities.
1. High School Shadowing Days | High school students
Offered in fall and spring, this one-day event allows high school students to explore career opportunities in STEM, as well as business.
Fall Event Date – Nov. 14, 2024
Registration Opens – Sept. 16, 2024
Spring Event Date – May 15, 2025
Registration Opens – March 14, 2025
2. Girls in STEM | 5-8th grade students
To inspire an interest in STEM fields among middle school students, Girls in STEM features female Glenn employees, STEM activities, and tours of center facilities.
Event Date – April 10, 2025
Registration Opens – Feb. 10, 2025
3. Aviation Day | Middle and high school students
This one-day event celebrates advancements in aviation and encourages middle and high school students’ interest in aeronautics.
Event Date – Aug. 28, 2025
Registration Opens – June 27, 2025
4. TECH Day | Middle school students
TECH is short for Tours of NASA, Engineering challenge, Career exploration, and Hands-on activity. This event includes tours of center facilities, a student engineering design challenge, and career exploration opportunities.
Event Date – May 1, 2025
Registration Opens – Feb. 28, 2025
5. Manufacturing Day | High school students
Manufacturing Day aims to educate high school students about careers in the manufacturing field while encouraging an interest in STEM. Students will see how teams of engineers, researchers, and technicians work together to design and prototype aeronautics and space hardware.
Event Date – Sept. 18, 2025
Registration Opens – July 18, 2025
6. NASA STEM Kids Virtual Events | K-4th grade students
These virtual events are designed to engage kindergarten through fourth grade students by sharing the excitement of NASA’s missions of exploration and discovery through virtual tours, conversations with NASA experts, and hands-on activities.
Event Dates – Dec. 5, 2024; March 8, 2025; June 7, 2025; and Sept. 13, 2025
Registration Opens – 60 days prior to each event
“Through these opportunities, we want students to see astronauts, scientists, engineers, and role models who look like them and grew up like them work toward NASA’s missions and goals,” Walker said. “We hope they see themselves achieving these things too. We have all kinds of careers at NASA. Any career you can find outside of NASA, you can find here as well.”
Additional programs and projects
Glenn offers additional programs and projects for schools, teachers, and students looking for other ways to engage with NASA:
High School Capstones Glenn Engineering Design Challenges MUREP Precollege Summer Institute MUREP Aerospace Academy For more information about these opportunities, reach out the NASA contact listed on the correlating web page.
Learn more about NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement.
Jacqueline Minerd
NASA’s Glenn Research Center
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By NASA
7 Min Read NASA Project in Puerto Rico Trains Students in Marine Biology
A forested green peninsula of Culebra Island juts into the blue waters of the Caribbean as a rain storm hits in the distance. The teal blue surrounding the island indicates shallow waters, home to the island's famous coral reefs. Credits: NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono Tainaliz Marie Rodríguez Lugo took a deep breath, adjusted her snorkel mask, and plunged into the ocean, fins first. Three weeks earlier, Rodríguez Lugo couldn’t swim. Now the college student was gathering data on water quality and coral reefs for a NASA-led marine biology project in Puerto Rico, where she lives.
“There is so much life down there that I never knew about,” Rodríguez Lugo said. “And it’s beautiful.”
“There is so much life down there that I never knew about, and it’s beautiful.”
Tainaliz Marie Rodríguez Lugo
OCEANOS 2024 Intern
The sea whip and purple sea fans in the photo above are found off the coast of Playa Melones, Culebra, a small island off the east cost of Puerto Rico and a popular destination for snorkelers.
Puerto Rico is home to more than 1,300 square miles of coral reefs, which play a vital role in protecting the island from storms, waves, and hurricanes. Reef-related tourism provides nearly $2 billion in annual income for the island.
But coral reefs in Puerto Rico and around the world are experiencing more frequent and severe bleaching events. High ocean temperatures in regions around the globe have led to coral bleaching, which is when corals expel zooxanthellae – the colorful, symbiotic microscopic algae that live inside coral tissues and provide 80-90% of its nutrients. When stressors persist, the corals eventually starve and turn bone-white.
In April 2024, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) announced that the world was experiencing a global bleaching event, the fourth on record. You can see bleached spots in the lobed star coral pictured above, which is also colonized by Ramicrusta, an invasive, burnt orange algae that poses an additional threat to reefs.
Students Are Given Ocean Research Tools
Beginning in June, the month-long program that Rodriguez and 29 other local students participated in is called the Ocean Community Engagement and Awareness using NASA Earth Observations and Science for Hispanic/Latino Students (OCEANOS). The goal of OCEANOS is twofold: to teach Puerto Rican students about marine ecology and conservation, and to train students through hands-on fieldwork how to use marine science tools to monitor the health of coral reefs.
The course included classroom instruction, scientific fieldwork, collecting and analyzing ocean data from La Parguera and Culebra Island, and a final presentation.
In the photo, OCEANOS instructor Samuel Suleiman shows a 3D-printed clump of staghorn coral to a group of students off the coast of Culebra. In areas where coral habitats have been damaged, conservationists use 3D-printed corals to attract and protect fish, algae, and other wildlife.
To practice coral surveying techniques and evaluate biodiversity,students used compact cameras to snap a photo every half second, recording seven-meter by seven-meter quadrants of the ocean floor. Back on land, the students stitched these images – roughly 600 images per quadrant – into high-resolution mosaics, which they then used to catalog the types and distributions of various coral species.
Low Light, Poor Water Quality, and Invasive Species Threaten Coral Reefs
Students also built their own low-cost instruments, with sensors on each end to measure temperature and light, to help assess water quality and characteristics.
The ideal temperature range for coral falls between 77- 82 degrees Fahrenheit (25-28 degrees Celsius). Water above or below this range is considered a potential stressor for coral and can impair growth. It can also increase the risk of disease, bleaching, and reproductive issues.
Coral relies on light for growth. Less light means less photosynthesis for the zooxanthellae that live inside the coral, which in turn means less food for the coral itself. Cloudy water due to excessive sediment or phytoplankton can dim or block sunlight.
Additional threats to coral include fishing equipment, boat groundings, chemical runoff, and invasive species.
In the photo above, OCEANOS instructor Juan Torres-Pérez holds two clumps of cyanobacteria, a type of bacteria that has choked a section of reef near Playa Melones. The exact cause of this excessive cyanobacteria growth is unclear, but it is likely due to land-based pollution leaching into nearby waters, he said. In the background, dark brown piles of cyanobacteria littering the ocean floor are visible.
Students Help Grow and Plant New Coral
Suleiman walked students through the process of planting new coral, which involved tying loose staghorn and elkhorn corals into a square frame. Each frame holds about 100 individual pieces of coral. Suleiman leads a group called Sociedad Ambiente Marino (SAM), which has been working for more than 20 years to cultivate and plant more than 160,000 corals around Puerto Rico.
Divers anchored these frames to the ocean floor. Under ideal conditions, branching species like elkhorn and staghorn coral grow one centimeter per month, or about 12-13 centimeters per year, making them ideal candidates for coral reef restoration. By comparison, mountainous and boulder coral, also prevalent in the Caribbean Sea, grow an average of just one centimeter per year.
The frames will remain on the ocean floor for 10 to 14 months, until the corals have quadrupled in size. At any given time, SAM has about 45 of these frames in coral ‘farms’ around Culebra, totaling almost 4,500 corals.
Once the corals are ready to be planted, they will be added to various reefs to replace damaged or bleached corals, and shore up vulnerable habitats.
In the photo above, Suleiman gathers loose corals to place around an endangered coral species Dendrogyra cylindrus, more commonly referred to as Pillar Coral (front left). This underwater “garden,” as he called it, should attract fish and wildlife such as sea urchins, which will give the endangered coral — and the other species in this small reef — a better chance of survival.
A New Generation of Marine Scientists
From the 2023 OCEANOS class, roughly half of the undergraduate students went on to pursue marine science degrees, and many hope to continue with a post-graduate program. For a scientific field historically lacking diverse voices, this is a promising step.
Among the high school students in the 2023 class, three went on to change their degree plans to oceanography after participating in the OCEANOS program, while others are finding ways to incorporate marine science into their studies.
Francisco Méndez Negrón, a 2023 OCEANOS graduate, is now a computer science student at the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras and wants to apply robotics to marine ecology. “My goal is to integrate computer science and oceanography to make something that can contribute to the problems marine ecosystems are facing, mostly originated by us humans,” Méndez Negrón said. He returned to the OCEANOS program to serve as a mentor for the 2024 class.
As for Tainaliz Marie Rodriguez Lugo, she managed to overcome her swim anxiety while discovering a love of the ocean. She credited the instructors who were patient, encouraging, and never left her side in the water.
“I was really scared going into this internship,” Rodríguez Lugo said. “I didn’t know how to swim, and I was starting a program literally called ‘Oceans.’ But now I love it: I could spend all day in the ocean.”
I was really scared going into this internship. I didn’t know how to swim, and I was starting a program literally called ‘Oceans.’ But now I love it: I could spend all day in the ocean.
Tainaliz Marie Rodríguez Lugo
OCEANOS 2024 Intern
When asked how she would describe coral to someone who has never seen one, Rodríguez Lugo just laughed. “I can’t. There are no words for it. I would just take them to the reefs.”
For more information about OCEANOS, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/oceanos
The OCEANOS program’s final session will take place next year. Applications for the 2025 OCEANOS program will open in March. To apply, visit:
https://nasa.gov/oceanos-application
Photographs and story by Milan Loiacono, NASA’s Ames Research Center
About the Author
Milan Loiacono
Science Communication SpecialistMilan Loiacono is a science communication specialist for the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center.
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Last Updated Aug 28, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Sangsavang Stevie Phothisane, Taryn Kavanagh, Andro Rios, and Hami Ray. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the talent, camaraderie, and vision needed to explore this world and beyond.
Earth Science Star: Sangsavang Stevie Phothisane
Sangsavang Stevie Phothisane, a Deputy Project Manager in the Earth Science Project Office (ESPO), demonstrated outstanding leadership as the site manager for both of the field campaigns of the Arctic Radiation-Cloud-Aerosol-Surface Interaction Experiment (ARCSIX) based at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland. He has excelled in managing this large and complex project, which encompasses over 75 scientists and engineers and 3 research aircraft, in an extremely remote location 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Space Science & Astrobiology Star: Taryn Kavanagh
Taryn Kavanagh, Research Support Specialist, is an indispensable member of the Astrophysics Branch. She is a consummate professional in all of her administrative duties and goes above and beyond expectations to support our team, our customers and our mission. Taryn recently supported many high-level visits with increased workload in addition to meeting branch needs which has boosted morale and goodwill with both internal and external partners.
Space Science & Astrobiology Star of the Month: Andro Rios
Dr. Andro Rios, a research scientist in the Exobiology Branch, established new strategic partnerships with San Jose State University and Skyline College through the Science Mission Directorate Bridge Program (now MOSAICS). He was awarded grant funding for the ASPIRE Program (Astrobiology Scholars Program Immersive Research Experience), offering a two-year internship for under-represented undergraduates to work with NASA scientists and engineers. Dr. Rios selected and successfully led the first cohort of students for ASPIRE this summer.
Space Biosciences Star: Hami Ray
Hami Ray has stepped up as the Deputy Project Manager for the Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (LEIA) mission to study the biological effects of the lunar surface’s extreme environmental conditions on living organisms. She has been instrumental in timely and critical process improvement efforts for LEIA to enable project success. In addition to Ray’s role with LEIA, she also excels as the Deputy Project Manager for the Space Synthetic Biology (SynBio) mission and as the Project Manager for the GLOW mission concept to explore Venus’ upper atmospheric dynamics.
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