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Rachel Carollo: Building the Bridge Between Scientists and the Public

The headshot image of Ashley Balzer

Ashley Balzer

Aug 30, 2019
Article
Woman with fair skin and shoulder length brown blonde hair wears a pink red shirt with a black blazer and marching red pink lipstick.
Rachel Carollo stands against a spiral galaxy image.
Courtesy of R. Carollo

Conversations With Goddard: Intern Edition

Name: Rachel Carollo
University & Major: Recent grad from University of Colorado – Boulder (astronomy major)
Organization: Code 660, Astrophysics Science Division

What inspired you to pursue an education in STEM?

Well, I used to think I was going to be an actress and move to New York City or Los Angeles. But my last year of high school, I had an amazing physics & astronomy teacher, Marcus Pennell, who helped me realize my potential for STEM. The event that really made up my mind was when I took a once-in-a-lifetime photograph through my telescope of an airplane silhouetted against a partial solar eclipse! At that point I knew I was obsessed with space! A copy of my photo still hangs in Mr. Pennell’s classroom.

A photograph through a telescope of an airplane silhouetted against a partial solar eclipse.
Carollo’s once-in-a-lifetime photograph through a telescope of an airplane silhouetted against a partial solar eclipse.
Courtesy of R. Carollo

What made you choose to do an internship at NASA?

I have wanted to work for NASA my entire college career, and last fall I applied to be a communications intern for the History Division at NASA Headquarters in DC! I got the internship and spent a semester working full time with evening classes on top of it. I loved it and couldn’t wait to come back for more. I knew I had to do another NASA internship as soon as possible, so I applied for a ton of internships for the summer.

What is your project this summer?

This summer I am helping with the social media for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope! In addition to helping with the 11th anniversary of the mission, I have been writing social media content for Facebook and Twitter for this summer and beyond. The biggest portion of the project is a Tumblr post on common misconceptions about the telescope, and I’m working very closely with our animation intern to make fun visuals to answer fun questions!

What’s the best experience you’ve had in the internship so far?

I have done so many things this summer already, from tours of the facility and colloquia on sending people to Mars to film screenings and fun events with food, that it makes it hard to choose one. As cheesy as it sounds, I think the best part of this internship has been the amazing people I have met on the Astrophysics Communications team, as well as the fantastic and hilarious interns I have spent time with outside of work. Every day they give me a reason to think, learn and laugh about something completely unexpected.

How does the work you’re doing add to your future educational and career plans?

I am extremely passionate about science communication. I just graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in astronomy, and I realized that more than anything I love talking to people about space. I’d love to continue working with scientists to increase their social media presence, but I’d also like to do outreach and public relations to cross the divide between science and the public. Our scientists at NASA do incredibly fascinating and complicated work, and I think it is important to share that with the public in a way they can relate to. People are inherently curious, and I think it is our job to encourage that curiosity in every way possible! I would love to work somewhere I can use my outgoing personality and communications skills to further the advancement of science!

woman with shoulder length brown blonde hair wears a black and white polka dot skirt with a short sleeved black shirt has her arms up and is smiling in front of the Space Shuttle, "Discovery"
Carollo in front of the Space Shuttle, “Discovery.”
Courtesy of R. Carollo
A graphic with a collection of people's portraits grouped together in front of a soft blue galaxy background. The people come from various races, ethnicities, and genders. A soft yellow star shines in the upper left corner, and the stylized text "Conversations with Goddard" is in white on the far right.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of question and answer profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

By Ashley Balzer
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center