On August 9-10, the 2023 participants of the NASA SARP West program presented their final research presentations at the University of California, Irvine, to an audience of professors, mentors, and NASA personnel. The event was also live-streamed for colleagues and family members across the country.
SARP, the Student Airborne Research Program, is a 8-week internship program run out of the Airborne Science branch of the NASA Ames Earth Science Division, providing hands-on experience using NASA Airborne Science Program flying science laboratories. The internship is broken into four main fields of study, of which the students are assigned to one: Oceanography, Atmospheric Aerosols, Whole Air Sampling (WAS), and Terrestrial Ecology. Each of these fields is given a dedicated career scientist mentor and a PhD student mentor.
Program Manager Ryan Bennett opened the event with an overview of the program, including photos of students in the field, stories from the summer, and a ‘SARP by the numbers’ evaluation of program statistics.
Each field of study and the associated SARP presenters were introduced by the student mentor, after which each student was able to present their original research and possible applications. This was followed by a question-and-answer time with the audience, creating a number of fruitful conversations regarding the future possibilities for many of the projects.
Following the presentations, each student was presented with an official certificate in a small graduation ceremony. As per SARP tradition, that evening included a pizza party and the presentation of the SARP challenge coin to each student; a student-favorite, and a mark of pride amongst alumni.
Bennett also included a short time in the event to honor colleague Claire Robinson: an early career scientist at NASA Langley who passed away unexpectedly the week before. Numerous NASA colleagues in the audience were able to share heartwarming stories of her life and her impact on the various teams she was a part of.
Click here to read the full abstracts from each of the student presentations.
2023 SARP West Research Presentation Topics:
Oceans Group
Introduced by Oceans Group PhD student mentor Katherine Cavanaugh
- Satellite Evaluation of Oil Seepage Trends After the Decommission of Platform Holly
- Annette Yang, University of California, Davis
- Landsat Mission Reveals Nearly 50 Years of New Zealand Giant Kelp Forest Dynamics
- Rylie Mundell, University of Denver
- Understanding the Drivers of Kelp Growth at Fine Temporal Resolution
- Sophia Brieler, Tulane University
- Comparing the status of micro- and macro- algal populations in Monterey Bay, CA following the 2014-2016 marine heat wave
- Odai Natsheh, University of Texas at San Antonio
- Detecting Jellyfish Aggregations in the Puget Sound with PlanetScope CubeSats
- Joseph Dale, University of Northern Colorado
- Evaluating Aquatic Applications for the NASA EMIT Instrument Using the Tijuana River Estuary as a Case Study
- Sierra Whiteman, Stony Brook University
Atmospheric Aerosols Group
Introduced by Atmospheric Aerosols PhD student mentor Ariana Deegan
- Tracking the Progression of DMS Oxidation over the Central Valley
- Tricia Hutton, SUNY Brockport
- Impact of the Recurrence of Tulare Lake on Local Atmospheric Composition
- Patrick Djerf, Carleton College
- Investigating the Impact of Particulate Ammonium on Surface Water Eutrophication
- Emily Rademacher, University of Minnesota
- Investigation of Aging on the Radiative Properties of Aerosols in Los Angeles
- Maria Vabson, Johns Hopkins University
- Effect of Atmospheric Aerosols on The Imperial Valley Radiation Budget
- Julia Alvarez, University of Texas at Arlington
- Vertical Distribution of Saharan Dust during the CPEX-CV Campaign
- Sarothi Ghosh, University of Florida
WAS Group (Whole Air Sampling)
Introduced by WAS PhD student mentor Katherine Hopstock
- NASA SARP Airborne Data Suggests California Airports as Sources for Halon 1211 and Halon 1301
- DJ Viray, Drexel University
- Geothermal VOC Emissions in the Imperial Valley: Health and Air Quality Implications
- Alexandria Savagian, Bowdoin College
- Kinetic Evaluations of Sulfur Dioxide over the Salton Sea and Pacific Ocean
- Christine Harper, Bowling Green State University
- The Human-Made Forest: How Isoprene Emissions Vary Based on Tree Populations in Urban Southern California
- Summer Coleman, University of Colorado, Boulder
- Using Supervised Machine Learning and HYSPLIT Backwards Trajectories to Predict Airborne VOC Concentrations
- Victor Geiser – Saint Louis University
- The Importance of Ground, Airborne, and Satellite Data for Field Campaigns: A Case Study of Ammonia and Dimethyl Sulfide in the Central Valley
- Andrew Bower, PennWest California University
Terrestrial Ecology Group
Introduced by Terrestrial Ecology PhD student mentor Jean Allen
- Quantifying Healthy Vegetation Dynamics in Southern California After a Record 2023 Wet Season
- Ethan Greeley, University of Richmond
- Assessing Heat Stress in Oak Trees Using Airborne Thermal Spectroscopy
- Duncan Jurayj, Brown University
- Sudden Oak Death and its Forecasted Threat to California Oaks
- Tierney Cantwell, Gettysburg College
- Revisiting Rewilding at Atwell Island using Hyperspectral Images
- Eva Coleman, Denison University
- Refining Spectral and Spatial Resolution through Spectroscopic Analysis in the El Paso Mountains
- Ivan Tochimani-Hernandez, Dartmouth College
- Differential Drought Impacts on Green Space Across Different Income Areas in Los Angeles, California
- Miriam Bartleson, University of Michigan
