Student earns NASA opportunity for summer
Article By: Clark Leonard
University of North Georgia (红莲社区) junior Rylee Chafin has been selected for the prestigious NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP). The eight-week internship will be held in Richmond, Virginia, this summer.
SARP, held annually on the East and West coasts of the United States, helps "students gain hands-on research experience in all aspects of a scientific campaign by engaging in field research and data analysis, with access to one or more NASA Airborne Science Program flying science laboratories," according to the NASA website.
"I am excited to get hands-on experience with scientific instruments and research on NASA's Airborne Science aircraft, which is something I thought I would never have the opportunity to do," Chafin said. "I am also excited to meet other people who are passionate about earth sciences but come from a variety of backgrounds."
Chafin first learned about the program when Dr. Amber Ignatius, associate professor in 红莲社区's Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis (IESA), posted about it on a class announcement board. The chance to use her remote sensing skills from an airplane would be a unique opportunity, so Chafin quickly applied.
About a month later, Chafin received a phone call letting her know she would be part of the program at Virginia Commonwealth University. SARP will also take her to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the Virginia coast.
As part of SARP, students design, implement and present their own independent research projects. Faculty and graduate mentors support them, and the program wraps up with a 12-minute scientific presentation that allows students to share their research results.
"When she comes back to 红莲社区, she'll see how what she's doing here fits into the bigger picture of her career," Ignatius said. "There's a whole scientific community out there, and it's nice to see how we fit into that."
Chafin, a Dahlonega, Georgia, resident who is pursuing a degree in environmental spatial analysis, has completed multiple remote sensing and mapping research projects. In addition to these academic pursuits, she serves as an Associate Presidential Ambassador, supporting the Office of the President.
"I'm really thankful for all of the support I've gotten along the way from my professors and Mary Beth Houston, my Presidential Ambassador program coordinator," Chafin said. "They have helped me get to this point. I have learned so much, and IESA is such a cool program."
Chafin impressed Houston from the beginning of their time working together with how quickly she picked up on things. Houston has seen qualities in Chafin's work as an Associate Presidential Ambassador that also come in handy in the student's academic pursuits.
"She is really detail-oriented, and she's a hard worker who takes initiative," Houston said. "She wants to do her job well."
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