Greenbelt, MD -- 5 NOV 09
University of Illinois Student Works on Planetary Geodynamics at NASA Goddard through Hands-on USRP Internship
Illinois resident Amanda Damptz is working for NASA as an intern this fall with Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD through the NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP). Damptz is working in the Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory.
Damptz works with a mentor, Lori Glaze, a scientist in Goddard’s Planetary Geodynamics Lab, collecting data on Mars craters. She is gathering information dealing with water content amongst the craters. The information gathered by Damptz will be used in theoretical models and to guide future model developments.
Damptz is a senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago from Manteno, IL. She plans to graduate with a major in earth and environmental science in May, 2010.
“By participating in NASA USRP I hope to gain experience in collecting, processing, and analyzing data that can be carried over to graduate school in pursuit of my ultimate academic goal of a PhD in geosciences.” states Damptz about her goals for her participation in the USRP internship program.
Amanda is hoping that her USRP experience will ultimately help her achieve her career goals and contribute to society in a positive way.
“A career in research is particularly exciting to me because one has the prospect of discovering something that no other person has uncovered. In addition to research being personally satisfying, it can also contribute important and valuable information to society for the greater good.”
Source: Anthony Zippay of the Universities Space Research Association
