BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss - 10 January 12
Kristin Sharp: An Environmental Scientist is Born
Heather L. Ogletree
Stennis Space Center (SSC) in a collaborative effort with the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources strives to help resource managers monitor salinity and flooding in the Gulf of Mexico coastal marshes. Last summer, NASA Mentor Maria Kalcic (CSC) took on intern Kristin Sharp through the Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) to become part of this hands-on “green” project.
It could be said that Sharp was born into NASA; her father has worked at NASA her whole life. So when she was offered a position, she jumped at the opportunity. She noted, “NASA is a highly regarded organization and a great place to gain experience. ”She was also excited to gain exposure to the everyday NASA working environment.
On paper it might seem like an unlikely pairing — the senior electrical engineering student from Mississippi State University was not the typical earth or environmental science major who generally applies to this kind of project. On top of that she was expected to use programs that were foreign to her to provide data. Sharp said, “I...faced challenges in regard to using software I’m unfamiliar with and also trying to get up to speed on certain projects.” But with a solid background in engineering problem solving skills, her mentors and others were able to help her get up to speed quickly on the project details while teaching her to use the required tools. Sharp stated, “Everyone has been quick to help and even quicker to teach. I have learned a lot in regards to programming modems, debugging electrical circuitry, as well as learning more about the environmental science involved in salinity measurement.”
While at SSC, it was Sharp’s main duty to work on a very low-cost drifter used to measure salinity in the marshes. “It was very interesting to learn about calculating salinity from conductivity and the need for that information,” Sharp revealed. “My project will help gather salinity measurements throughout the coastal marsh region. This information will then be available for use in many projects.”
In essence, Sharp’s work contributes to the overall effort to support the habitat-switching models in the Coastal Lousiana Ecosystem model, which according to Kalcic “provides scientific evaluation for restoration management.”
In the end, the electrical engineering student from MSU turned out to be the perfect match. Kalcic commented, “Kristin is by far the best student I've had; she is such a quick learner and didn't need any supervision. She was very productive and very well liked.” And although Sharp is not quite sure about what she will do for a career after graduation next May, there is one thing she is sure of: “I am definitely interested in returning to NASA after this experience.”