SaSa - Student Airborne Science Activation Program

Overview
Instruments/Measurements
Participants/Collaborators

The Student Airborne Science Activation (SaSa) program invites highly motivated early-career undergraduates (first- and second-year students) at eligible universities to participate in an 8-week summer research experience.

For SaSa details, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sasa

The SaSa program will draw on NASA SMD’s (Science Mission Directorate’s) unique assets (aircraft, aircraft sensors and experts) to create an effective learning environment, where students will take part in a paid summer internship for eight weeks (years 2-5). They will receive experiential learning experience delivered by NASA subject matter experts and guest lecturers, covering different topics such as basic remote sensing principles, basic atmospheric thermodynamics, atmospheric stability, and data analysis. Students will also receive professional development training including scientific abstract writing, comprehensive literature review, networking and professional presentations (oral and poster). More importantly, students will be connected to bridge programs (e.g., NASA internships, NASA Pathways, and NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP), and receive guidance and science counseling to keep them motivated and engaged in the Earth Science field through graduation, and ready to take the next step, including proceeding to a graduate school or taking up a STEM career.

SaSa's main objectives:

To create a student geoscience learning ecosystem to enable effective student engagement with NASA scientists & engineers, academic advisors, peers, and the local communities.

To provide students with new skills to work with NASA science equipment and real data from field/airborne campaigns and satellites.

Provide students with problem solving skills in the areas of instrument development, operation and mathematical tools and methods to analyze field data.

Provide research, mentoring, and networking opportunities for early-career undergraduates to address the shortage of individuals from historically underrepresented groups graduating with STEM degrees from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and a need to prepare these students to enter STEM graduate programs as well as the NASA and research workforce.

Payload Information/Instruments

CAR (Cloud Absorption Radiometer)

NASA Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE)

4STAR (Spectrometers for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research)

IR Camera- Multispectral Infrared Camera (MS350)

Long-wave infrared (LWIR) channeled spectropolarimeter (IRCSP)

Continuous Flow Diffusion Chamber - Ica Activation Spectrometer (CFDC-IAS)

Project Management

Name	Organization	Role
Charles Gatebe	NASA ARC	Principal Investigator
Samiah Moustafa	NASA ARC	Program Manager
Lin Chambers	NASA HQ	Deputy Program Director
Barry Lefer	NASA HQ	Project Scientist
Melissa Martin	NASA HQ	Airborne Science Program Science Lead
Torry Johnson	NASA HQ	STEM Project Manager

Participating Institution Leads and Collaborators

Name	Organization	Role
Dong Wu	NASA GSFC	Institution Principal Investigator
Ali Omar	NASA LaRC	Institution Principal Investigator
Jiru Mintesinot	Coppin State University	Institution Principal Investigator
John Anderson	Hampton University	Institution Principal Investigator
Charles Ichoku	Howard University	Institution Principal Investigator
Belay Demoz	University of Maryland Baltimore County	Institution Principal Investigator
Paulinus Chigbu	University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Institution Principal Investigator
Richard Damoah	Morgan State University	Institution Principal Investigator
Kavita Mittapalli	MN Associates, Inc. (MNA)	Independent Evaluator

Instrument Teams

Name	Organization	Role
Stephen Broccardo	NASA ARC	Co-Investigator/4STAR; member/CAR
Kristina Pistone	NASA ARC	Member/4STAR
Roy Johnson	NASA ARC	Member/4STAR
Dong Wu	NASA GSFC	Co-Investigator/CAR
Mariel Friberg	NASA GSFC	Member/CAR
Kurt Rush	NASA GSFC	Member/CAR
Rajesh Poudyal	NASA GSFC	Member/CAR
Jaclyn John	NASA GSFC/University of Arizona	Co-Investigator/IRCSP
Richard Moore	NASA LaRC	Co-Investigator/LARGE
Luke Ziemba	NASA LaRC	Co-Investigator/LARGE
Eddie Winstead	NASA LaRC	Member/LARGE
Claire Robinson	NASA LaRC	Member/LARGE
John Barrick	NASA LaRC	Member/LARGE
Ryan Bennett	NSRC	Co-Investigator/Navigational and Meteorological Measurements
Ruben Delgado	University of Maryland Baltimore County	On-site PI; Remote Sensing and Ground Lead
Ricardo Sakai	Howard University	Ground Lead at Beltsville Campus
Antony Kinyua	Morgan State University	Co-Investigator
Michael Shook	NASA LaRC	Data Manager
Gao Chen	NASA LaRC	Member/Data Management
Selene Willis	NASA HQ	Education Specialist
Kassandra Perlongo	NASA ARC	Science Communication Specialist
Kelly Griffin	NASA GSFC/WFF	P-3B Flight Manager
John Baycura	NASA GSFC/WFF	P-3B Pilot

Graduate Student Mentors

Name	Organization	Research Group
Emily Faber	University of Maryland Baltimore County	Atmospheric Physics - Modeling
Kylie Hoffman	University of Maryland Baltimore County	Atmospheric Physics - Meteorology
Alicia Hoffman	University of Wisconsin Madison	Air Quality Modeling
David Moore	University of California, Los Angeles	Tropical Cyclone
Maurice Roots	University of Maryland Baltimore County	Air Quality & Remote Sensing Observations

Undergraduate Student Mentees

Name	Organization	Research Group
Annalyse Belton	Coppin State University	Trace gases (Grad Mentor: Maurice Roots)
Shanell Bush	Hampton University	Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation (Grad Mentor: David Moore)
Romina Cano Velasquez	Miami Dade College	Air Quality (Grad Mentor: Emily Faber)
Muyang Chunga	Coppin State University	Trace gases (Grad Mentor: Maurice Roots)
Neima Dedefo	University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Air-water-land interface (Grad Mentor: Alicia Hoffman)
Isaiah Dornelus	Morgan State University	Air-water-land interface (Grad Mentor: Alicia Hoffman)
Eric Ekey	University of Maryland Baltimore County	Trace gases (Grad Mentor: Maurice Roots)
Trisha Joy Francisco	University of Maryland Baltimore County	Meteorology/Planetary Boundary Layer (Grad Mentor: Kylie Hoffman)
Michelle Garcia	University of California - Davis	Air-water-land interface (Grad Mentor: Alicia Hoffman)
David Goba	University of Maryland Baltimore County	Trace gases (Grad Mentor: Maurice Roots)
Jonathan Hale	University of California, Davis	Meteorology/Planetary Boundary Layer (Grad Mentor: Kylie Hoffman)
Daniel Harrison	Morgan State University	Trace gases (Grad Mentor: Maurice Roots)
Camila Hernández Pedraza	University of Puerto Rico - Cayey	Air-water-land interface (Grad Mentor Alicia Hoffman)
Vanessa Hua	University of California, Riverside	Air Quality (Grad Mentor: Emily Faber)
Kailyn Hyman	Hampton University	Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation (Grad Mentor: David Moore)
Tochi Iwuji	Coppin State University	Trace gases (Grad Mentor: Maurice Roots)
Mya Johnson	University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Air Quality (Grad Mentor: Emily Faber)
Daniel Khan	University of California, Riverside	Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation (Grad Mentor: David Moore)
Stephanie Marie Ortiz Rosario	University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez	Meteorology/Planetary Boundary Layer (Grad Mentor: Kylie Hoffman)
Sophia Ramirez	California State Polytechnic University - Pomona	Air Quality (Grad Mentor: Emily Faber)
Angelica Stewart	Howard University	Air Quality (Grad Mentor: Emily Faber)
Ananda Turner	Hampton University	Air-water-land interface (Grad Mentor: Alicia Hoffman)
Kennedi White	Howard University	Meteorology/Planetary Boundary Layer (Grad Mentor: Kylie Hoffman)
Kiara Wilson	Virginia State University	Meteorology/Planetary Boundary Layer (Grad Mentor: Kylie Hoffman)