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The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has become an instrumental part of our daily lives. It is used for things like navigation, land surveying, and mapping, just to name a few. While the geodetic applications of GNSS are incredibly powerful, they do encounter limitations because of unknowns in their calculations. One important factor that contributes … Continued

Rebecca (Becca) Bussard is entering her third year as a PhD candidate at the University of Oregon. She uses satellite geodesy, specifically Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), to measure the surface deformation of Earth. Becca is able to utilize the deformation signals to understand surface and subsurface processes occurring at volcanoes and how these processes impact the signal InSAR retrieves. She also uses GPS data in her work to compare with the InSAR data she processes, as well as multispectral optical data.

Why have a GPS station in the middle of a lake? Based on a recent study published by Lucas Holden at RMIT University and Kristine Larson and the University of Colorado Boulder in the Journal of Geodesy, the reflection of the satellite signal can actually allow the station to precisely measure the changing water level around it. The researchers tested this out with ten years of data at Lake Taupō, New Zealand.

Allison Sowers, a student at Front Range Community College, and Jimmy Swift, a recent graduate of San Juan College and incoming student at New Mexico Tech, are working together this summer during the Geo-Launchpad program.

Madalyn Massey is a rising junior at Front Range Community College. She began college studying nutrition, but realized that she did not want to pursue the subject as a career. Madalyn had taken an environmental science course that she really enjoyed, and she discovered a Forestry certificate that she would be able to obtain in a few semesters and then immediately enter the industry with. Two of Madalyn’s professors told her about the Geo-Launchpad program and it seemed like a great opportunity for Madalyn, as a first-generation college student, to network and obtain professional development experience.

The amount of water that becomes available as snowpack melts is of critical importance in many regions where melting snow feeds rivers throughout the summer. But it’s not as easy to measure as you might think. Snow density varies, so accurately estimating the snow water equivalent (SWE) in an area can be quite labor-intensive. NASA’s … Continued

Shamsuddin (Shams) Ahmed is a rising junior at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. After enjoying his laboratory class in high school and learning about how interdisciplinary geoscience is, Shams decided to major in Quantitative Geoscience and minor in mathematics in college. At this point in his academic career, he is looking for opportunities to expand his horizons, to get a taste for the different branches of geoscience before deciding which field interests him the most to eventually pursue a graduate degree in. At Appalachian State University, Shams participated in paleontological research under Dr. Andrew Heckert, working to better understand an Upper Triassic to Mid-Late Norian microvertebrate assemblage from East-Central New Mexico with an incomplete dataset.

Skye Fernandez is a rising third-year student at the University of Colorado Boulder. She began to develop an interest in environmental science at a young age after she watched “The Lorax.” Skye was fascinated with natural disasters, weather, and space, and would often go to the library on weekends to read about science. Although she grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, TX, Skye always knew that she wanted to live closer to the mountains.

Shana Egan is a rising senior at the University of Arizona, double majoring in geophysics and chemistry. Growing up in Florida, Shana was constantly exposed to hurricanes, launching her interest in natural hazards. After completing a project about volcanoes in elementary school, Shana knew that she wanted to pursue a career and education in geoscience. At the University of Arizona, Shana has been involved with two research projects. In the first, she spent a semester in astrochemistry research with the Ziurys group, examining the presence of polyatomic compounds in planetary nebulae to see if basic molecules form in these primal environments.

Alex Nguyen is a rising junior at Vassar College studying Earth Science and Astronomy. In high school, Alex participated in a program at Washington University in St. Louis through which he took an introductory course in global climate change. This experience sparked Alex’s interest in renewable energy and large-scale climate impacts, leading him to study geology in college.

Ruben De La Calle is a recent graduate of North Carolina State University with a major in geology and a minor in environmental science. Certain that he wanted his education to focus on the environment, Ruben began his studies with the intention to major in environmental engineering. However, after taking an introductory geology course his sophomore year, Ruben realized he wanted to pursue a major in geology. No matter the major, Ruben always knew that he wanted to prioritize environmental practices in his studies.

We are delighted to congratulate Jae Bridges—a 2020 RESESS intern—for being accepted into the graduate program at Ohio University this fall! We’re even happier to note that Jae will be working with Prof. Katherine Fornash, who is herself an alum of the RESESS program!