Mark Branch

Group Leader, Electromagnetic Test Engineering and Integration Branch, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Working at Goddard was a childhood dream. It’s a thrill to be here and to touch things that will eventually go into space. When I see a satellite launch, it makes me happy knowing that good science is being produced and that I contributed to the success of the mission in some way. The Environmental Test Branch and the entire test complex are vitally important to the success of every mission. I’ve been happy to be here for over a decade and I haven’t gone anywhere because I love it–plain and simple.

David Bydlowski

Principal Investigator – AREN Project

I have lived my entire life in the Metro Detroit, MI area. I have spent my entire career involved in science education. Highlights have included directing a school district nature center (snakes, birds, and kids); being part of “Science Explosion” a musical, magical science “rock” group; and now being the “PI” of the AREN Project. In the AREN project, we work with teachers and students to use kites and remote control boats to study the environment.

Brian Campbell

Senior NASA Earth Science Education and Communication Specialist, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA Wallops Flight Facility

I love everything science, from clouds to soil to black holes to sunspots. My passion is taking hard concepts and making them understandable for everyone. Talking in front of audiences of all sizes, all cultures, all ages, and all learning styles is what I do best. I believe in the power of getting your point across visually. I have a strong photographic memory which I use to tell the world about what I love. I truly believe that some form of levity is necessary in trying to impart your knowledge to others. People will remember what you are trying to teach them if they have something funny, peculiar, or downright silly to remember it by. Science is our friend. It helps us understand much, it helps us get from point A to point B, and it helps us answer many questions that are seemingly impossible. As a NASA Senior Earth Science Educator and Communicator, I use all of the above to teach students, fellow educators, and the public about the best NASA has to offer, and that’s a lot!

Kevin Czajkowski

Professor, University of Toledo

I participated in Odyssey of the Mind while in high school and college in long-term problems on building balsa wood structures, designing mouse trap cars and making a robot. Our team used brainstorming strategies and won the Ranatra Fusca award in 1985 for exceptional creativity. In college, I traveled to Colorado to the OM World competition in 1989 and our team took first, in the “Ye’Gods” long-term problem the first year that Division IV was offered.

When I was 10 years old growing up in a suburb of Buffalo, NY, we had an incredible blizzard. School was cancelled for 5 days straight. It was then that I developed an interest in weather. I still have that passion for weather, I have a Bachelors in Meteorology from SUNY Oneonta and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Michigan. I spent 3 years in a post-doc at the University of Maryland and then got my current position in 1998 at the University of Toledo. My work is on understanding the environment. This includes all of the systems of the Earth. My specialties include the atmosphere, hydrosphere and applying remote sensing to both.

Dr. Trena Ferrell

Earth Science Division Education and Public Outreach Lead, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

I am originally from Lansdale, Pennsylvania. I attended North Penn High School in Lansdale and I attended St. Jean Private College in Tonneins, France as an exchange student at the age of fifteen for the entire year. I attended Albright College in Reading, PA where I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree. My host father in France was a medical doctor and I developed an interested in medicine, which led me earning a Masters of Science in Developmental Biology.

I have a strong passion for education. I taught High School Chemistry, Biology and Math.

I love our planet Earth and education so, I earned my PhD in environmental science. My current job at NASA allows me to help our planet and still educate our future scientists and engineers about Earth. I feel that I am very lucky to do what I do daily!

Andy Henry

Co-Investigator – AREN Project

I have worked in education since 1998 at Wayne RESA, in Wayne, MI. I work in multi-media and Geographic Information Systems (digital mapping) work. For the last several years, as part of two NASA funded projects, I have worked on kite-borne remote sensing systems (looking at the Earth from instruments lifted by kites). These projects have opened up the Maker world for me and I now spend lots of time designing cameras and sensors using Arduinos and Raspberry Pi’s, and designing and 3d printing the housing for them.

Dorian Janney

Senior NASA Earth Science Education and Communication Specialist, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

When my middle son, who is now a scientist, was 10 years old and in fifth grade, he convinced me to get a telescope. Of course I bought one, and together we would look out into space and ask those questions that have haunted humanity throughout the ages: “When did time begin?”, “Where does the universe end?” and “Is there life out there?”. I had always loved NASA and had wanted to become an astronaut and go to the moon or beyond! When I began to really study space and satellites, I found out that NASA doesn’t just study space and other planets, but it also studies our beautiful planet Earth. Once I discovered that, I was head over heels in love with finding out what it was we could learn from space about Earth. That totally amazed me- that we can use satellites with the most incredible technology to see the entire globe and collect data that enables us to see how Earth’s systems interact and change over time. I like to think of myself as an interpreter- I listen to NASA scientists and engineers explaining how and why they are using satellites and airborne missions to learn about Earth- and I find ways to convey that to people. I think I have the best job in the world because every day I get to learn more and get to find ways to creatively share what I learn with people from all walks of life at all ages.

Holli Kohl

GLOBE Observer Coordinator, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Growing up in Idaho, I spent a lot of time outside experimenting and exploring. Summers were the best! I hunted for fairies and caught bugs, I played with lenses in the summer sun, I built forts, I stared at the stars, I sketched the mountains. I read everything I could find. That sense of curiosity and love of learning brought me to science and NASA. My favorite thing about working at NASA is learning science from people who are passionate about it!

I came to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center right out of college. I studied physics at Idaho State University, followed by graduate studies in science communication at the University of Washington, and those degrees prepared me for a career in science communication. My first job at NASA was writing for the Earth Observatory website. Now I manage a citizen science program called GLOBE Observer. I love that I get to help everyone do science with GLOBE Observer, no matter where or who you are. Even better, the science that you do with GLOBE Observer helps scientists answer important questions about Earth and how it is changing, making life better for everyone.

Jessica Taylor

Physical Scientist, NASA/Langley Research Center

I grew up in Florida and can recall hearing the sonic boom from the reentry of NASA space shuttles. I never imagined I would one day be working for NASA! I used to sit on my back patio watching thunderstorm and was fascinated by lightning which led to my interest in pursuing meteorology at Florida State University. In college I also pursued degrees in finance and education. I am excited to work at NASA where I combine passion for atmospheric science and education by leading Langley’s Science Education Team.

Cassie Soeffing

Senior Science Educator, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies

I grew up in South Dakota and on the weekends, my dad would pile us all in the family car and drive out to the countryside. We'd drive up and down gravel roads for hours, and on family vacations, he'd stop and read aloud every historical marker along the highway. I learned a lot about wildlife, ecosystems, geography and of course, asking questions on trips with my dad. It was, no doubt, the start of my life long study and college degrees in remote sensing, earth science, history, and geography. I enjoy sharing knowledge and my passions which is why I became a science educator.

Mike Taylor

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

I grew up in Maryland, where the summer’s are stifling and the state flag is the best of them all. I’ve always been fond of being out in nature and tinkering with technology and computers. When I started at the University of Maryland, I was not completely sure what I wanted to do other than something involving computers and technology.

A friend told me about a geography course that he really enjoyed. I signed up. It was in that class, taught by an amazing professor, that I was introduced to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS incorporates all the things that delight almost all of my nerdy proclivities. It combines science, nature, and technology all in one bucket. I loved it so much that I went on to earn my Bachelors and Masters degrees in GIS from the University of Maryland.

I never thought that I’d end up at NASA, but I applied for an opening and it just so happened that all of my tinkering paid off. They were looking for someone with a broad range of skills from different fields and I fit the bill. I’ve now been working at NASA for the Landsat program over 8 years and find it to be an incredibly rewarding experience.