Tanner Hamann

Hey, I’m Tanner Hamann.  I am a senior at the University of Maryland, majoring in Materials Science and Engineering (long name, but definitely one degree).  I am also working towards a minor in Physics. Last summer I was a guest researcher at NIST, running molecular dynamics simulations and predicting crystal properties.  This past school year, I worked at a lab on campus at Maryland that focused on plasma processing of thin films.  This is my first time working at NASA, so I am very excited about the LPSA program and the chance to collaborate with Richard Schnurr at the Magnetometer Laboratory.  I’ve always been fascinated by space and the technology used to explore it, so this is an amazing opportunity. 

In my free time, I keep up with various discoveries and projects featured on the NASA homepage.  I follow shows like Community, NCIS, Eureka, and Falling Skies.  I’m a big fan of Star Trek so I’ve seen the movies, a good chunk of the episodes, and a ton of books.  The last movie I saw in theaters was the Avengers, which was awesome!  Prometheus and the Dark Knight Rises are next on my radar.  Lastly, my musical talent is limited to appreciation and not application, although I hope to change that.

I’m looking forward to meeting all of you.  See you tomorrow.

Jordan

Hi.  I am fine, thanks.  How are you?  That’s _______.

My home base is Wisconsin, land of the joyous.  Some time ago, I finished undergraduation with a double major in geology and computer science at a liberal arts obscurity in Ohio.  “Some time ago” could be defined as approximately three weeks prior to June 2^nd.  This fall, I'll be at UT-Austin for grad school.

I am an occasional game show host; also, I play racquet sports well and other sports moderately well.  Last inventory day, I determined that I still have two (2) ears.  In my spare time, I go bowling (that’s a pun).  In my other times, I have other hobbies.  You might find out more or less than you want to know about me later.

Rose Perea

So, I was a little slow in getting this written and posted and I apologize about that.

I am a second degree graduate student working on my Masters in Physics with an emphasis on Experimental Materials Science at Fisk University as part of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-PhD Program. My first Masters degree is also in Physics with an emphasis on Computational Mineral Physics from New Mexico State University. Somewhat similar, but definitely different in many aspects. I do love it though, I never knew how much I would enjoy the experimental side of things until I gave it an honest try :) I look forward to working with Dr. Parsons in using the Neutron Pulse Generator Probing In-Situ with Neutron and Gamma Rays (PING) Instrument. I spent part of my year last year working with Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) and I would enjoy working more with this detector and others (possibly Lanthanum Bromide) and learning more about characterizing detectors in general. 

Some more personal info: I grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico, went to New Mexico State University (as stated above) and now currently reside in Nashville, TN. Very very different places! Its great here, it actually rains! The only thing I can't stand is the humidity, and from watching the weather in Greenbelt, its even worse there, sigh. I am also currently married to my best friend since high school, John-Michael, with two kitties: Stinker and Bandit:

Because you can't be in Nashville without taking a picture on Broadway next to some sort of replica of Elvis :)

Bandit's favorite sleeping position . . .

Stinker prefers "the ball up as tight as I can" method . . .

Random stuff:
I like metal (most forms, no death metal), techno, some industrial german techno, 80's and 90's dance music, but no rancheras or country! Whoever gets shotgun in the carpool will need to search for a decent rock radio station.
I like hockey, one of the perks of moving to Nashville is they have a professional hockey team (we've seen them twice already :)
I like naps!
I'm lactose intolerant and hate it :(

Okay, I think I've blabbed on long enough. Look forward to meeting all of you!

Kyle Leaf

Hello, I’m Kyle Leaf. I just finished my second year at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. I’m a triple major of Physics, Math, and Music. This summer I will be working with Dr. Ramsey Smith on the project "Laboratory Characterization of Planetary Geological Analogs". I’ve never been to DC, and I’m looking forward to seeing the entire Smithsonian.

            I am an Eagle Scout and for the past five summers, worked at Boy Scout Camp. Every year has been fun! I enjoy swimming, hiking, and biking, but long walks on beaches are often too hot and humid.  I have played trumpet in the pit orchestra for three high school musicals. I’m continuing to perform in the Stevens Point Wind Bands. I enjoy the works of John Williams and Howard Shore.

            Also I’m the treasurer of UWSP’s Board Game organization. Finally, I’m an avid Nintendo gamer, sci-fi fanatic, and all-around good guy. I look forward to this summer of science!

Jillian Votava

Jillian E. Votava

>>Picture of me last summer during my internship as a field physical science technician in Alaska for USGS; taken on lookout tower within army base near Delta Junction, AK....  Yes, that is a holster. The 44 Mag. is in the truck.<<

Hello everyone,
My name is Jillian and I am a recent graduate with a B.S. in Geology from Michigan Technological University. Michigan Tech in located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, (the "Yoop") as the locals fondly call it, with huge tracts of forests (hardwoods and boreal) as well as hundreds of miles of Lake Superior coastline. It was here, in the U.P. that I really fostered my landscape and field-association observational skills, which are the foundation of any geology/geoscience study. This fall I will start graduate school at the Univ. Minnesota-Duluth working in the Large Lakes Observatory. I am originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, (if you know your geography then you will see a pattern here) land of beer, brats, cheese, and festivals.


 I really enjoy learning and observing all the properties and phenomena that occur in our physical world. I am excited to explore this concept on other planets (and space bodies) this summer with NASA. This summer involves helping Dr. Noah Petro digitize and characterize lunar data sets from the Apollo missions. Reading, studying, drawing, interpreting, and creating maps has always been incredably facinating to me. No matter how many times I look at the same map I always see something different, learn something new. The goal this summer is to gain new skills in map creation, interpretation, and data organization. I'm PUMPED!

In addition to that listed above, I really enjoy meeting new people on a personal level (such as this residential internship is likely to yield). I enjoy conversations about weird or abstract things (come on, I'm a geologist, we use our imaginations ALL the time...) also conversations about natural resources, especially water. I love hearing people talk about things they are passionate about, doesn't matter if I don't agree, I want to hear your side and see how you think.

Obviously I enjoy being outside and doing the classic set: exploring, hiking, biking, swimming, paddle-sports, spelunking, etc...
I cannot call myself a musician in any way; however, I enjoy listening to many styles of it. Not a huge country or hip-hop fan, but I like a few songs that others would classfy as such. I like broadening my music horizons, and can barely tolerate America's Top-40. Perhaps even more-so than listening I enjoy dancing, which is really just the physical, kinesthetic expression of music. Absolutely LOVE "folk" dances>> polka, schotish, Irish jigs, raqs sharqi/ATS... you name it, I'm up to try it. Within the last 2 years I've learned some social dance>> tango, blues, salsa, waltz... but have mostly stuck with swing dance (east-coast and lindy-hop). Anyone else like to social dance?

Well before this gets any longer, I will just leave it at that.
See you all now in t-minus 10 days!
Can't wait to meet you all.

Breana Branham

Well, howdy there! My name is Breana Branham and I just finished up my Junior year in Electrical Engineering at Arizona State University. I love astronomy, theatre, singing, traveling,playing games, and wandering. I'm an Arizona native, so I'm a little terrified of spending my summer swimming in the humid East coast; however, I'm unbelievably excited to spend it in the beautiful DC area at NASA Goddard with LPSA and going on adventures with all of you! 


At Arizona State I am Treasurer of the German Devils,  a Space Grant intern in the Low-frequency Cosmology (LoCo) laboratory, and a member of Fulton Ambassadors doing science and engineering outreach. This past year, I have been engineering an automated test device for the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope being built in Western Australia. Last spring I interned at NASA Glenn in the Digital Communications and Navigation Branch and over the summer I was a counselor for some summer engineering camps at ASU. My specialties include serenades, explaining electromagnetics through interpretive dance, and "blowing up" diodes. (In case you're curious, the splint in the picture is from fracturing some bones in my hand last time I went on a trip to DC. I'll try to avoid that this time around. :))

Alisa Bochnowski

Hey guys! I'm really bad at ice breakers/awkward online introductions/writing anything about myself, so please kindly judge the bio you are about to read. I'm Alisa and I'm a rising junior at GW studying Biochemistry. I'm originally from Munster, Indiana which is a lovely little town about 30 minutes south of Chicago. Most of my lab experience up until now has been in organic synthesis and protein/DNA replication, so my project this summer is going to be a totally new experience for me.  I'm really excited to step outside my comfort zone and learn to apply some of the techniques I'm familiar with to planetary science.

Outside of school I like to cook and try different restaurants around DC. I'm a pretty picky eater but I have a rule that I must try something once before I say I don't like it.  In the last two years this has led to me eating raw meat with my hands at a sketchy Ethiopian restaurant, trying cactus, and getting to enjoy the "benefits" of kombutcha. When not competing on my own personal episode of fear factor,  I enjoy  music and like to take advantage of the different concert venues in the area. I'm really excited to be working with all of you and can't wait to start this summer!