Why Our Scholarship Means So Much
by Howard Benedict, Executive DirectorThe foundation occasionally receives letters from our Scholarship winners, thanking us for the support. Some are especially heartwarming and make us realize just how important our scholarships are to students across the country. Such is the one I received recently from Amanda G. Kostyk, the 1999-2000 recipient at the University of Minnesota.
"I just wanted to thank you for supporting me through my final year of study at the university," Amanda wrote. "I plan to graduate with highest honors in microbiology and continue to work hard in the hope that I may represent the ideals of your foundation." She said the scholarship "helped make it possible for me to travel to London last summer to conduct global influenza surveillance. I analyzed samples from all over the world and was part of the team that eventually wrote the recommendations for the composition of next year's flu vaccine."
Diana Mastalerz, our 1999 Scholar at the University of Kentucky, wrote: "for the first time in three years I will not worry, day and night, where I will get the money to pay for school. With the scholarship's support, I will have complete liberty to focus on my studies, and no need to calculate the exact number of hours I must work in order to make ends meet. Thank you so very much. A granddaughter of Polish, emigrants, she wrote that when she completes this academic year at Kentucky "I will proudly be the first in my family to receive a college degree.' I hope to attend graduate school and pursue a career in research in the field of molecular pharmacology .... The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is a beautiful example of a group that seeks to provide students with an opportunity to learn and succeed in challenging fields."
Earlier, in a separate letter, Glenn B. Collins, professor and director of the Agricultural Biotechnology Program at Kentucky, wrote the Foundation: "Diana Mastalerz is one of the most deserving students for distinguished recognition I have known in 33 years on the faculty here. She will make a big contribution in science and to making the world a better place .... I cannot tell you what a program like the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation means for science students like Diana.
Last year, under the guidance of Lisa Beeson, a certificate and pin were created to recognize our past and present Scholars. That prompted an E-mail message from one of our first recipients, Thomas A. Krizanosky, awarded scholarships in 1986-1988 at University of Central Florida. "I just wanted to let you know," he wrote, "I received the framed certificate and pin ... This was a pleasant surprise and I'm proud to place the certificate right next to the UCF diploma in my office. My sincere appreciation and thanks."
Yes, indeed, our scholarships do mean something.
Fifth Annual Astronaut-Scholar Weekend
The fifth annual Astronaut-Scholar weekend is planned for May 11-14, 2000 in Orlando, Florida. Events include a luncheon with astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs, a VIP tour of Kennedy Space Center and the U. S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, the annual business meeting of the Astronaut Scholars Honor Society (ASHS), a Polynesian Luau at SeaWorld Florida, and social events designed especially for Astronaut Scholars. This year promises to be the best yet, as additional features and programs are added each year to this exciting weekend.
At least 20 Astronaut Scholars are planning to pay their own way to attend this event just for the opportunity to meet astronauts and other Astronaut Scholars. History is being made this year, as the University of Kentucky is paying the travel and living expenses for their current Astronaut Scholar to attend. Wouldn't it be great if other schools or business followed suit next year and paid for the expenses to make this trip possible for more Astronaut Scholars?
The ASHS is extremely grateful to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation for making this event happen each year, and we are especially thankful to each individual astronaut who takes the time out of their busy schedules to meet and spend some time with our scholars.
Membership in ASHS is guaranteed for life to all recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship (formerly Mercury Seven Scholarship) at no cost. Many members have become active as volunteers with ASHS and ASF activities and many are beginning to contribute to the Foundation, as they enter their careers.
Second Mercury Scholar Joins Scholarship Committee
Congratulations, Larry Bradley! Larry is the second Mercury Scholar to be appointed to the Scholarship Committee of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (first was Lisa Beeson in 1991). Larry has been a tireless volunteer for ASF and ASHS for several years. He has contributed many hours to development and maintenance of our web sites at www.AstronautScholarship.org and www.AstronautScholars.org.
Larry designed the logo for the Astronaut Scholars Honor Society which was made into lapel pins, and he contributed to the creation of scholarship award certificates which were recently presented to current and past Astronaut Scholars. He is always ready to provide assistance with any project and has an enthusiastic attitude toward the Foundation. Scholars like Larry are the future of our Foundation.
Larry also brings to the Committee a strong academic background. He graduated from University of Central Florida with dual bachelors degree in Physics (with Honors) and Mathematics in 1994. He received the Mercury Seven Scholarship here in the academic year 1993-94. Larry then attended Johns Hopkins University and received an M.A. in Astrophysics in 1997 and is presently continuing his studies there with the goal of achieving a Ph.D. in Astrophysics in the near future. He conducts research in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and also works at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Larry's hometown is Fern Park, Florida. You can read more about him later in this newsletter.
Larry, we welcome you to the Scholarship Committee. We look forward to working with you on the difficult task of selecting our scholarship recipients each year.
May 1999 Astronaut Scholar Weekend
The fourth annual Astronaut Scholar weekend was held in Orlando, Florida on May 6-9, 1999. Current and past recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship (formerly Mercury Seven Scholarship) attended and were able to meet and mingle with approximately 10 astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs.
Astronaut Scholars were treated to a VIP tour of Kennedy Space Center and the U. S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Accompanying them on the KSC tour was Charlie Buckley, former chief of security at KSC from before the first Mercury flight until the first Space Shuttle flight. Charlie initiated the idea of this annual tour when he met Lisa Beeson at a fund-raising dinner sponsored by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) and the Space Coast Press Club in 1996 and heard about the Astronaut Scholars annual meeting. Each year, he helps to coordinate the tour and travels around KSC with the scholars, relating stories from the early space pioneering days. Charlie adds a quality to the visit that no other visitors are privileged to experience. The group was also granted a rare chance to visit both shuttle launch pads. One was under renovation at the time and the other had a shuttle on the pad with the gantry swung away, allowing full visibility of the shuttle. At the U. S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, the scholars were hosted on a guided tour, where many of the artifacts and features of the attraction were explained.
The Astronaut Scholars Honor Society (ASHS), alumni association for ASF, holds it annual business meeting each year in conjunction with the other activities of this weekend. This provides an opportunity for the ASHS to further accomplishment of its Vision Statement and develop a strong network of scientists and engineers who will take ASF into the future along with advancing science and technology in America.
As a result of last years meeting, several scholars are working together to develop and implement a project in NASAs student microgravity research program, better known as the Vomit Comet. Though it will be a serious scientific endeavor, it will also be a lot of fun for the Astronaut Scholars who have so much respect for the astronauts who have left the bonds of Earth's gravity themselves. You can read more about the upcoming experiment later in this newsletter.
In 1999, the scholars had plenty of time to get acquainted at social events in Orlando. Many found common interests in their professional or academic pursuits, and bonds of friendship were formed which have lasted through the year. Many of the same scholars, along with some new faces will be gathering again this year, for a similar good time.
Melissa Bargmann
1999-2000 Tufts University
In her senior year at Tufts, Melissa continued to research the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients of two layers of a thin-film cantilever beam - a T-MEMS (thermal microelectromechanical system) structure comprised of silicon nitride and silicon dioxide. This spring, Melissa designed test methods to demonstrate how pure silicon thin-film interferences vary with film thickness. Melissa plans to continue her education next year with graduate studies in mechanical engineering, perhaps with an emphasis on either design process or bioengineering.
Outside of academics, Melissa runs on Tuft's indoor track and field team. Her 4 by 400 indoor relay team qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in March and placed 6th in the Division III finals, making Melissa an All-American in that event. Melissa is now training for the outdoor track and field season, and she hopes to qualify for the National Championships in the 4 by 400 relay and in the 400 hurdles.
Matthew Gerber
1998-2000 University of Central Florida
This past year has seen Matthew continue his pre-doctoral studies in Computer Science at the University of Central Florida.
Nicole (King) James
1995-96 University of Colorado
Following her graduation from the University of Colorado in 1996 with a B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Nicole has worked for Boeing in Seattle, Washington as a flight test engineer in the Propulsion, Structures, and Stability and Control groups. Nicole supports test planning for all Boeing commercial airplanes, defines instrumentation and data acquisition system performance requirements for test data acquisition, and collects on-board and telemetry data for analysis and compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.
Nicole's work allows her to ride test aircraft at an analysis station (computer terminal) to monitor various airplane/engine parameters used in investigating handling qualities during stalls, sideslips, dives, windup turns, roll maneuvers, and takeoffs and landings, among other maneuvers. For readers afraid of flying, Nicole reports that "Boeing airplanes are the best built planes in the world" and that she is proud to be associated with them.
On the personal side, Nicole notes that her Astronaut Scholars Foundation scholarship "was a god-send to an single mother trying to get through school with 2 children. I want to thank all the astronauts for their generosity!" Nicole is currently married with four girls ranging in age from 14 to 1.
Doug Sheridan
1999-2000 Pennsylvania State University
In his senior year at Penn State, Doug conducted research designed to characterize the neurotoxicity of neurotoxins in genetically engineered mice lacking the molecular target of antidepressant drugs and certain drugs of abuse. Doug plans to enter graduate school in either a Ph.D. or MD/Ph.D. program following his studies at Penn State.
Robert (Joey) Morris
1999-2000 North Carolina State University
Joey is in his senior year at North Carolina State, studying toward two degrees Statistics and Applied Mathematics along with a minor in Computer Science. Joey plans to attend graduate school following his studies at North Carolina State, where he intends to pursue his interests in statistical genetics.
Theresa Debban
1998-2000 Purdue University
Theresa will earn her bachelors degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University this May, after 5 years at Purdue and 5 co-op work tours at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.At JSC, Theresa worked in the Engineering and Mission Operations Directorates. During 3 tours in the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division in the Engineering Directorate, Theresa worked on the X-38 flight control system, trajectory and mission studies for human and robotic missions to Mars, and the X-38 parafoil deployment. Teresas 2 tours in Mission Operations saw her conduct East Coast Abort Landing analyses for Space Shuttle launches, learn to fly the Shuttle simulators, take classes with astronauts on Space Station maintenance procedures, and write technical briefs on the Space Station berthing mechanisms. All in all, Theresa sums up her JSC work as "not a bad way to spend 5 semesters of an undergraduate career and certainly worth the extra year toward graduation."
Now in her final semester at Purdue, Theresa is conducting research on Low-Thrust Gravity-Assist Trajectories for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and is focusing her senior design work on an Aerospace Reconnaissance Vehicle.
Next fall, Theresa will start her graduate studies in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue. Aside from her aerospace studies, Theresa participates extensively in the Purdue bands, including Purdues "All-American" Marching Band and the Purdue Symphonic Band. Theresa is a member of Tau Beta Sigma and the National Band Honorary Service Sorority, and she enjoys dancing (ballet and swing), theater, pick-up soccer, and (starting soon, she hopes) amateur astronomy.
Theresa wishes to extend her heartfelt thanks to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation for providing her with such wonderful support, both financial and personal, over the past two years. "I feel truly honored to be included in the list of such impressive and respected recipients, and I hope one day to be able to contribute my own money so that many others may benefit from this amazing program."
Branch Coleman
1998-2000 North Carolina A&T State University
Branch has studied physics at North Carolina A&T, and he hopes to attain a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering when he completes his undergraduate studies. Branch has participated in a number of experimental research projects along with his regular course work.
Justin Montgomery
1998-2000 Miami University
Justin is in his final year at Miami University, where he has majored in chemistry. After earning his B.S. degree, Justin plans to pursue his interest in organic chemistry at graduate school.
Karen Feigh
1999-2000 Georgia Institute of Technology
An aerospace engineering major at Georgia Tech, Karen has participated in a number of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics design competitions and volunteered her time with the Georgia Tech Womens Leadership Conference and Atlantas "Strong Legs Run."
Belinda Fischer
1999-2000 Harvey Mudd College
Belinda will earn a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mathematical Systems Engineering from Harvey Mudd College this May. Belinda designed this unique major according to her personal interests in applied mathematics and its engineering applications. Belinda has been recognized for her efforts in applied mathematics by winning the Stavros Busenburg prize (named in honor of a late Harvey Mudd College professor), by being named in the 1999s "Who's Who among American College Students", and earning "Meritorious" recognition for her work in the Mathematical Systems Modeling 1999 competition.
Belinda reports that the pinnacle of her academic experience occurred in HMCs Clinic program, where she spent two full academic years working on actual industrial concerns. In 1998-99, Belinda accepted responsibility as team leader for the Space Systems/Loral, and, in 1999, she participated as a team member in for the Boeing Company project. Beyond technical experience, Belinda reports that these projects helped her to develop practical skills in oral presentation, time management, leadership, and, most importantly, teamwork.
Apart from her technical pursuits, Belinda maintains a diversified lifestyle with the study of vocal music. She has taken voice lessons for the past two years while simultaneously singing in the Chamber and Concert choirs, and Belinda is currently preparing a vocal recital that will incorporate thirty minutes of solo work.
Linda Rymarquis
1998-99 University of Kentucky
Last fall, Linda began her doctoral studies at the Cornell University.
John O'Quinn
1995-1996 North Carolina State University
John is continuing to pursue his legal education, completing his second year at Harvard Law School this May. John has focused his studies on intellectual property and patent litigation, working for the intellectual property group of Kirkland & Ellis in New York City in the summer of 1999; in the summer of 2000 John will work in Washington, D.C. for Williams & Connolly and Kirkland & Ellis.
John recently published articles in both the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology and the Harvard Environmental Law Review, and, in February, John was elected the Editor-In-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. John has also accepted a one-year judicial clerkship for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (one level below the United States Supreme Court) following his graduation from law school in June, 2001.
Joseph Han
1999-2000 Texas A&M University
This past year has seen Joseph Han finishing his Masters of Science in Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, while at the same time looking forward to beginning his doctoral work next year. Josephs masters degree research has focused on gas-phase kinetic modeling, and he hopes to extend his work into either heterogenous catalysis or liquid phase kinetics.
Joseph plans to begin his doctorate work next fall at either Stanford or Berkeley. In anticipation of Northern Californias great weather, Joseph has begun a new hobby motorcycling. Following his doctoral work, he hopes to work in industrial research and development, preferably in reactor engineering.
Ryan Shepperd
1996-1997 University of Colorado
After graduating with a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado in 1998, Ryan worked for another year at the university as a professional research assistant. Ryan also worked as the attitude determination and control engineer for a small satellite that the university plans to launch this year.
Since September, Ryan has studied at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and he will graduate with a Masters of Space Studies degree at the end of July. This Spring, Ryan is working in the Space Plane group at the National Aerospace Laboratory in Tokyo, Japan, researching trajectory optimization for launch vehicles using rocket based, combined cycle, ejector ramjet propulsion.
Benjamin Paulson
1999-2000 Washington University
Ben is a senior at Washington University majoring in physics and conducting a combined research program in physics and biophysics. Ben has conducted research on carbon nano-tubes and using nanopore membrane filters to provide local delivery of biological reagents.
Larry Bradley
1993-1994 University of Central Florida
The Year 2000 brings Larry near to the completion of a Ph.D. in Astrophysics at The Johns Hopkins University. Larry's research and Ph.D. dissertation involve the phenomenon of active galactic nuclei extremely luminous galaxies believed to be powered by the presence of supermassive black holes at their centers. As part of this research, Larry is working with the STIS NGC 4151 Key Project Team, which uses the Hubble Space Telescope and its onboard imaging spectrograph, STIS, to examine the ionization and kinematic structure of the gas near the central black hole in the galaxy NGC 4151 (see http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/97/18.htm). Larry is second author on two conference proceedings and a paper recently published in the Astrophysical Journal based on this work.
Larry has also taken a lead role in HST/STIS observations of the active spiral galaxy M51, where he is analyzing M51's emission line data to examine the gas kinematics and to develop models for the physical conditions and ionization structure of the gas near the central supermassive black hole in M51. As first author, he presented some recent results of this research at the January meeting of the American Astronomical Society held in Atlanta, Georgia. Larry hopes to complete his Ph.D. dissertation later this year. Larry dreams of becoming an astronaut.
As a member of the ASF Web Site Team, Larry continues to develop and improve the ASF web site. He also serves as an active member of the ASHS Board of Directors. In his free time, Larry enjoys playing basketball, racquetball, softball, and football.
Scott G. Moffatt
1997-1999 Texas A&M University
Scott graduated Texas A&M last May with a masters degree in Chemical Engineering. After graduation, Scott and his wife, Regina, traveled from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. Trip highlights included white water rafting on the French Broad River in North Carolina and touring the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Scott now works as a Process Engineer for Solutia, a chemical company in Alvin, Texas. At Solutia, Scott is on the startup team for a new Acrylonitrile plant now in the construction phase. Once the plant is completed, Scott will be one of the engineers in charge of production technology, process support, and project work for the new plant.
Scott and Regina live in Houston, Texas, spending what little free time they have playing league sports and leading the Outreach ministry for their Bible Study class. They have also begun to get involved in the Houston Habitat for Humanity. During the fall, Scott and Regina re-live their recently departed college days by attending every Texas A&M home football game
Eric Nussbaumer
1999-2000 University of Colorado
Eric is slated to graduate this spring as one of the University of Colorados first joint B.S./M.S. degree program in Aerospace Engineering Sciences. Eric has worked at the Colorado Center for Astrodynamic Research, and he is an award-winning Teaching Assistant at the University of Colorado.
J. Matt Tripi
1996-1998 Pennsylvania State University
After receiving his Masters Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the M.I.T. in June, 1999, Matt accepted a structural engineering position at Simpson, Gumpertz, and Heger, Inc. in Arlington, Massachusetts. Simpson Gumpertz, & Heger specializes in Building Technology, Forensic Engineering, Engineering Mechanics and Structural Design, and Matt has worked on teams designing a number of building projects, including a Rooftop Heliport for the University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio, a multi-story teaching addition for the New York Medical College, New York, and a Baseball Stadium at St. George Station, Staten Island, NY. Matt is now working on renovation projects for the First Church of Christ, Scientist and the Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., both located in Boston.
Matt and his wife, Tessa (a registered nurse at Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, Massachusetts) live in Arlington. Matt is eagerly awaiting his Professional Engineering exam.
Shayne Short
1993-1995 Texas A&M University
Shayne successfully passed the Patent Bar Exam in April, 1999, and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in December of last year. Asked about maintaining his loyalty to Texas A&M while going to the University of Texas, Shayne said "I am definitely no longhorn, and I am very grateful to have that period of my educational life over and done!"
Shayne now works as a patent agent at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. in Austin, Texas, where he helps businesses to acquire patent protection for their up and coming technologies. Shayne took the Texas Bar Exam in February 2000, and after he passes the bar exam he will become a patent attorney. Although he lives in Austin, Shayne still keeps up with his Alma Mater and was able to make it to two Aggie football games last season.
Shayne also has some exciting events happening in his personal life. He and Diana Meyer were married on Sunday, April 16, 2000 in the Austin area. [Congratulations! Ed.]
Brian Mathason
1993-1994 Pennsylvania State University
Brian will graduate in May, 2000, from the University of Central Florida with a doctorate in Electrical Engineering. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled "All-optical clock recovery and multiwavelength switching using semiconductor optical amplifiers for high-speed optical signal processing."
Brian has also accepted a position as Senior Engineer for Corvis Corporation in Columbia, Maryland. Corvis is a pioneering start-up company in all-optical networks, providing telecommunications service providers with backbone equipment that transmits, routes, and manages long distance communications traffic in the optical domain, eliminating the need for expensive electronic regeneration and switching equipment.
Tony DeLia
1989-1991 University of Central Florida
Tony is currently working with Florida State's new School of Information Technology and Computational Sciences where he is developing software for a distance learning project. The projects goal is to create an online environment where individuals actively and directly interact with multimedia course materials, their instructors, and other students for a highly effective learning experience. While the project is in the early phases, it is already being tested at several private and public universities. Tony also provides consulting and programming services to several businesses in North and East Central Florida, with an emphasis on implementing of fast, reliable and easy to use web interfaces of internet and intranet relational databases.
Last summer, Tony completed the research for his dissertation at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, and Tony has since continued to work on several NHMFL computational projects, including a project in modeling fusion reactor core plasma dynamics.
Tony and fellow Astronaut Scholar Trent Kingery are working on a plans for a possible "Vomit Comet" experiment to take place within the next two years. The experiment will study the phenomenon of sonoluminesence in a microgravity environment for the first time. Anyone interested in participating in this experiment (to be conducted at the Johnson Spaceflight Center), should contact Lisa Beeson at Lisa@AstronautScholars.org, Tony at delia@magnet.fsu.edu, or Trent Kingery at tc_kingery@hotmail.com.
Tony spent the winter holiday break in Washington D.C. While at Arlington National Cemetery visiting the grave of a friends grandfather, Tony noticed a remarkable black marble obelisk with the inscription "Apollo 12" just 50 yards away. Tony discovered on a closer look that this impressive headstone belonged to Pete Conrad, noting that "It was quite an unexpected and solemn moment." Tony will not forget that location and plans to make a trip to again visit this site where a very special man, astronaut, and former ASF vice-chair was laid to rest.
Lisa Beeson
1987-90 Georgia Institute of Technology
During the past year, Lisa continued working in her career as a Senior Vice President of Control Center, LLC. In addition to the Engineering department, she is responsible for the Project Management, Quality, Engineering Services, and Human Resources at the 125 employee company. Control Center has experienced over 100% growth in the number of employees and sales revenues during the past 12 months. Lisa is also involved in the business and financial management of the privately-owned company.
Last summer, Lisa realized a dream she had been nurturing for several years when she convinced the company owners to "startup" a new division, called the Engineering Services Division (ESD). It is an expansion of our capabilities as a distribution, engineering, and manufacturing firm. ESD provides consulting and field service engineers to a variety of customers, primarily in the power generation industry a field where Lisa has over 10 years of experience. We provide highly qualified engineers and technicians to companies that need help with instrumentation and controls, fluid systems, mechanical and electrical design, and troubleshooting of issues at operating power plants and other facilities. Control Center is also evaluating the development of a national fluid flow calibration lab in partnership with the University of Central Florida. There are only 2 labs in this country which currently provide the level of flow calibration services planned for the Florida lab, and those labs are not able to meet the increasing demand. As our natural resources, such as petroleum and other fuels, become more scarce, precise measurement and understanding of flow phenomenon is required. This lab would fill the calibration needs and also provide an outstanding research facility for UCF students and faculty alike. The plan is to implement incompressible flow capability first, followed by compressible flow and possibly two-phase flow testing abilities soon after.
Control Center is also pioneering an innovative business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solution for the power industry. In partnership with GoCo-op, Inc., we provide an Internet based solution which costs little to nothing to implement and allows companies of all sizes to capitalize on the cost savings provided by B2B e-commerce with very short startup times. The same capability is already offered to the hotel, food, and health care industries by GoCo-op.
As she has since 1991, Lisa continues to volunteer her time outside of work with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). She serves on the Board of Directors and is the Founder and President of the Astronaut Scholars Honor Society. A labor of love is coordinating the annual Astronaut Scholar Weekend in Orlando, which coincides with the Annual ASF Board of Directors meeting. This is a rare opportunity for current and past Astronaut Scholars to meet each other and astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs. Lisa is shown with Charlie Buckley, former chief of security at Kennedy Space Center from before the first Mercury flight until the first Space Shuttle mission.
Lisa and her boyfriend enjoy visiting Canaveral National Seashore in Titusville as often as possible, spending their rare free time pursuing outdoor activities together, and attending ASF and Give Kids the World events.
Dan Reichart
1994-96 Pennsylvania State University
Dan is currently a graduate student at the University of Chicago, where he will receive a Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics this spring. Dan will begin work as a Hubble Fellow at the California Institute of Technology this fall, where he work with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the 10-meter Keck Telescopes on Mauna Kea, and the High Energy Transient Explorer 2, which NASA will launch this summer.
Dan published over twenty papers at Chicago, primarily in the Astrophysical Journal. He is best known for his work on gamma-ray bursts in the field of high energy astrophysics, and in particular for his discovery of direct evidence linking gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. Science Magazine ranked this discovery as one of the top ten discoveries in science, and one of the top three discoveries in astronomy, in 1999. Dan also received the Sugarman Award for Excellence in Research for this work.
Also at Chicago, Dan received the Carl Sagan Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Donn MacMinn Award for Excellence in Service Beyond the Walls of the University for teaching radio astronomy to undergraduates at the university, to minority middle and high school students from Chicago's south side, and to undergraduate and high school participants of his summer program "Educational Research in Radio Astronomy", which he founded in 1992 and has coordinated each year since at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia.
Dan's wife, Karaleah Sabina Jones, will receive her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Northwestern University this spring. She will begin work as an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the California State University at Fullerton this fall.
Matthew Young
1986-1989 North Carolina State University
Since the last time Matt reported into the Astronaut Scholars Foundation, he left the satellite-imagery company "Aerial Images, Inc." to take a position with Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas in January, 1998. Starting as Cessnas 2nd-shift Material Review Board (MRB) engineer, Matt was responsible for the Caravan turboprop and all (6) of the Citation jet models that Cessna produced at the time. With no regular engineering support personnel available at night and no immediate supervisor, Matt gained experience quickly, and he later trained the 2nd and 3rd shift MRB staff, being appointed Supervisor for these shifts shortly before the ASHS meeting last year.
This past February, Matt accepted an offer with a small government contractor in Georgia, Adroit Systems, Inc. Matt is the Project Leader for Adroits engineering efforts in support of the Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF), having responsibility for the H-1, H-3, H-53, and H-60 helicopters and the AC-130H "Spectre" gunship. Currently, Matt is redesigning the infrared suppression system for the Spectre (the system that shields engine exhaust from enemy missiles), and he is involved in a limited redesign of the forward-looking radar. Matt has also developed a proposal to reduce the ambient cockpit noise of the Spectre gunships.
Matt continues to collaborate on an invention named the "Copterbox," as he reported in Orlando last year. Coptorbox is essentially a cardboard box with pop-up cardboard rotor blades that support the payload through auto-gyration is a low-cost parachutes alternative for the release of lightweight air cargo. Prototypes have been demonstrated to the military, and the Air Force has just released a solicitation for proposals for this type of airdrop system. If the project is approved, Matt anticipates a substantial grant for research and development.
Trent C. Kingery
1998-99 North Carolina State University
Following last springs ASF meeting, Trent had a busy year, graduating summa cum laude from North Carolina State University with a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering and giving up his Marine Sergeants chevrons for Second Lieutenants bars just two weeks later along with orders to report to Quantico, Virginia, for the six month Basic Officers Course (BOC/TBS).
TBS taught Trent the necessary skills to be an infantry platoon commander. Trent also learned and applied the "Marine Corps Warfightings" "Combined Arms Concept," directing artillery, calling and correcting Close Air Support (CAS), employing and firing every weapon in the Marine Corps inventory, and spending about two months in the field. While in the field, Trent participated in war games against other platoons and companies by using defensive, offensive, and patrolling fundamentals in both urban and woodland environments. On January 21, 2000, Trent graduated 32nd out of 220 lieutenants in his TBS company.
After graduating from TBS, Trent reported to the EA-6B Prowler squadron (VMAQ-2) that he served with as an enlisted Marine, flying with the squadron as an Electronic Countermeasures Officer for three weeks. Trent reports that the "low-level tactical formation mission we flew was an intense ride; we yanked and banked at 430 knots at 800 feet off the deck for about 40 minutes. What an adrenaline RUSH!"
Trent reported to Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma, on February 22, 2000 to attend flight school. He is currently learning how to fly the T-37 "Tweet." While difficult, with 12 hours of classroom accompanied by 6 hours homework each day, Trent is happy that he is "finally in a school that I have been aiming for my whole life." His first flight in the T-37 is scheduled for April 27th.
The most important and touching event that happened to Trent since last springs annual ASF meeting occurred during his visit to Arlington National Cemetery to pay respects to Captain "Pete" Conrad. Trent recalls that Pete Conrad touched him personally at last springs meeting, with a character and personality like no other. Before his accident, Trent recalls telling his mother about looking forward to the next years meeting so he could talk to him again.
In September, Trent will be selected to continue to fly jets or move on to fly helicopters or propeller driven aircraft. Trents goal is to fly fixed wing jets like the Hornet or the Prowler.
Amanda Kostyk
1999-2000 University of Minnesota
Amanda is in her senior year at the University of Minnesota, where she has focused her studies on microbiology. After she graduates, Amanda plans to continue her education in medical microbiology, pursuing an M.D. and a Ph.D. along the way.
Matthew A. Schneider
1999-2000 University of Washington
Construction of a Mars atmospheric simulation chamber and participation in the University of Washington Astrobiology (UWA) program have led to an exciting year for Matt. Matts Mars atmospheric simulation chamber is designed to characterize how a molecular sieve will adsorb water from the Martian atmosphere while excluding the main atmospheric constituent, carbon dioxide. The work is important because a replenishable water source on Mars will be an extremely valuable resource for human consumption, propellant production, and science experiments. In addition, the European Space Agency has exhibited interest in using the chamber as wind tunnel to test devices in the widely varying Mars atmosphere.
Matt has also greatly enjoyed the UWA program activities this year. In October, Matt attended a 4-day workshop at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), studying microorganisms from deep wells, the basalt formation determined geology of eastern Washington, the great Lake Mazama floods, and (of course) the local brewery. During the recent winter quarter, Matt led a seminar on his Mars chamber where much interest was expressed in using the chamber to perform microbiological growth experiments a totally different field of study from the chambers intended use. Matt hopes to perform some of these microbiology experiments in the future.
Matt plans to deliver another presentation on his Mars chamber in July, and he will then visit the Arctic Wildlife Refuge in Northeast Alaska with his brother. Matt anticipates that hiking in this remote location will be a great addition to his summer adventures and will be a thankful change from the busy school year. Matt reports that "I am greatly honored to be supported in my efforts by the Astronauts Scholarship Foundation and look forward to attending the upcoming Scholarship weekend in Orlando."
Jeremy E. Monat
1996-1997 Miami University
Jeremy has been working towards his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley since the fall of 1997, passing his Candidacy Exam in April, 1999. Jeremy presented a research poster at the American Chemical Society National meeting in New Orleans in August 1999 and the Journal of the American Chemical Society has accepted one of Jeremy's papers for publication in early summer of this year. Jeremy also recently gave a 20 minute talk at the ACS National Meeting in San Francisco entitled "Understanding Ultrafast Electron Injection from Solar Cell Sensitizers." This talk described how Jeremy is using femtosecond laser experiments to improve the efficiency of solar energy conversion devices.
Jeremy lives in Berkeley, where he is an avid hiker and restaurant connoisseur.
Diana Mastalerz
1999-2000 University of Kentucky
Diana reports proudly that, this May, she will be the first person in her family to graduate from college, earning a degree in Agricultural Biotechnology from the University of Kentucky. Diana has worked the past two years in a laboratory at the UK Medical Center, researching cardiovascular diseases and mapping receptor-mediated signaling pathways involved in controlling gene expression and cellular growth in the cardiovascular system. Diana spent last summer as an intern at Procter and Gamble where she learned a great deal about research at the industrial level, sparking an interest to eventually to return to the industrial setting.
Diana plans to continue her work in health care science research by entering a Ph.D. graduate program in August 2000. Diana has been busy traveling for interviews, and she is currently trying to make the tough decision of where to attend school next year (and spend the next five years of her life!).
Diana is also a very avid nature lover, spending every possible minute of her time out of doors. Whether hiking, running, or gardening, she is happiest when outside. Diana extends a special thanks to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, as her scholarship has allowed her "to spend much less time in a second job, and much more time on my school work and even a little time with the great outdoors."
Anthony J. Vinciquerra
1999-2000 Syracuse University
In the past year, Anthony presented a paper titled: "Determination of Mode I and Mode II Static and Fatigue Delamination Toughness of a Laminated Graphite/Epoxy Composite" at the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Regional Student Conference, held at MIT. Anthony won the regional AIAA conference at MIT, and as a result, was invited to present at the 38th Annual Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibition held in Reno, Nevada in January. At Reno, Anthony won the first place award for the best technical paper and presentation in the undergraduate division.
After returning from Reno, Anthony continued his research on the mechanics of composite materials and wrote a new paper titled: "Determination of Shear Dominated Fatigue Delamination Growth Rates in Laminated Composites." Anthony plans to present this paper at the AIAA Regional Student Conference this spring.
Despite the immense pleasure Anthony derives from studying differential equations, fluid dynamics, rocket propulsion and solid mechanics for the past four years [! Ed.], Anthony also finds time to bicycle competitively. Anthony rides with "Team Syracuse Cycling" in competitions throughout the northeast.
Next fall, Anthony will return Syracuse to obtain his Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering.
John E. Hofferberth
1995-1996 Miami University
John's last 12 months have focused on work toward his doctorate in synthetic organic chemistry at The Ohio State University. John completed most of the required courses and qualifying examinations last year, and he is now concentrating his efforts in the lab. John has made significant progress on his project, the synthesis of Taxol (an important anti-cancer drug) and important de novo derivatives, and his dissertation is taking shape. John's labwork and related computer simulation projects have resulted in three publications this year.
In addition to his scientific endeavors, John also found some time to travel; he spent ten days backpacking in Romania and two weeks exploring Taiwan. "The diversity of culture one finds while abroad is both inspiring and fulfilling to me. Traveling is the best way I have found to motivate myself in nearly every aspect of my life."
John W. Shaw
1987-89 Pennsylvania State University
John continues to practice law at the Wilmington, Delaware firm of Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP. John spends significant amounts of time advising start-up and early stage technology-based businesses, and he focuses his work on intellectual property litigation and transactions, along with general commercial litigation. Among other trials, John participated on the trial team that successfully defended Cypress Semiconductor Corporation against patent infringement allegations relating to Cypress semiconductor wafer manufacturing process.
John's family continues to grow, with a son and new daughter (ages 4 and 1, respectively).
Debbie Fairbrother
1990-1992 Texas A&M University
This past year, Debbie (B.S Mechanical Engineering, 1990 and M.S. Mechanical Engineering, 1992) began a new job as project manager for balloon research and development in the Balloon Program Office at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center - Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. In addition, Debbie is continuing to work on a lobed balloon system for deployment in the atmosphere of Mars that can handle more stress than a traditional spherical balloon.
The Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia is quite different from her native Texas, and Debbie has spent many weekends exploring her new surroundings.
Jessica LoDuca
1996-98 University of Central Florida
Jessica attended last years Astronaut Scholar meeting and is shown here in front of the Space Shuttle on the launch pad during a VIP tour of Kennedy Space Center.
Acknowledgements
Editor: John W. Shaw, Astronaut Scholar 1987-89, Pennsylvania State University
Publisher: Lisa A. Beeson, Astronaut Scholar 1987-90, Georgia Tech
Contributors: Astronaut Scholars and Howard Benedict, Executive Director, ASF
Many thanks to John W. Shaw for editing the newsletter this year. His outstanding writing skills and editorial aptitude truly helped make this publication great.