The Klahr-Spivack Environmental Field Experience Fund supports undergraduate students in pursuing field experiences, community engagement, and professional development related to environmental science and climate change. Angelica Kusen (Honors Environmental Science, ’24) – a Climate Scholar and Klahr-Spivack Fellow – spent her summer as a NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) intern in Wallops Island, Virginia.
Image (Above): Angelica (center) with fellow SARP interns on a flight to collect airborne data.
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Here’s how she describes the experience:
Being a NASA SARP intern this past summer was a transformative experience. I had the unique opportunity to tour NASA facilities and fly aboard NASA’s P-3 and B200 aircraft. Working with fellow interns, faculty, and scientists, we collected airborne data on air quality, trace gases, and tree canopy structure. Shortly after I joined the atmospheric science research group, our team gathered whole air samples in Baltimore, MD, to ground-truth airborne data.
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After gaining fieldwork experience, each team member had the opportunity to design their very own research project. Driven by my personal interest in air-sea interactions, I spent the final weeks of the program analyzing the coupling of Aerosol Optical Depth and chlorophyll-a concentrations in two contrasting regions from 2019 to 2021, using remote sensing and model reanalysis data.
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Working alongside experts and like-minded peers not only enhanced my skills but also deepened my passion for atmospheric science. I gained essential skills in data analysis, fieldwork, and research design, which will be crucial in future studies and my career.
Image: Angelica presenting her research to the SARP program.
