CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars)
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Students Experience

April 2010

The MESDT program is giving students across the country the opportunity to conduct real research and contribute to our understanding of Mars. Several students have even had the chance to present their research in posters at the annual Lunar and Planetary Sciences Conference (LPSC). Three students (including two sisters) share their experience at this prestigious conference.

“My experience at LPSC was one of the best scientific experiences of my life. Words cannot describe how much it benefited me as a student and future scientist. I learned so much new information at the conferences in the day as well as understanding how a large conference works. Furthermore, the poster sessions that we attended and participated in (probably the best part of the trip for me) were truly outstanding. Not only could we learn new and interesting topics as well as broaden our minds with nouvelle ideas, my partners and I actually had the opportunity to talk to scientists and have them critique our work! I met so many people with all these exceptional ideas that have almost infected me, if you will, to start doing more projects of my own! This was an unforgettable experience—one of the best in my life!”
-A. Jowell (freshman MESDT student) 

“My experience at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference is one that is unforgettable. By attending LPSC, I learned lots of really interesting information on planetary science, and I also got insight as to what life is actually like as a scientist. Furthermore, presenting my group's poster presentation was a wonderful experience, for I had the opportunity to discuss our results with brilliant scientists who inspired me to further pursue a career in science. I met lots of really interesting people from around the world, and I realized just how lucky I was to be able to attend this conference as a high school student with the Mars Outreach for North Carolina Students, (MONS) team.”
-A. Jowell (freshman MESDT student)

“For the past two years, LPSC has really been a terrific experience for me. As I stated to [my teacher] after attending LPSC my first year, ‘It's like the discovery channel on steroids.’ LPSC has really given me insight into what a career in planetary science would look like. While at times some of the talks went over my head, there were many that I really enjoyed listening to. For example, I was very fascinated with the many talks revolving around the subsurface oceans on the moons of Saturn and Jupiter. One of the greatest parts of the whole experience was the poster session. It was really great to have top scientists from around the world compliment my work. I would really love the chance to go back to LPSC in the years to come.”
-D. Sailer (junior MESDT student)