Sophia Dixon is a University of Arizona Junior majoring in Environmental Science. Sophia works with Dr. Jason Williams from the USDA Agricultural Research Service at the Southwest Watershed Research Center (SWRC) on a project titled "Influence of soil attributes and biological soil crusts on rangeland and woodland hydrology."

Jacob Chambers is a University of Arizona Senior majoring in Computer Science. Jacob works with Dr. Carlos Vargas from the Steward Observatory on a project titled "Aspera: Revealing the Diffuse Universe."

Kylianne Chadwick is a University of Arizona Sophomore majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Kylianne works with Daniel Stolte from the University Communications Department as a science communication intern for the UANews.

Lynn Carroll is a University of Arizona Senior majoring in Biosystems Engineering. Lynn works with Dr. Vasiliki Karanikola from the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department on a project titled "Off-Grid Water Purification Systems."

Laurinne Blanche is a University of Arizona Junior majoring in Materials Science and Engineering. Laurinne works with Dr. Andrew Ryan from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory on a project titled "3D scanning and shape analysis development for asteroid samples".

Nick Blanchard is a University of Arizona Senior majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Nick works with Dr. Sergey Shkarayev from the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department on a project titled "UAVs for cave explorations on Earth and other planets."

Jackson Barger is a University of Arizona Junior majoring in Aerospace Engineering. Jackson works with Dr. Stuart Craig from the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department on hypersonic wind tunnel testing.

Hanga Andras-Letanovszky is a University of Arizona Sophomore majoring in Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics. Hanga works with Dr. Yancy Shirley from the Astronomy Department on a project titled "A Deuteration Survey of Starless Cores in the Aquila Rift."

I am a first-year master’s student in the department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Science, working with Dr. Xiquan Dong on research in the field of Meteorology. For my University of Arizona (UA)/NASA Space Grant Fellowship, I will be working with Dr. Constantino Manoli at St. Cyril of Alexandria School and the Department on bringing an underrepresented science, Meteorology, into the eighth-grade classroom. I will join Dr. Manoli in his classroom to help teach a unit about the Arizona monsoon season and the regional climate change over the Arizona sun corridor. The students will then be brought to the UA campus for a field trip where they will be able to interact with different instruments and models that aid in the forecasting and research of the seasonal monsoons and regional climate change. After this, students will complete a research project to present at El Dia, a poster session put on by the department, to gain valuable experience in research and interacting with higher education professors and students. By the end of the fellowship, I will also have created a curriculum with the goal of being able to pass this on to other schools and bridge the gap between what students are learning in higher level education and the K-12 system.

I received my bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University where I majored in Meteorology and minored in Geospatial Information Systems and Technology. Through high school, I was a mentor for students at the local elementary school and I’ve used my lifelong love of gymnastics to be a coach for kids of all ages, even throughout my time at Texas A&M. I am excited to combine my passion for meteorology and love of kids into an outreach program that can provide students with new experiences in STEM.