This program requires its volunteers to organize outreach events about space science topics for their local communities.

As part of their outreach events, Jackson and Wargetz designed a series for the spring 2013 semester titled “Outer Space in the Great Plains.”

Their public presentations have addressed topics such as “exoplanets” and Jupiter’s moons, underscoring their passion for sharing science and inspiring others to seek out new worlds of knowledge.

But from where do they derive their passions?

Wargetz

Annie Wargetz

Her email handle is “Annie Astra,” a super indicator that she’s into everything related to space.

Wargetz, who hails from Houston, Texas, is a space studies master’s degree candidate whose enthusiasm for this field burns as bright as a supernova.

That enthusiasm shines bright because of passion.  She explains that there is a big difference between “interest” in a subject and a passion for it.

“Interest is something that I can read about on the Internet for about five minutes, but I don’t necessarily feel anything,” said Wargetz.  “Passion is whenever I’m explaining something to someone about space, and I feel energized because it’s something that I want to share, something that I want to get the word out about.  You can’t sit still when you’re talking about it.”

Such passion comes, in part, from being inspired by the right people, Wargetz notes.

“My parents, for example, taught me that I could do whatever I wanted to,” Wargetz said.  “Another example was a teacher in college.  I actually thought that I wasn’t very good at math, but my first calculus professor sat me down and explained to me why I wasn’t getting it.  I ended up getting a minor in math because of the way that teacher talked with me.

“Inspiration is all about people who build you up, not pull you down.  Good teachers are vital to any career.”

Jackson

Katrina Jackson

Katrina Jackson likes to think of media and entertainment as a great source of inspiration.

In The Magic School Bus, a series of children’s books about science penned by Joanna Cole, Miss Frizzle and her class board a magical school bus that takes them on field trips into space and other impossible places.  The books were developed into a popular children’s television series starring the celebrated comedian Lily Tomlin as Miss Frizzle.

“It was one of my favorite TV shows,” said Jackson, who is from the Washington, D.C. area.  “My mom used to dress up as Miss Frizzle and do experiments for my birthday parties.  It inspired my passion in science, and contributed to my desire to inspire others through entertainment media.  I pursued this desire at the University of Arizona, where I studied planetary science, astronomy and media and theater arts.

“My mentor there, Dr. Dante Lauretta, told me about UND’s Space Studies graduate program because of its interdisciplinary nature and because multiple people from the University of Arizona have come to this program, like Dr. Ron Fevig.

“I would love to work with science-related TV shows, especially entertainment shows like The Big Bang Theory.  That way, I can combine my interests in space science, theater arts and communication to get the public excited about space and science.”

Wargetz and Jackson’s next outreach presentation will be an interactive segment on where aliens might find critical resources.

Solar System Ambassadors Program

Juan Miguel Pedraza

Participating in the signing ceremony for the University of North Dakota and the University of Bergen (UiB), Norway, were (left to right) UND’s Steve Benson, chair of the Petroleum Engineering Department; Hesham El-Rewini, dean of the College of Engineering and Mines; Pål Davidsen of UiB’s Faculty of Social Sciences; and Scott Johnson, principal adviser to UND’s Institute for Energy Studies. UiB is a leader in System Dynamics, applying conceptual and formal computer modeling to explore a wide range of complex issues.

Another energizing connection to Norway

The pipeline between the University of North Dakota and Norway just got a little wider with the signing of a student and faculty exchange agreement that centers on petroleum research and social sciences research.

On March 19, Hesham El-Rewini, dean of the College of Engineering and Mines, which oversees the Institute for Energy Studies (IES) and the Petroleum Engineering Program at UND, signed a memorandum of understanding with Pål Davidsen of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Bergen (UiB), Norway.  The signing paves the way for two academic and research powerhouses to collaborate efforts on teaching, learning, and research aimed at a wide range of energy opportunities and challenges.

The agreement promotes the exchange of faculty, research scholars, and students between the two institutions, and recognizes each institution as being a leader in their respective fields of interest.  UND’s IES and Petroleum Engineering Program are growing rapidly and are highly regarded for energy research and education of petroleum engineers for the oil and gas industry.  The Faculty of Social Sciences at UiB is a leader in “System Dynamics” education, research methods and technology.

What is System Dynamics?  The approach uses conceptual and formal computer modeling to facilitate communication, knowledge sharing and learning across the wide range of industry, state, community, and academic stakeholders involved with highly complex systems such as the energy industry.

Navarro

The System Dynamics approach looks for ways the petroleum industry can work synergistically with other societal facets to embrace opportunities and overcome challenges.

“If you are not looking for opportunities like this, that’s when you start to have problems,” said Davidsen, who represented Knut Helland, UiB dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, at the signing event.

UND already has a number of academic and cultural links to

Norway, including a popular faculty and student exchange program with the American College of Norway in Moss.  UND’s Chester Fritz Library Department of Special Collections also is home to the world’s largest collection of Bygdebøker, compilations of local Norwegian genealogical, cultural and geographical information, thanks to Arne Brekke, a Norwegian immigrant, retired UND languages professor, and successful tour business proprietor.

The agreement between UND and UiB is the initial part of what could become a much broader research and exchange relationship between the two institutions.

Light

Rachel Navarro

Rachel Navarro, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Community Services, was awarded the Henry Tomes Award by The Council of National Psychological Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Interests Jan. 16 in Houston, for her significant contributions to the advancement of psychology in minority communities.

Steve Light and Kathryn Rand

Steve Light, associate vice president for academic affairs and professor of political science and public administration, and Kathryn Rand, dean of the law school — UND’s resident experts on everything Indian gaming and casinos — are revising one of their influential books: Indian Gaming Law and Policy.  The book has become the de facto handbook on Indian gaming law at law schools across the country, so popular, in fact, that its publisher, Carolina Academic Press, recently asked the authors to produce a new edition.  They hope to see it in classrooms this fall.

Rand

Phyllis Johnson

Vice President for Research and Economic Development Phyllis Johnson has been reappointed to the national Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.  This will be her second three-year term of service representing academics/researchers.  Johnson also is chairwoman of the ISAC Research Subcommittee.

“One of the niches I fill on ISAC is that I am an advocate for systematics and taxonomy — the science of naming and classifying all biological organisms,” Johnson said.  “It’s hard to develop controls for invasive plants, animals, insects, fungi, etc., if you don’t know exactly what organisms you are dealing with.”

Johnson has been UND’s vice president for research and economic development since August 2009.

David Dodds

On May 31, 2008, Karen Nyberg became the first UND graduate to go into space. During her 14-day mission to the International Space Station, she found time to unfurl this tribute to her alma mater.

NASA and its International Space Station (ISS) partners have chosen University of North Dakota graduate Karen Nyberg to be part of a crew destined for a mission aboard the space station, beginning in late May.  This elite group will be the 36th crew to live and work aboard the ISS.

Nyberg, a Vining, Minn., native, is the first UND alum and only the sixth Minnesotan ever to launch into space.  Her first mission was aboard the space shuttle Endeavour.  She graduated summa cum laude from UND in 1994 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Nyberg, a NASA flight engineer, will launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, and arrive at the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft on May 28.  She is slated to return to Earth in November.

Nyberg said her UND experience helped propel her into space:  “UND has a great engineering program.  It definitely gives you what you need, and it’s a size that allows you to get personal attention if you need it.

“We have a lot of people from Purdue who work here at NASA; we have a lot of people from Texas A&M, Harvard, MIT, and a lot of Ivy League schools.  But with UND, the education is as solid, and maybe more.  It was great preparation for my basic engineering skills.”

Nyberg added that there are “a number of folks at (Johnson Space Center) that have taken the long-distance Internet learning program from UND’s Space Studies Department.  And with the AgCam (now ISSAC) project, you definitely hear about UND.”

Although Nyberg is a technical whiz, she enjoys many other recreational interests: running, sewing, drawing, painting, backpacking, piano, and spending time with family.  She uses her free time in space to catch up on her favorite pastimes.

Once aboard the ISS, astronauts are required to perform at least two hours of exercise each day to combat loss of muscle tone.  The ISS will allow Nyberg to enjoy her running while on a specially designed treadmill that uses a harness to hold her in place.  On the ground, flight surgeons and trainers keep a close eye on workouts to provide insight to future crews and also to analyze beneficial impacts for those of us on Earth.

Kate Menzies

Chimote

One of the ways the EERC gains and maintains that perspective is through the breadth of its employees’ personal experience.  Many EERC employees have come to the middle of the North American continent from countries all over the globe, enriching the EERC’s research with their different worldviews and perspectives, their knowledge and experience, and their creative problem-solving abilities.

The countries of origin of permanent and temporary employees, visiting researchers, and students at the EERC since just 1997 is a list of countries of the world: Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Iran, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia.  More international employees have come from China and India than any other country.

Liu

Although individual employee goals may vary, one of the most common reasons they give for wanting to work at the EERC is the opportunity to solve global energy and environmental problems and gain first-hand experience working with the EERC’s preeminent teams of scientists and engineers.  International employees clearly bring as much to the EERC as they get, however.  Five of the EERC’s current employees, their hometowns, and their educational training are highlighted here.

Saurabh Chimote, Web developer/administrator, came from Mumbai, Bombay, India, to attend the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a Master of Science in Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration.  Chimote came to the EERC in 2010 because of a “good job opportunity working with some sharp minds in a great organization.”

Luo

Guoxiang “Gavin” Liu, research manager, came from Kunming City, Yunnan Province, in the southwestern part of China. Liu received his bachelor’s degree in analytical chemistry from Yunnan Normal University, P.R. China; his master’s degree in computer science from Leiden University, The Netherlands; and his Ph.D. degree in civil and environmental engineering from West Virginia University.  He is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in mechanical engineering, with a focus on computational fluid dynamics, at West Virginia University.  Liu joined the EERC in 2009 and appreciates the “family-like cooperation and teamwork for such great projects at the EERC.”

Kan Luo, research scientist, left Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, in P.R. China, to obtain her Ph.D. in polymer chemistry at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.  Luo was encouraged by a colleague to apply for a job opening at the EERC in 2009.  She said, “I feel fortunate to work with such great professionals while pursuing my career goals here at the EERC.”

Saini

Dayanand Saini, research manager, received his B.S. in chemical engineering from the Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, India, and then joined Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, a national oil company in India, as a reservoir engineer.  A keen interest in research led Saini to Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, where he earned a Ph.D. in petroleum engineering.  Saini came to the EERC in 2011 and said, “The main catalysts for my joining the EERC were the unique position of the EERC in the area of CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and storage research through the PCOR Partnership and, in general, a great opportunity to conduct research for developing new EOR technologies for unconventional Bakken reservoirs.”

Sun

Jenny Sun, research scientist, came from Beijing, P.R. China, to attend South Dakota State University, where she obtained an M.S. in analytical chemistry.  Sun has been at the EERC since 1990 and said she “has had the privilege of witnessing the EERC grow in the past twenty-some years.”

Whatever their reasons for wanting to be here and wherever they come from, the approximately 300 employees at the EERC share a common goal of making the world a better and cleaner place to live.

Sandy Van Eck and Trish McGuire