Satellites Lasers, and Drones

Christina Brooks: Hi, I am Christina Brooks. I will be graduating from Old Dominion University in the fall with a Bachelor’s of Science. My major is Ocean and Earth Sciences with a concentration in Geology. I currently work in the Center for Geospatial and Visualization Computing. I am pursuing a career in GIS because it allows me to constantly learn and is a challenge.

Shannon Cofield: Hi, I’m Shannon Cofield. I’m a Geological Oceanography PhD student in the Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Department at Old Dominion University. My research utilizes Arctic sedimentology to reconstruct Arctic climates during glacial periods. Additionally, I work with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop orbital geologic maps on Mars. Our maps are being used by the MSL Curiosity rover team to plan daily science missions, and to select a final landing site for the upcoming Mars2020 rover.

Charlie Carlson: Hello, my name is Charlie Carlson and I am a third year master student at Old Dominion University. At Eckerd College, I received my bachelors of science in marine geophysics with minors in math, chemistry and coastal management. My masters project involves using the fields of computer science, oceanography, hydrogeology and physics to solve numerical models for groundwater flow near the coast. Sharing knowledge is a passion of mine and I hope to inspire the high schoolers at ODU Blast this summer!

Cody Ryan: Hello, I’m Cody Ryan. I’m a recent graduate with a B.S in Geography with a focus in GIS. I’m from the Ham Capital of the World, Smithfield, VA. My primary interests are cartography, transportation, politics, and the environment. I plan to pursue a career that involves creating, using, and analyzing maps of all kinds.

Water Water Everywhere and No Place to Go

Homa Jalaeian Taghadomi – My name is Homa, and I am a Ph.D. student at Civil and Environmental Engineering department. My research is related to the environmental engineering, some examples are: study of the effects of sea level rise on hydrology: case study in a typical mid-Atlantic coastal watershed and assessment of household electrical and electronic waste management.

Maryam Ehsaei – My name is Maryam Ehsaei and I am a Ph.D. candidate at Old Dominion University. I am pursuing Civil and Environmental Engineering with a concentration in Structural/ Transportation Engineering. I currently work as a Research/Teaching Assistant in CEE department, working on large-scale data analysis. I would like to follow a career in academia as a university professor and a researcher.

Our Home Planet and its Place in the Cosmos

Erik Johnson – Hello, my name is Erik Johnson. I am going into my third year of graduate studies with the physics department here at Old Dominion. My specialization is in accelerator science. In this field we design and operate powerful machines to accelerate atomic particles to almost the speed of light. We can use these accelerated particles for a number of things from vulcanizing tires to making chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatments. I plan to build a smaller, accelerator-based laser inside an airplane ion order to measure the carbon content in the atmosphere around the world.

Victoria Lagerquist  is a graduate student in the physics department at Old Dominion University. There, she studies the complex nature of subatomic particles using high energy collisions to investigate their underlying structures. She enjoys volunteering in outreach events and loves educating the public on all topics of physics.

Robots in Hazardous Environment

Nicole Tennant – Hey! I’m Nicole Tennant and I am entering my senior year at ODU. I am majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in mechanical systems and design. I am a mechanical engineering intern at a forensic company, Forensic Analysis and Engineering Corporation (FAEC). Along with working at FAEC, I am assisting with the research of an anthropomorphic design of a fully functioning prosthetic hand. At ODU I have designed, built, and coded, a Komodo Dragon robot. It was this project that lead to my passion for robotics and the desire to pursue a career in the field.

Gabriel Popescu – Hi, my name is Gabe Popescu, and I am a sophomore student at the University of Virginia. My major is Biomedical Engineering with a Minor in Electrical Engineering. I am a brother of the Psi Chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa, a member of UVA’s Model UN club. In my free time I play guitar and piano.

Andre Cumberland – Hello, my name is Andre Cumberland, and I am a junior at Old Dominion University majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. I am a NASA STEM Bridge scholar, a Certified Solid Works Associate, and a member of the Association for Computing Machinery. I am also a Trombone Section Leader in the ODU Monarch Marching band.

Kevin Ellsworth-Wicker – Hello, my name is Kevin Ellsworth-Wicker. I am a senior at Old Dominion University majoring in Technology Education. Currently I am a substitute teacher in the Virginia Beach Public School Systems. Im working toward getting my teaching certification in Technology Education to teach construction tech at the high school level.

Cheyanne Sparkman – Hello I am Cheyanne Sparkman, a IB student at Oscar Smith High School. I enjoy STEAM related activities including  my recent interest in building robots. In my spare time I act and play basketball. My plan is to attend college majoring in Biology and Pre-Med.

Radomyr Couture – Hi! I am Radomyr Couture, a student at Old Donation School in Virginia Beach. I have been building and programming robots since I was 9 years old, and have been a member of my school’s Robotics and Cyber Innovation teams for several years. I love Math, Science, and History. After school, I also enjoy swimming, surfing, flying drones and traveling.

Building Drones

Brian Duval is a graduate student in Mechanical and Aerospace department at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia.

Teachers in Training

Kevin Ellsworth-Wicker – Hello, my name is Kevin Ellsworth-Wicker. I am a senior at Old Dominion University majoring in Technology Education. Currently I am a substitute teacher in the Virginia Beach Public School Systems. Im working toward getting my teaching certification in Technology Education to teach construction tech at the high school level.

• Chelsea When