University of North Dakota space studies graduate students Annie Wargetz and Katrina Jackson have been chosen by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to participate in the organization’s Solar System Ambassadors Program.
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