Unlocking the challenge of growing food in space: A conversation with Luke Fountain, Ph.D., NASA Postdoctoral Fellow
Luke Fountain, Ph.D., is a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow on the Space Crop Production Team at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The UK native's research focuses on on supplementing astronauts' diet with fresh food that is grown in space. "Eventually, we're hoping to replace calories. And as we transition to become more earth-independent, obviously, we want the astronauts to be able to supply, grow more of their own food, so we're less reliant on resupply," he said during his interview for Further Together. Fountain adds that growing plants in space is not easy, and that part of the challenge involves the significantly higher carbon dioxide levels in the International Space Station, where experiments involving plants take place. Learn more about Fountain's research and its importance to future space flight during this episode. Learn more about the NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at https://npp.orau.org/
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'I can't imagine not working at NASA:' A conversation with Bradley Gay, Ph.D., NASA Postdoctoral Fellow
Bradley Gay, Ph.D., describes both his career and life paths as a “long-winding, topsy-turvy journey,” but the long road he took to get to the NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program was clearly worth it. Gay is a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he studies permafrost carbon feedback in Arctic tundra. In this episode of the Further Together: The ORAU Podcast, Gay talks about his research, why it is important, his career trajectory and more. He also highly recommends the NASA NPP program as a place for up-and-coming scientists to find their place. To learn more about NASA NPP, or to apply for a Postdoctoral Fellowship, visit https://npp.orau.org/
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Getting paid to do what you love: A conversation with Sanchita Pal, Ph.D., NASA NPP Fellow
Sanchita Pal, Ph.D., is a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow studying solar storms at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. In this episode of Further Together, Pal discusses the planetary impact of solar storms. “Earth has a magnetosphere, so that actually protects us from the heavy impact of these solar storms. But other planets like Mars and Venus, which do not have magnetospheres, are very much affected by these kinds of storms because they can lose their atmospheric mass, which is a huge field of study right now, as we are planning to go to Mars in the Artemis Mission.” Pal talks about growing up in India, moving to Finland for her research, how her interest in solar storms began, and how she leapt at the NPP opportunity. To learn more about the NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, visit https://npp.orau.org/about/orau.html
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Committed to the people and the mission: A conversation with Jim Sears, ORAU senior vice president
When Jim Sears retired from the U.S. Air Force after 33 years of service, friends and mentors told him he would miss two things: the people and the mission. Since joining ORAU as senior vice president a year ago, Sears says those are the things that keep him coming to work every day. That "has really been better than I could have expected for my first step on this second mountain of a journey," he said during a recent interview for Further Together: The ORAU Podcast. In this episode Sears discusses his career journey, the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in an ever-changing federal government landscape, why he and his wife moved to East Tennessee. and what brings him joy.
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Break it or build it, think differently: Ashley Stowe, Ph.D., ORAU Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer
Ashley Stowe, Ph.D., is ORAU's new Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer. An accomplished scientist and inventor, Stowe joined ORAU after an 18-year career at the Y-12 National Security Complex that included standing up the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center. In this episode of Further Together, the ORAU Podcast, Stowe talks about the excitement he has for the work being done by the Research and University Partnerships Office, including the focus on nuclear energy workforce capacity-building through the ORAU STEM Accelerator, the various grant programs offered to University Consortium Members, and the possibilities for research opportunities open to any employee at ORAU. All that his office manages has the potential to benefit our government agency customers and help grow the company. Check it out now!
Join your host Michael Holtz as he discuss all things ORAU, through interviews with our experts who provide innovative scientific and technical solutions for our customers. Michael and his guests will talk about ORAU’s storied history, how we’re impacting an ever-changing world, as well as our commitment to our community.
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