Dixie Androes is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a bachelor's degree in Earth Science and a Master's degree in Geology. She has spent several years teaching at Northwest Arkansas Community College before returning to school. Dixie entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2007. Her research interests are in planetary geology and education.

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Scott (Robert) Barrows is a graduate of Rhodes College with a bachelor's degree in Physics. He has participated in REU programs in physics (UT-Austin) and space physics (Southwest Research Institute). Scott entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2007. His research will focus on binary stars. He is a member of the student planetarium board at the space center.

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David Blackburn is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. His interest in space started in childhood. David entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2007. His research area will be planetary atmospheres. He is a member of the student planetarium board at the space center. David is a Doctoral Academy Fellow at the University of Arkansas.

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Shelly Bursick is a graduate of Southern Oregon University with a bachelor's degree in Physics. She has a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Arkansas. She entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Spring 2005. Shelly's research project concerns quasars. Her current research is reduction and analysis of observational data from the Oxford Dartmouth Wide Field Survey (ODTS) in the search for quasars at high redshift. To visit Shelly's Web site, paste link into browser: http://www.freewebs.com/shellybursick/.

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Katherine Coleman is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a bachelor's and Master's degree in Geology. Her masters thesis focused on a classification of depressions on the martian surface. She subsequently entered the graduate program in space and planetary science, starting in Fall 2006. Her current research project concerns gully formation on Mars. Kate is also a member of the student planetarium board at the space center and is an active participant in center outreach for K-12.

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Jonathan Craig is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Physics/Geology. He entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Spring 2006. Jonathan is a space center REU 2004 alumnus. He is working on the thermal and radiation history of extraterrestrial materials using their thermoluminescence and cathodoluminescence properties with a view to applying them to comet and interplanetary dust particles recently returned by the Stardust mission.

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Ben Davis is a graduate of Pittsburgh State University. He has a bachelor's degree in Math and Physics. Ben entered the graduate program in Fall 2008.

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Ahmed El Shafie is a graduate of the University of Cairo, Egypt. He has a bachelor's degree in Space Science. Ahmed entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2006. His research concerns the development of instruments for use in space.

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Patricia Gavin is a graduate of the Florida Institute of Technology. She has a bachelor's degree in Space Science. She is an alumna of the Space Center REU program 2006 and returned for summer research in 2007. Patricia entered the graduate program in space and planetary sciences in Fall 2008.

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Katherine Gietzen is a graduate of Southwest Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in Physics Education and Mathematical Science. She also has a master's degree in Math from SMSU. Katherine worked in the private sector and as a high school teacher for several years before returning to school. She entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Spring 2005. Her research project concerns characterization of asteroids. Kathy is a member of the student planetarium board at the space center.

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Jennifer Hanley is a graduate of Cornell University. She has a bachelor's degree in Science of Earth Systems. She is an alumna of the Space Center REU program 2005. Jennifer entered the graduate program in space and planetary sciences in Fall 2008.

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Kelly Howe is a graduate of SUNY Geneseo. She has a bachelor's degree in Geology. She is alumna of the Space Center REU program 2007. Kelly entered the graduate program in space and planetary sciences in Fall 2008.

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Adam Hughes is a graduate of Henderson State University. He has a bachelor's degree in Physics. He has performed undergraduate research at the Jet Proplusion Laboratory and worked in the planetarium at his undergraduate school. Adam entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2007. His research area will be super-massive black holes. He is the chair of the student planetarium board at the space center.

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Obadiah Kegege is a graduate of the University of Houston with a bachelor's degree in Control and Instrumentation Electronics Design. He has a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas Pan American. He entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2007. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in space and planetary sciences, working in a collaborative research with the electrical engineering department. His research interests are in development of sensors, controls, and NASA mission-critical electronic components that can withstand extreme radiation and temperature swings of the space environment.

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Daniel Ostrowski is a graduate of Carroll College with a bachelor's degree in Chemistry. He is an alumnus of the space center REU program 2005. Dan entered the graduate program in space and planetary sciences in Fall 2006 where he is continuing to pursue his research interests in asteroids.

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Robert Pilgrim is a graduate of the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. He has a bachelor's degree in Astrophysics. Rob also spent an additional year at the University of Oklahoma where he was able to study mission design and spacecraft systems. He entered the graduate program in space and planetary sciences in Fall 2006. His research project concerns instrument development for use in space; he is currently working on a NASA-funded project, OPRA, which is a project to develop an optical probe for regolith anaylsis for use on Mars. Rob has been actively involved with the space center planetarium and in center outreach to K-12. To visit Rob's Web site, please cut and paste link into browser: http://comp.uark.edu/~rpilgrim/

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Edgard G. Rivera-Valentin is a graduate of Alfred University with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Physics. He entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2008. His research area primarily involves the numerical modeling of heat and mass transfer processes on the Martian surface along with modeling the fluid mechanics of Martian gullies. Edgard is a Doctoral Academy Fellow at the University of Arkansas.

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Fatemeh Sedaghatpour is a graduate of Shiraz University, Iran. She has a bachelor's and Master's degree in Chemistry. She entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2006. Her research interests are in radiation and thermal history of extraterrestrial materials (meteorites, comets-STARDUST).

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Henry Turner is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a bachelor's degree in Geology. He also has a master's degree in Geology from the University of Arkansas. Henry is currently working on a Ph.D. in space and planetary sciences. His research project concerns subduction zone dynamics in obliquely convergent margins using examples from Nicaragua and the Lesser Antilles. Henry is a Distinguished Doctoral Fellow at the University of Arkansas.

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Felix Wasiak is a graduate of SUNY Buffalo with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. He spent many years working as an aerospace engineer for Northrup-Grumman before returning to school. Felix entered the graduate program in space and planetary sciences in Fall 2007. His research interests concern Enceladus.

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