Scott entered the program in Fall 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Physics from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. Currently, Scott works with the Arkansas Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES). Within the AGES collaboration, Scott's work primarily focuses on the properties of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Of particular interest are observational signatures of dual and binary AGN, the structure and kinematics of the environments near AGN, and empirical correlations between supermassive black holes masses and the morphology of their host galaxies. 

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Robert Beauford is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, where he studied archeology and linguistics. He has pursued a lifelong interest in rocks and minerals as a researcher, collector, and in business. Robert Beauford is the President of Wildsmith Corporation and Co-editor of Meteorite magazine. He directs the space science center's Meteorite Identification Program and is involved in the development of an electron probe microanalysis facility within the center. Robert is pursuing a PhD and is involved in meteorite and impact crater research. 

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Will Bryan is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor’s degree in geology. He joined the Space Center as a Master’s student in the fall of 2010. He is studying phyllosilicates on Mars. His passions include manned-spaceflight and sharing his excitement about space exploration with anyone and everyone. He also enjoys the perks of being a NASA brat and spends as much time as possible at his dad’s facility at Marshall Space Flight Center. He currently works at the University of Arkansas’s Mullins Library as the Geosciences/GIS Graduate Assistant and at University Relations as an intern and writer. 

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Ben Davis is a graduate of Pittsburg State University. He has a bachelor's degree in Math and Physics. Ben entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2008. As a research assistant with AGES, Ben's area of study is concerned with environmental effects on spiral galaxy structure, focusing on using two-dimensional fast fourier transform decompositions to measure galactic logarithmic spiral arm pitch angles.

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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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Amira is a PhD student in the Centre of Space and Planetary Science at the University of Arkansas. She graduated from Cairo University with a bachelor's degree in Biological/ Chemistry. She entered the graduate the program in spring 2010. Her research interest is about chemistry of planetary bodies.

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Marie-Therese Enga is a U.S. Army veteran and a graduate of Northern Arizona University with an M.S. in Applied Physics and a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy. She participated in an REU at the SETI Institute (2007) and was an NAU/NASA Space Grant intern (2006-2007) working with the USGS-Astrogeology Science Center. Her past research focused on planetary surfaces as well as optical and infrared asteroid observations. Currently she is focused on using geospatial information systems in planetary science problems. Marie is a Doctoral Academy Fellow and a GK-12 Fellow at the University of Arkansas. 

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Patricia Gavin graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with her bachelor?s degree in Space Sciences in 2008. 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 the fall of 2008. She is currently working with Dr. Vincent Chevrier studying the alteration processes of phyllosilicate minerals on the surface of Mars. She completed her internship at NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the summer of 2011 where she used computer modeling to investigate hydrothermal vents in the subsurface ocean of Jupiter?s moon Europa.

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Jennifer Hanley is a Ph.D. candidate and Doctoral Academy Fellow who entered the space and planetary science program in Fall 2008. She graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor's degree in Science of Earth Systems in 2006 and is an alumna of the Space Center REU program 2005. She is currently supported by a NASA MDAP grant to study wet chemistry results from the Phoenix lander and model the soluble regolith composition. Other projects include studying the effects of salt on regolith-atmosphere interactions and the stability of water on Mars, and spectroscopic studies of salt hydrates in the laboratory, Mars, and icy satellites.

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Adam Hughes is a graduate of Henderson State University with a bachelor of science degree in Physics. He has has worked as an intern with the Radio Science Systems Group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Adam entered the graduate program in Fall 2007. He is a member of the Arkansas Galaxy Evolution Survey at the University. His research interest are in Spiral Active Galactic Nuclei Galaxies and the Supermassive Black Holes that power them. 

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Erika Kohler is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in Meteorology and minors in Astronomy and Math. Erika entered the graduate program in Space and Planetary Science in Fall of 2010. She is part of a research group finding explanations for radar anomalies on Venus. Her primary research will focus on extrasolar planetary atmospheres. 

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Adrienn Luspay-Kuti is a graduate of Eotvos Lorand University of Sciences, with a Master's degree in Astronomy, minor in Physics. Her research project concerns Saturn's largest moon, Titan. She is involved in a NASA funded project on the evaporation rates of liquid hydrocarbons under Titan conditions. She works on experiments simulating Titan conditions in the Titan Simulation Module, installed within the Andromeda Chamber in the Space Center. She is also working on numerical modeling of the stability of lakes on Titan.

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Cassandra Marnocha is a PhD candidate and Doctoral Academy Fellow at the Space Center. Prior to joining the program in Fall 2009, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a bachelor's degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Her research is on the geomicrobiology of rock coatings from the glacially eroded valley Kärkevagge in Swedish Lappland. As an analog site for Mars, the valley is home to a variety of rock coatings that represent structural and spectral biosignatures that can be used in the search for biosignaures on Mars.

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Rebecca Mickol is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics and ecology & evolutionary biology. Rebecca has been a TA for the Summer Science Program, and has also been a summer intern at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She entered the graduate program in space and planetary science at the University of Arkansas in Fall 2011. Her research interests include astrobiology and extrasolar planets. 

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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 Ph.D. candidate and Doctoral Academy Fellow who entered the space and planetary science program in Fall 2008. He graduated from Alfred University where he majored in Physics and Mathematics and minored in Planetary Science. His research area involves modeling the stability and transport of water and water ice on Mars and Iapetus and the development of theoretical frameworks to calculate out of thermal equilibrium mass transfer processes. Ongoing projects include the stability of martian paleolakes accounting for the effects of lake chemistry, martian atmosphere-regolith interactions, sublimation of water ice on Iapetus and implications on the global albedo dichotomy, and calculating Iapetus' thermal inertia and dark material thickness. Edgard is currently the graduate student representative.

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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 isotopic analysis of extraterrestrial materials (meteorites, lunar rocks) to learn more about their origin and evolution. 

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Sandeep graduated from Northern Arizona University with a BS in Physics and Astronomy and a minor in Math. He spent his junior and senior year working with USGS in Flagstaff, studying hydrothermal activities on the Martian surface. His focus at university if Arkansas will be on Planetary Atmospheres mainly studying Titan. His advisor is Dr. Vincent Chevrier. 

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Navita Sinha is a graduate of Patna University, India, with a bachelor's and a Master's degree in Chemistry. She has spent several years teaching at junior and high schools in India before returning to University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Navita entered the graduate program in space and planetary science in Fall 2010. Her research interests include the possibility of life on other planetary bodies, such as Mars and Enceladus. 

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Matthew Sylvest is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering, focusing on Thermo and Fluid Dynamics. After serving in the US Navy Civil Engineer Corps, he returned to Texas A&M to study Computational Fluid Dynamics. Matthew entered the graduate program in Space and Planetary Sciences Fall 2011 after spending several years as a software consultant. 

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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 Titan. 

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Undergraduate degree:- Earth Resources engineering with a minor in Remote sensing and GIS from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Admitted to SPAC :- Fall 2010 Research:- Primarily Interested in doing space propulsion system engineering for micro satellite systems At the moment, Working with Titan Research team doing research on Evaporation rates of organic compounds(methane) , Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) of these compounds at Titan conditions and analysis of Cassini SAR (Synthetic aperture radar) images of Titan, using advanced image processing techniques. 

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Annie Wintzer is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor's in geology. She entered the graduate program in Fall 2010. Her research interests are remote sensing and Martian geomorphology.

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Kim Zoldak recieved her B.S. in Meteorology from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009. She is working toward her PhD in Space and Planetary Sciences and working on Astrophysics research under Dr. Julia Kennefick. She is a NASA Space Science Student Ambassador and leads educational outreach events across NW-Arkansas. Kim is also the outreach coordinator for the Student Astronomical Society on campus.

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