Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Life as a student these days can involve much more than just classes. Several new NASA initiatives aim to involve college students in mission science in all areas, including instrument design and development. NASA’s new PUNCH mission includes a student-built x-ray spectrometer as part of its instrument suite, which will provide valuable diagnostic data that can help the PUNCH team understand how the corona is heated as well as how the solar wind undergoes its initial acceleration from the surface of the Sun. This week we talk with one CU student who is the project manager for the instrument team, facilitating the collaboration between students and scientists.
Mary Hanson is a CU student and project manager for the Student Thermal Energetic Activity Module (STEAM), part of NASA’s PUNCH mission, where she helps to explore and coordinate outreach opportunities between the STEAM Team and the PUNCH Outreach Program. Her own outreach experience includes giving presentations at Colorado high schools and middle schools about her experiences in engineering. Mary has also worked with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium since 2017 as a structural engineer and project manager.
Fiske is one of the largest planetariums in the US, having served CU Boulder & the local community since 1975. We offer a diverse range of fulldome films, live talks, laser and liquid sky shows, as well as public gatherings for astronomical and NASA-related events.
Follow Fiske Planetarium:
Website | https://www.colorado.edu/fiske
Instagram | instagram.com/fiskeplanet
Facebook | facebook.com/teamfiske
Life as a student these days can involve much more than just classes. Several new NASA initiatives aim to involve college students in mission science in all areas, including instrument design and development. NASA’s new PUNCH mission includes a student-built x-ray spectrometer as part of its instrument suite, which will provide valuable diagnostic data that can help the PUNCH team understand how the corona is heated as well as how the solar wind undergoes its initial acceleration from the surface of the Sun. This week we talk with one CU student who is the project manager for the instrument team, facilitating the collaboration between students and scientists.
Mary Hanson is a CU student and project manager for the Student Thermal Energetic Activity Module (STEAM), part of NASA’s PUNCH mission, where she helps to explore and coordinate outreach opportunities between the STEAM Team and the PUNCH Outreach Program. Her own outreach experience includes giving presentations at Colorado high schools and middle schools about her experiences in engineering. Mary has also worked with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium since 2017 as a structural engineer and project manager.
Fiske is one of the largest planetariums in the US, having served CU Boulder & the local community since 1975. We offer a diverse range of fulldome films, live talks, laser and liquid sky shows, as well as public gatherings for astronomical and NASA-related events.
Follow Fiske Planetarium:
Website | https://www.colorado.edu/fiske
Instagram | instagram.com/fiskeplanet
Facebook | facebook.com/teamfiske
