SUU Student Joins NASA Europa Clipper Intern Program
Published: July 12, 2024 | Author: Kierstin Holloway | Read Time: 2 minutes
Dallin Nelson, a computer science major attending Southern Utah University was selected to participate in NASA’s Europa ICONS (Inspiriting Clipper: Opportunities for the Next-generation Scientists) internship program.
Only 40 undergraduate applicants from across the nation were selected for this prestigious opportunity to support NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. Throughout the 10-week program, students are matched with mentors from the mission’s team to conduct original research on subjects pertaining to the Europa Clipper mission.
Nelson’s goal while attending the internship is to create a machine-learning model that will take images from the surface of Europa and automatically identify craters to figure out how old the surface is and begin to build a geological history of Europa. According to Nelson, a machine-learning model can do this much faster and often more accurately than humans.
”I would love to continue being involved with NASA and this is the perfect opportunity for me to get to know people who are involved with NASA and get hands-on experience doing scientific work,” said Nelson. “Another huge benefit I am getting from this opportunity is the new experiences. I have already learned so much about so many aspects of science and machine learning so far through this job and eagerly anticipate learning much more.”
Nelson credits many of the classes he has taken at SUU with laying an important foundation for the new concepts and knowledge he is gaining through this internship, specifically, Dr. Nathan Barker’s classes. These classes have been Nelson’s’ favorite part of the computer science program at SUU. He appreciates Dr. Barker’s ability to teach in a way that is easy to understand and his willingness to adjust the pace of instruction to better suit the needs of his students.
“I have had Dallin in several of my classes,” said Dr. Nathan Barker, computer science professor at SUU. “He has been a great student. I am sure Dallin will do great things during this internship and represent SUU students in a very positive way during his future career.”
“‘I'm most excited about the fact I am doing original research and learning about space, that's always been a dream of mine and I just think that's so cool,” said Nelson.
The mission of the Cyber Security and Computer Science Department at SUU is to provide a learning-centered environment that enables students, faculty, and staff to achieve their goals. The faculty works to empower their students to soar, enabling them to compete on a global level for careers in government, industry, and secondary education.
Tags: Student Computer Science Academic
Contact Information:
Brooke Heath
435-586-5400
brookeheath1@suu.edu