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Meet Dr. Mayra, Scientist for the Ionospheric and Atmospheric Remote Sensing Group and Deputy Director for the International GNSS Service Central Bureau. Growing up in Puerto Rico she was always curious but watching her community struggle with environmental disasters drove her to pursue science. After earning a B.S. in Physics, Mayra joined a field campaign across the Atlantic Ocean to measure the atmosphere and ocean to improve weather satellites, later earning her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics. Now she develops techniques to study Earth’s (and other planets') atmospheres through the application of Global Navigational Satellite Systems (GNSS), "I have come to comprehend that the best way to understand Earth is to understand its place in the Universe. Without space exploration or satellites, we wouldn’t have accurate weather prediction, nor a clear understanding of how the atmosphere system is evolving.” About JPL, “Nothing tops being surrounded by people who are truly passionate about what they do. I have never experienced that level of passion elsewhere. It is very contagious.”
Meet Gustavo, Lead System Engineer. Known as “Gus” on Lab, he’s responsible for defining and overseeing the Verification and Validation of the Telemetry, Tracking and Command Central Software, the TTC Central testbed, and ensuring the software is efficiently deployed. “Every day, I interact with engineering supporting different missions and facing their own set of challenges, I capture their needs and translate them into tasks for test engineers.” Since childhood, he always wanted to understand how things worked and became intrigued by space exploration, “I would close my eyes imagining that darkness represents the universe. This would lead me to reflect how little we are and how much there is to explore…” Later, he earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering and followed by an M.S. in Information Technology. As a student, he earned a NASA scholarship that allowed him to intern at different NASA centers: AMES, Johnson Space Center, and JPL. He says, “Since I came to JPL for the first time, I noticed the sense of community and pride of the work that we do at JPL, which I love.”
Meet Adriana, Lead Project Resource Analyst for Europa Clipper. A Los Angeles native, she graduated with a degree in Business Administration and later earned her MBA. Her career began as a Project Scheduling Analyst intern. In 2016, she joined JPL and works closely with a team to add four new antennas at the various Deep Space Network facilities around the world. “I am responsible for a breath of financial- related requirements… [and] I enjoy doing this because I feel that I can help the engineering community navigate through what can sometimes be an overwhelming amount of financial data and reports.” What she likes about JPL, “[It’s] the people. Every day I am impressed by how much pride people take in their work and professionalism. I have also met great friends and created long-lasting relationships.” While at JPL, Adriana has become involved in the Lab’s ERG, Amigos Unidos, “Diversity and inclusion in STEM are important because it allows diverse opinions and unique solutions to complex problems. Increasing representation encourages youth to pursue similar dreams and ambitions.”
Meet Luz Maria, Natural Space Environment Engineer. With a love for science and driven to understand how the world works, she immigrated with her family from Columbia, “We have overcome many things as an immigrant family in the U.S. and we have seen firsthand the struggle many of us have, but with hard work and dedication dreams can come true.” Luz Maria has a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering Physics and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering. Now, at JPL, she works with the radiation environment of space, defining what the environment will be for a mission, and helping the project estimate how much exposure it will encounter to improve shielding for mission success. “I love [the] JPL campus, I miss it every day since we have been teleworking. I also love how diverse the campus is, you hear many languages when walking around, and you see people from different professional backgrounds, different ages…there are interest groups for everyone.”
Meet Sonia, Business Administration Manager. Originally from El Salvador, Sonia’s acumen for business was in demand as a high school student when she was accepted to the Escuela Nacional the Comercio (National School of Business). She says, “Knowing that someone saw my potential, gave me the confidence to further pursue my career in the business field.” Sonia supports JPL's missions as a Business Administration Manager. “While I don’t directly work with the heavy side of science and space technology, I am proud to do my part by providing administrative and financial assistance to the folks I support. When people think of JPL, they think of the rockets, the spacecraft, and the rovers; but they might not realize that those projects also have to deal with financial and administrative stuff which is where we, the business community, come in to help with the missions’ success,” she explains. “It is inspiring to interact and cooperate with people across all levels, disciplines, and organizations." #HispanicHeritageMonth
Meet René, Lead Inspector – Receiving Inspection Group. René’s journey began in Guerrero, Mexico before he was brought to the U.S. by his family. He made his way to the aerospace industry as a sheet metal tech. Initially undocumented, René faced challenges to his career goals and in 2011, braved a return to Mexico during a cartel war to complete his documentation. By 2014, he was supporting integration and testing activities for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket before joining JPL. At JPL, René focuses on inspecting incoming spacecraft hardware from suppliers, testing and integration on projects, “My favorite thing about my job is knowing that the hardware I touched and verified will end up in space orbiting our own planet or better yet, on another planet in our solar system.” Now René volunteers for an afterschool program, “I’m trying to overcome my fear of public speaking and engage myself with minority groups around the neighborhoods I grew up in. If people would hear more of me and how I ended up at JPL, it would bring them hopes in pursuing at a young age what I was not able to do.”
Meet Sergio, Section Manager. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, CA, Sergio was a student of Jaime Escalante. He shares, “He inspired me when I was his student and continues to inspire me even today. My favorite quote from him is, ‘One of the greatest things in life is that no one has the authority to tell you what you want to be. You're the one who'll decide what you want to be.’” A first-generation American, Sergio earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Since joining JPL, Sergio has worked on missions to other planets, asteroids, and space telescopes. He says, “The best thing about being a summer student at JPL is we treat you as a tried and true engineer because there is a job to get done!” Now he leads the Payload and Small Spacecraft Section, which focuses on building small spacecraft or science instruments that fly on spacecraft. “At any given time, we work on a few dozen projects with a team of talented engineers at various stages in their careers. I feel that we have some of the best engineers in the world because they have to overcome so many incredible challenges.”
Meet one of our favorite Martians! Christina is an engineer for the Mars Perseverance rover on the Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry. This instrument will take super close-up pictures of chemical elements on the Martian surface, to help look for signs of past microbial life. #Mars2020 #HispanicHeritageMonth
Meet Valeria, Systems Engineer. She was born in New Jersey but grew up in Tijuana, Mexico. Inspired by a school project on astronauts, she began her journey to attend college in the U.S., transferring to a high school in San Diego. This meant a commute of four hours every day, “Adjusting to this dual lifestyle and new culture and school was both challenging and exhausting, but with the support of my family, friends, and teachers, I was able to persevere and succeed.” Valeria pursued aerospace engineering in college saying, “…The more I learned about it, I realized it involved many of the things that I was passionate about; hands-on work, math & science, and space exploration!” Now, she's a member of the Europa Clipper Integration and Test Team. Valeria says, “As a Systems Engineer, I get to work with many different groups, so I constantly collaborate with other teams to help this spacecraft come to life!...JPL is a place that constantly makes you step out of your comfort zone and challenges you to become better."
Meet one of our favorite Martians! Christina is an engineer for the Mars Perseverance rover on the Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry. This instrument will take super close-up pictures of chemical elements on the Martian surface, to help look for signs of past microbial life. #CountdowntoMars #Mars2020 #HispanicHeritageMonth
