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The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Don Sullivan, Serena Trieu, Emmett Quigley, and Zara Mirmalek. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the talent, camaraderie, and vision needed to explore this world and beyond.<\/p>\n
Earth Science <\/strong>Star: Don Sullivan<\/strong><\/p>\n Don Sullivan enables cutting-edge research in the Earth Science Division, serving as telemetry and communications lead for the Airborne Science Program. As Principal Investigator, Don led the highly successful and innovative STRATO long-duration balloon flight project in August 2024 with the United States Forest Service (USFS) that demonstrated last-mile connectivity and near real-time infrared imagery to a remote wildfire incident command station.<\/p>\n Space Biosciences Star<\/strong>: Serena Trieu<\/strong><\/p>\n Serena Trieu conducts research in\u00a0the\u00a0Bioengineering Branch for projects that develop Earth-independent spaceflight instrumentation, especially for the International Space Station (ISS). She\u00a0has excelled in coordinating\u00a0the\u00a0inventory for 21 spaceflight trash batches sent to Sierra Space, Inc., for ground-unit testing of the Trash Compaction Processing System (TCPS). Tapping into her innovative spirit and technical expertise, she developed a new method to prepare trash batches for the ISS without freezing.<\/p>\n Space Science & <\/strong>Astrobiology Star: Emmett Quigley<\/strong><\/p>\n Emmett Quigley is a mechanical technician with\u00a0the\u00a0Astrophysics Branch who goes above and beyond to serve Ames. As a specialist in small precision manufacturing, Emmett has designed and built lab hardware, telescopes, and airborne instruments, as well as small satellites and instruments heading to\u00a0the\u00a0Moon and beyond. His collaborative disposition and dedication to problem solving have enabled delivery of numerous projects on behalf of the\u00a0Space Science and Astrobiology Division and the Earth Science Division.<\/p>\n Space Science & Astrobiology <\/strong>Star:<\/strong> <\/strong>Zara Mirmalek<\/strong><\/p>\n Zara Mirmalek is the\u00a0Deputy Science Operations Lead for VIPER within\u00a0the\u00a0Space Science & Astrobiology Division and has been pivotal in\u00a0the\u00a0design and build\u00a0efforts of\u00a0the\u00a0VIPER Mission Science Operations team and Mission Science Center.\u00a0She has applied her expertise in science team social-technical interactions to recommend discussions, groupings, and timelines that enable the VIPER Science Team to advance pre-planning for VIPER surface operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n