NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) Program - 2009 NASA has completed its evaluation of the 2009 applications to the NASA Earth and Space Science (NESSF) Fellowship Program. A total of 439 applications were received in response to the November 2008 announcement among Earth Science Research, Heliophysics Research, Planetary Science Research, and Astrophysics Research – the four research programs of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA Headquarters. The SMD science divisions made respective selection of applications for award on a competitive basis. Criteria for evaluation included: (a) the scientific merit of the proposed research; (b) the relevance of the proposed research to NASA’s objectives in Earth or space science; and (c) academic excellence based upon an applicant's transcripts, the letter of recommendation by the student's academic advisor, and the degree to which it supported the proposed research. Evaluation was conducted via either mail or panel review, or both, or by the relevant expertise in the science divisions of SMD. A total of 98 new students have been identified to receive fellowships for 2009, pending acceptance by each applicant and their respective institution. Fellowship selections were: Number of Number of Applications Selections

Earth Science Research 274 64 Heliophysics Research 22 4 Planetary Science Research 65 22

Astrophysics Research 78 8 The purpose of the NESSF is to ensure continued training of a highly qualified workforce in disciplines required to achieve NASA’s scientific goals. Awards resulting from the competitive selection are made in the form of training grants to the respective universities and educational institutions, with the faculty advisor serving as the principal investigator. NESSF awards are made initially for one year and may be renewed for no more than two additional years, contingent upon satisfactory progress, as reflected in academic performance, research progress, and recommendation by the faculty advisor, and the availability of funds. An award is $30,000 per annum, including $24,000 student stipend and an allowance of up to $6,000, consisting of $3,000 for student expenses and $3,000 for university expenses. The student allowance may be used for tuition; fees; travel in support of the research investigation to conferences, symposia, or collaborative meetings; books; expendable laboratory supplies; page charges for journal articles; printing of a thesis; health insurance; and other similar expenses related to the proposed research investigation. The university allowance may be used for tuition or research expenses, if agreed upon by the student and faculty advisor; it may also support research-related travel for the advisor

(i.e. to accompany the student to a scientific meeting, oversee the student’s research, etc.); or by the student. The budget in these two allowance categories may be exchanged, as long as the total sum for the two combined allowance categories does not exceed $6,000. An individual accepting this award may not concurrently receive other Federal fellowships or traineeships. However, NASA may allow an applicant to receive supplements from other U.S. Federal agencies to cover expenses not covered by NASA's graduate fellowships; for example, the purchase of equipment, which is not permitted through a NASA fellowship. The names of the students and their faculty advisors, institutions, and proposal titles of the 2009 NESSF recipients are listed below. The announcement for 2010 NESSF is anticipated in November 2009. The release will be posted at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/, and the deadline for submission of new applications to NASA will be February 1, 2010. Inquiries about the program may be directed to: Program Administrator for NESSF Earth Science Research – Anne Crouch at (202) 358-0855 or by E-mail at hq-nessf-Earth@nasa.gov. Program Administrator for NESSF Heliophysics Research, Planetary Science Research, and Astrophysics Research – Dolores Holland at (202) 358-0734 or by E-mail at hq-nessf-Space@nasa.gov. Earth Science Research Asch, Rebecca (Student); Dave Checkley (Advisor); University of California San Diego Climate Change and the Phenology of Plankton and Fish Production Inferred from Observations from Space and Sea Axson, Jessica (Student); Veronica Vaida (Advisor); University of Colorado Atmospheric Processing of Methylglyoxal and Glyoxal in Aqueous Environments Barnhart, William (Student); Rowena Lohman (Advisor); Cornell University InSAR Time-Series Investigation of the Seismic Cycle in Iran Benson, Michael (Student); Kamal Sarabandi (Advisor); University of Michigan Differential InSAR Over Vegetative Terrain for the Detection and Prediction of Earthquakes

Bernardes, Sergio (Student); Marguerite Madden (Advisor); University of Georgia Vegetation Responses to Extreme Climatic Events: Changes in Primary Productivity, Vegetation and Drought Indices in the Southeast United States Following the 2006-2009 Drought Bova, Anthony (Student); Gil Bohrer (Advisor); Ohio State University Incorporating the Effects of Tree-Scale Land-Surface Heterogeneity on Litter Moisture for use in Regional Models of Wildland Fire Dynamics and Fire Risk Brandt, Jodi (Student); Volker Radeloff (Advisor); University of Wisconsin - Madison Land Use and Land Cover Change in Southwest China's Himalayan Mountains and the Implications for Alpine Meadows, Forest Ecosystems, and Avian Biodiversity Brun, Julien (Student); Ana Barros (Advisor); Duke University Using Satellite Data to Characterize the Role of Tropical Cyclones in the Ecohydrology of the Southeast US Bryant, Ann (Student); Thomas Painter (Advisor); University of Utah Radiative Forcing by Desert Dust in Snowmelt-Dominated Hydrologic Systems from Coupled Satellite and In Situ Measurements Burgess, Evan (Student); Richard Forster (Advisor); University of Utah Mechanisms of Alaskan Glacier Motion Through Observation of Surface Velocities and Ice Thickness Carter, Neil (Student); Jack Liu (Advisor); Michigan State University Coupled Human and Natural System Approach to Studying Tiger-Human Interactions in Chitwan National Park, Nepal and Beyond Chatterjee, Abhishek (Student); Anna Michalak (Advisor); University of Michigan Geostatistical Data Assimilation for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory Culbert, Patrick (Student); Volker Radeloff (Advisor); University of Wisconsin - Madison Image Texture and Lidar Measurements of Horizontal and Vertical Vegetation Structure as Predictors of Bird Biodiversity Diao, Minghui (Student); Mark Zondlo (Advisor); Princeton University Aircraft-Based Measurements of Ice Supersaturated Regions in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere and Comparisons to AIRS Climatologies Dolan, Katelyn (Student); George Hurtt (Advisor); University of New Hampshire Assimilating NAFD and GLAS Data in the Ecosystem Demography (ED) Model to Investigate the Role of Regional Forest Disturbance and Recovery Dynamics on the Carbon Cycle

Domaszczynski, Piotr (Student); Witold Krajewski (Advisor); University of Iowa Developing Precipitation Algorithms for a Mobile Network of Polarimetric X-band Radars for GPM Validation Dronova, Iryna (Student); Peng Gong (Advisor); University of California, Berkeley Analysis of Spatio-temporal Association Between Plant Functional Diversity and Flooding at Poyang Lake, PRC using Remote Sensing and Simulation-Based Modeling Firing, Yvonne (Student); Teresa Chereskin (Advisor); Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD Dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in Drake Passage Fisher, G. (Student); Bodo Bookhagen (Advisor); University of California, Santa Barbara ASTER-Derived River Widths and their Spatial Implications for Erosion in the Tectonically Active Himalaya Goodwin, Deb (Student); John Morrison (Advisor); University of New Hampshire Satellite-Derived Fluorescence Quantum Yields as Indicators of Phytoplankton Physiology Hoy, Elizabeth (Student); Eric Kasischke (Advisor); University of Maryland The Influence of Fire-Free Interval on Carbon Cycling in the Alaskan Boreal Forest Huang, Kuan (Student); Michael Bender (Advisor); Princeton University Net Community Production and the f-Ratio off the Western Antarctica Peninsula: Estimates from Measurements of O2 Properties and Satellite-Based Data Hunter, Maria (Student); Michael Keller (Advisor); University of New Hampshire Measurement and Modeling of Natural Disturbance and Recovery in the Brazilian Amazon using Airborne and Spaceborne LIDAR Jiang, Yan (Student); Timothy Dixon (Advisor); University of Miami Measuring Accelerating Uplift of Greenland Due to Rapid Glacier Melting with GPS and InSAR Jonko, Alexandra (Student); Karen Shell (Advisor); Oregon State University Comparing Feedbacks in Climate Models with Satellite Observations using the Radiative Kernel Technique Jung, Hahn Chul (Student); Douglas Alsdorf (Advisor); The Ohio State University Hydraulic Modeling in the Congo Wetland Using Spaceborne Data Karamperidou, Christina (Student); Upmanu Lall (Advisor); Columbia University Dynamics of the Hydrologic Cycle in a Changing Climate: Interactions of Low Frequency Climate Mechanisms and Hydrologic Extremes

Karmosky, Chris (Student); Derrick Lampkin (Advisor); Penn State University Meso-Scale Climate Controls on Antarctic Ice Shelf Melt Dynamics: Climate Modeling and Novel Retrieval of Melt Magnitude using MODIS Kefauver, Shawn (Student); Susan Ustin (Advisor); University of California, Davis Remote Sensing of Bio-Indicators for Forest Health Assessment Larsen, Isaac (Student); David Montgomery (Advisor); University of Washington Quantifying Spatial Patterns in Landslide Frequency to Assess Coupling Among Erosion, Climate, and Tectonics Leppert II, Kenneth (Student); Daniel Cecil (Advisor); University of Alabama Huntsville "Electrically-Hot" Convection and its Relation to Tropical Cyclogenesis and Intensification Liang, Calvin (Student); Kuo Nan Liou (Advisor); University of California, Los Angeles A Unified Multi-Sensor Perspective On Upper-Tropospheric Hydration Maggioni, Viviana (Student); Emmanouil Anagnostou (Advisor); University of Connecticut Investigating the Impact of Improved Model Error Characterization on the Assimilation of Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture in a Land Data Assimilation System Martin, Andrew (Student); Tiruvalam Krishnamurti (Advisor); Florida State University Impact of South Asian Aerosol Pollutants on Monsoonal Rainfall and Onset Martinez, Matthew (Student); Chandra V Chandrasekar (Advisor); Colorado State University NASA Earth Sciences Fellowship for Matthew Martinez Meland, Brian (Student); Paul Kleiber (Advisor); University of Iowa A Combined Laboratory and Modeling Study of the Optical Properties of Mineral Dust Aerosol Munzimi, Yolande (Student); Matthew Hansen (Advisor); South Dakota State University Hydrological Response to Land Cover and Land use Change in the Congo Basin Murray, Lee (Student); Daniel Jacob (Advisor); Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Quantifying the Chemistry-Climate Impact of Lightning NOx Emissions as Constrained from Satellite Observations and Inverse Modeling Techniques Ortt, Derek (Student); Shuyi Chen (Advisor); University of Miami Improving Understanding and Prediction of Tropical Cyclogensis Using NASA Satellite Data and High-Resolution Numerical Models

Palmer, Molly (Student); Kevin Arrigo (Advisor); Stanford University Modeling Primary Productivity and Carbon Cycling in the Beaufort Sea, Canadian Arctic, using a Multi-Satellite Approach Peterson, David (Student); Jun Wang (Advisor); University of Nebraska The Interannual Variability of Biomass Burning in North America using MODIS Data: Fire Weather Forecasting Applications Raleigh, Mark (Student); Jessica Lundquist (Advisor); University of Washington Spatial Patterns of Mountain Snow Accumulation: Comparing MODIS with Distributed Ground-based Sensors Reager, John (Student); James Famiglietti (Advisor); University of California, Irvine Applications of a Frequency-Domain Terrestrial Water Balance using GRACE Rittger, Karl (Student); Jeff Dozier (Advisor); Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management Improving Runoff Forecasting in the Sierra Nevada with Enhanced Estimates of Snow Cover Properties Robinson, Carly (Student); Jose-Luis Jimenez (Advisor); University of Colorado Development and Application of a Soft-Ionization Technique for In-Situ Organic Aerosol Analysis Rosolem, Rafael (Student); William Shuttleworth (Advisor); University of Arizona Impact of Vegetation Phenology on Amazonian Energy, Water, and Carbon Exchanges: Integration of Field Experiments, Satellite Remote Sensing, and Land Surface Modeling Salmon, Jessica (Student); Mark Friedl (Advisor); Boston University Future Trend of Irrigation Water Demand Using Integrated Remote Sensing and Physical Models Sass, Louis (Student); Michael Loso (Advisor); Alaska Pacific University Dynamic Response of Eklutna Glacier to Climate Change: Implications for Water Supply and Hydropower for Anchorage, AK Schenkel, Benjamin (Student); Robert Hart (Advisor); Florida State University Bridging the Gap Between Climate and TCs: Refinement of TC Climate Memory Using MERRA and Its Use Toward an SST Memory Parameterization Smith, John (Student); Xinzhao Chu (Advisor); University of Colorado Whole Atmosphere LIDAR for Study of Whole-Atmosphere Waves and Dynamics Sneed, William (Student); Gordon Hamilton (Advisor); University of Maine Remote Sensing of Meltwater on the Greenland Ice Sheet

Stephenson, Gordon (Student); Sarah Gille (Advisor); University of California, San Diego Mixed-Layer Depth Variability in Drake Passage Stevenson, Samantha (Student); Baylor Fox-Kemper (Advisor); University of Colorado Understanding Decadal ENSO Variability in a Warming World Stukel, Michael (Student); Michael Landry (Advisor); Scripps Institution of Oceanography Validation of Remotely Sensed Carbon Sequestration Rates in the California Current Su, Lin (Student); Owen Toon (Advisor); University of Colorado Modeling of Asian Dust Aerosols using a Coupled Microphysical/Climate Model Ten Hoeve, John (Student); Mark Jacobson (Advisor); Stanford University An Analysis of the Impacts of Biomass Burning Aerosols on Clouds and Precipitation over Amazonia: Combining Results of a 3D Weather Model, Ground-Based Measurements, and Satellite Data to Expand upon Current Observational Studies Trochim, Erin (Student); Anupma Prakash (Advisor); University of Alaska Fairbanks A Fellowship: Characterizing Water Tracks in Headwater Drainage Basins of the Alaskan Arctic Valin, Lukas (Student); Ronald Cohen (Advisor); University of California, Berkeley Satellite Observations at High Space and Time Resolution: Understanding Requirements for Assessing Urban-Scale NOx and O3 Wagner, Penelope (Student); Hongjie Xie (Advisor); University of Texas at San Anotonio The Development of NASA QuickSCAT Scatterometer Data to Detect Sea Ice Extent and Variability in the Antarctic Walter, Jacob (Student); Slawek Tulaczyk (Advisor); University of California, Santa Cruz Dynamics of Ice Sheet Calving and Sliding Processes Investigated Using Seismology, GPS and Remote Sensing Wang, Yuan (Student); Renyi Zhang (Advisor); Texas A&M Investigation of the Effects of the Asian Pollution Outflow on Winter Storms over the North Pacific Wilson, Adam (Student); John Silander (Advisor); University of Connecticut Fire, Phenology, and Weather: Implications of Climate Change in Mediterranean Ecosystems

Wortham, Cody (Student); Howard Zebker (Advisor); Cody Wortham Rapid Repeat Vector Deformation InSAR from the UAVSAR and Satellite Platforms Yang, Yu-Ming (Student); James Garrison (Advisor); Purdue University A Study of Wavelet Approaches to the Detection of Ionospheric Disturbances Heliophysics Research Gkioulidou, Malamati (Student); Larry Lyons (Advisor); University of California, Los Angeles Transport of Plasma Sheet Particles into the Inner Magnetosphere, Associated Region-2 Field-Aligned Current System and Electric Field, and Their Relation to Substorms and Storms: Simulations with the Rice Convection Model Pedatella, Nicholas (Student); Jeffrey Forbes (Advisor); University of Colorado Plasmasphere Evolution Based on Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) Vertical Total Electron Content Observations Schmit, Donald (Student); Mark Rast (Advisor); University of Colorado Modeling the Energetics of the Dynamic Solar Atmosphere Zhao, Liang (Student); Len Fisk (Advisor); University of Michigan Analysis of the Current Unusual Solar Minimum Planetary Science Bai, Xuening (Student); James Stone (Advisor); Princeton University Magnetorotational Instability and Planetesimal Formation in Protoplanetary Disks. Bans, Alissa (Student); Arieh Konigl (Advisor); Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Radiative Properties and Observational Diagnostics of Protoplanetary Accretion Disks Chemtob, Steven (Student); George Rossman (Advisor); Caltech The Development and Evolution of Silica Deposits in Martian Analog Volcanic Environments: Observation and Experiment Citron, Robert (Student); Thomas McCollom (Advisor); University of Colorado Astrobiological Potential of Impacts on the Icy Surfaces of Mars, Titan, and Europa de Moor, Maarten (Student); Penelope King (Advisor); University of New Mexico An Investigation to Constrain Martian Sulfur Isotope Signatures by Studying an Analogue Volcanic System

Desroche, Mariel (Student); Frances Bagenal (Advisor); University of Colorado Modeling the Outer Magnetosphere of Jupiter and its Coupling to the Solar Wind Fleshman, Bobby (Student); Edward Baron (Advisor); University of Oklahoma Saturn's Inner Magnetosphere: Modeling and Data Comparison Gardner-Vandy, Kathryn (Student); Dante Lauretta (Advisor); Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona Melting of Oxidized Asteroids Gomes, Maya (Student); Matthew Hurtgen (Advisor); Northwestern University Sulfur Isotope Fractionations in Modern Lakes: Implications for Reconstructing the Chemical Evolution of the Precambrian Earth Surface Graves, Sonja (Student); Tapio Schneider (Advisor); California Institute of Technology The Climate and Seasonal Cycle on Titan: Atmospheric Dynamics and Methane Cycle Halevy, Itay (Student); Daniel Schrag (Advisor); Harvard University Radiative Transfer in CO2-Rich Paleoatmospheres and the Early Climates of Earth and Mars Haque, Aeraj (Student); David Porterfield (Advisor); Purdue University Gravitational Physiology of the Photoautotroph Cyanobacteria: A Novel Study with a Pharmasat Compatible Lab-on-a-Chip Hartzell, Christine (Student); Daniel Scheeres (Advisor); University of Colorado A Computational Exploration of the Dynamics of Dust around Asteroids Krawczynski, Michael (Student); Timothy Grove (Advisor); Massachusetts Institute of Technology Conditions of Early Solar System Volcanism McDunn, Tamara (Student); Stephen Bougher (Advisor); University of Michigan Structure and Dynamics of the 60-120 km Region on Mars. Miller, Charles (Student); Nancy Chanover (Advisor); New Mexico State University Nitrogen Frost - Microbar Atmosphere Interactions on Outer Solar System Bodies Ong, Lissa (Student); H Melosh (Advisor); Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona Nonlinear Shock Wave Interactions: Implications for Impact Ejecta and Secondary Crater Production Rates

Sanborn, Matthew (Student); Meenakshi (Mini) Wadhwa (Advisor); Arizona State University Petrogenesis and Chronology of the Angrites: Implications for Processes on the Angrite Parent Body. Sarid, Alyssa (Student); Michael Manga (Advisor); University of California, Berkeley Tidally-driven Fractures on Europa Schon, Samuel (Student); James Head (Advisor); Brown University Linking Sedimentary Sequences and the Global Climate Record Schwamb, Megan (Student); Michael Brown (Advisor); California Institute of Technology Sedna and the Early Solar System Tran, Quyen (Student); Quyen Tran (Advisor); University of Houston Evolution and Origin of the Ribosome Astrophysics Research Couch, Sean (Student); J. Craig Wheeler (Advisor); The University of Texas Dynamics of Aspherical Core Collapse Supernovae Farris, Brian (Student); Stuart Shapiro (Advisor); University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Merging Black Hole Binaries in Gaseous Environments: Simulations in Radiative, General-Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics Fortman, Sarah (Student); Frank De Lucia (Advisor); Ohio State University Variable temperature, intensity calibrated, complete submillimeter spectra and analysis: A New, Efficient Solution to the Astrophysical Confusion Limit Goodhue, Abigail (Student); David Saltzberg (Advisor); University of California Los Angeles Searching for Ultra High-Energy Cosmic Neutrinos with the ANITA Long Duration Balloon Experiment Parker, Lucas (Student); Lyman Page (Advisor); Princeton University A Prototype CMB Polarimeter for a Space Mission Reines, Amy (Student); Kelsey Johnson (Advisor); University of Virginia The Birth of Super Star Clusters Trangsrud, Amy (Student); Andrew Lange (Advisor); California Institute of Technology Probing Cosmic Reionization with the Spider Balloon-borne CMB Polarimeter

Zasowski, Gail (Student); Steven Majewski (Advisor); University of Virginia Analysis of Dust and Stellar Structures in the Milky Way Disk with Spitzer and 2MASS