Training the Next Generation of Scientists
October 26, 2011
Mr. Huy Lam, a senior at Poolesville High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, has been selected as a 2011 Siemens Science Competition semi-finalist. His research project was "A Multi-Spacecraft Approach to Studying Auroral Kilometric Radiation Using the Virtual Wave Observatory."
The Virtual Wave Observatory (VWO) is an online suite of tools and data that allows researchers to study Earth's aurora and similar phenomena throughout the Solar System. As part of his internship, Huy compared radio frequency data from seven spacecraft using the VWO to study variations in long-wave radio emissions from Earth's Aurora. He quickly learned how to use the online system to access the necessary datasets and how to interpret the data to identify the features that were the basis of his research. He even submitted his work to the Journal of Experimental Secondary Science. Huy worked as a National Space Club Scholar during the past summer, mentored by SESDA staff member Leonard Garcia and Government scientist Shing Fung (673).
