Students on Mars and a Byrd Scholar

DA MONS participants present at national conference. Five Durham Academy students, along with students from Durham Public schools, presented two papers at the 39th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference during their spring break. The group, all members of the Mars Outreach for North Carolina Students (MONS) project, traveled to Houston, Texas, for the five-day conference.



MONS participants at NASA's Johnson Space Center.






MONS is a collaborative effort between Durham Academy, Durham Public Schools and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK). Mentored by Dr. Jeff Moersch, an associate professor at UTK and a veteran planetary scientist whose NASA mission resume includes Voyager 2, Galileo, Mars Observer, Deep Space 2/Mars Microprobe, Mars Odyssey and the Mars Exploration Rovers, the project engages area students with an interest in space research. Students receive training during the school year and attend an intensive, five-week summer program where they receive and analyze data for the project they have designed. To read the full article from News and Notes, click here.

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Senior Caitlin Burk has been awarded a Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. She will receive $1,500 a year for up to four years of undergraduate study and can use the scholarship at the school of her choice. The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship is a federally funded program that recognizes academic excellence.

Caitlin also has been selected as candidate for the academic component of the United States Presidential Scholars program. This recognition was based on having scored exceptionally well on the SAT.

Approximately 20 males and 20 females from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are tapped as candidates for Presidential Scholar recognition. Around 500 candidates will be named semi-finalists, and up to 121 academic scholars will be honored in June at the White House. The program also recognizes up to 21 arts scholars.