CITRUS COLLEGE STUDENTS TO JOIN TOP RESEARCHERS IN UNDERWATER VOLCANO EXPLORATION
In August 2020, two Citrus College STEM students will join a team of cutting-edge scientists and engineers as they study underwater hydrothermal systems at Axial Seamount, the largest and most active volcano on the western boundary of the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate.
The project, known as InVADER (In-situ Vent Analysis Divebot for Exobiology Research), will transform the technological and operational arsenal available for studying the ocean floor and will ultimately help refine methods for exploring planetary vent systems on ocean worlds like Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.
Sponsored by NASA, the project will deploy the InVADER payload during a 14-day mission in international waters. One Citrus College student will work on the vessel while the other will assist from mission control at the University of Washington. The students were selected by Dr. Marianne Smith, director of the Institute for Completion and grant development/oversight, who was responsible for connecting the college with the scientists leading the InVADER project.
Citrus College is the only community college participating in this research effort.
"I am incredibly excited for these students. The opportunity to work alongside and learn from world-renowned experts in this type of setting will be completely life changing," said Dr. Smith. "I am confident our students will return with unparalleled enthusiasm for furthering their educations and future careers."
Adriana Quintana and Jazmine Robledo, the two Citrus College InVADER interns, have been working with the research team since January when they met the InVADER team at the first of two group meetings hosted at Citrus College.
"Hats off to Dr. Smith for making this fantastic opportunity a reality for our students," said the college superintendent/president. "I am proud to know that our students will accompany researchers from the SETI Institute and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as professionals from other venerable institutions."
The Citrus College community can learn more about the project on the SETI Institute InVADER website.
This article originally appeared in the March 2020 edition of the Citrus View.