The NAU Review — Water in space? Rocket science? It’s not science fiction—it’s what NAU students have been up to lately

May 7, 2024

Laura Lee, a Ph.D. student in astronomy and planetary science, is one of three graduate students to be selected for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program, a prestigious funding opportunity that supports students in STEM fields. Using a variety of techniques with instruments on Earth and in space, Lee is mapping water in the Solar System to better understand how and where this critical element is located on other celestial bodies. In addition to her groundbreaking research, Lee’s career goals include community education and promoting opportunities for women, people of color and first-generation students in planetary science.

Step 1: Join Space Jacks. Step 2: Do the dang thing. Last month, three members of NAU’s rocket club took a 7-foot-tall rocket to the First Nations Launch in Wisconsin, where they launched said rocket 2,500 feet into the air carrying a drone—which they also built—then piloted the drone to the ground. The results of their work: a functioning rocket and drone, internships at major aerospace companies and the kind of experience that will get the students their first jobs in the industry.