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Ashley Gilliam wins the 2013-2014 NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship

July 12, 2013

Ashley Gilliam won a coveted 2013-2014 NASA Earth and Space Science fellowship, or NESSF. Her proposal was titled: "Titan's Impact Craters and Associated Fluvial Features: Evidence for a Subsurface Ocean." Ashley’s advisor is Professor Donna Jurdy, and Professor Emeritus Abraham Lerman is also working with Ashley on the evolution of Titan’s atmosphere.

The purpose of 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, with the faculty advisor serving as the principal investigator. NESSF awards are made initially for one year and may be renewed for up to two additional years, contingent upon satisfactory progress, as reflected in academic performance, research progress, and recommendation by the faculty advisor. The NESSF award is $30,000 per year.

The financial support for the NESSF Program comes from NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) four science divisions: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, and Astrophysics. Ashley applied (and was accepted) into the Planetary Science Research Program. This is a very competitive fellowship, and only 26 Planetary Science Research awards were made this year.

This major achievement comes on the heels of another one: Ashley passed her Qualifying Exam last spring. Congratulations on both counts, Ashley!