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RiPS2014 Student Spotlight: John Palma

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What is your hometown?
Houston, Texas

What is your current school?
Kansas State University

What are your hobbies?
I love team sports and outdoor activities, spending time with family and friends, movies, and watching soccer and college football.

Are there any other fun facts you would like to share?
As part of the design team we produced a prototype of a plant growth chamber to meet requirements for future long duration flights to Mars. We had the privilege of testing our prototype on NASA’s Reduced Gravity Flight program.

How did you get interested in STEM?
I was exposed to engineering early on and had the ability to explore introductory elective classes for different disciplines. One of the programs I participated in during my senior year of high school was the High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH).

Why did you want to do research?
It is honorable and motivating to advance the biological and technological industries of the world.

Tell us about your research project.
There has been minimal research conducted on the effect of soil erosion rate due to heat transfer. I will be determining how to prepare a soil sample for measurable soil erosion.

What advice would you give your past self regarding school? How about for other students interested in STEM?
It is such a broad and important part of life. There is reason to count on it providing for you and the greater good.