UofL Student Makes NASA Dreams Come True! - Selected for Prestigious NASA Pathways Program

Many students dream of someday working for NASA. One junior in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Louisville took not one but TWO steps in that direction this summer.

Meghan Carrico, a double major in Physics and Atmospheric Science, took her first step when she landed an internship at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia this summer. There she worked with the TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) Student Collaboration analyzing and calibrating data for the TEMPO satellite.

The second step came as the internship was nearing its end and Carrico learned that she had been selected for the NASA Pathways program through NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. This will allow her to complete three internship rotations with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, with the possibility of transitioning directly to employment with NASA on graduation.  Her internships will take her into different areas of the work taking place at the Center, increasing the breadth of her training.

“The Pathways spot still feels very surreal to me. It is something that I have worked very hard for and I am really excited for the opportunity,” said Carrico. “I was always interested in NASA and saw it as a place where there was no limit to what I could do or explore. After my first year at UofL, I started to research NASA internships more because it seemed like a great way for me to gain valuable experience and explore new areas of my studies.”

The Louisville native was a standout on the cross country and track teams at Assumption High School, where she graduated in 2016. In addition to majoring in Physics and Atmospheric Science, Carrico serves as an officer in the UofL Chapter of the Society of Physics Students and the Society for Women In Physics and Astronomy and as an active member in the student section of the American Meteorological Society.

The UofL Department of Physics & Astronomy, in the College of Arts and Sciences, offers Bachelors Degrees in Physics and Atmospheric Science, the Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in Physics, with research specialties in several sub-fields of Physics, Astronomy, and Atmospheric Science.

For more information, contact: Dr. Chakram Jayanthi, Chair of the UofL Department of Physics and Astronomy at 502-852-6790 or via email at chakram.jayanthi'at'louisville.edu