Acadia student only Canadian
to attend prestigious NASA academy
For Release: May 1, 2003
(Wolfville,
NS) - Erin Everett's long-range plans include medicine
but for the short-term she'll be focusing on space exploration.
Everett, a fourth-year honours biology student at Acadia University,
is the only Canadian student chosen to attend the NASA Astrobiology
Academy this summer.
"Erin represents the
best Canada has to offer, as an excellent student, and as having
what we think is tremendous potential to make the best out of her
unique experience at the NASA Astrobiology Academy," says Dr. Alain
Berinstain of the Canadian Space Agency. "Erin has also been
selected as an ambassador of Canadian youth and we have full
confidence that she will take this responsibility seriously ... we
hope that this experience will mean that Erin will consider carrying
out a career in the space sector in the future."
Everett is the 2003
recipient of the Canadian Space Agency's Space Exploration
Astrobiology Scholarship. Each year, the CSA offers a scholarship to
one Canadian university student in order for them to attend a
10-week summer internship at Ames Research Center in Moffett Field,
California.
"I was away for
medical school interviews when I received an email from the CSA
telling me I was to receive the scholarship," says Everett. "At
first I felt disbelief, but now as the summer approaches I'm getting
very excited."
Everett has reason to
be excited. Not only do students have a glimpse into the inner
workings of the NASA space program while at the academy, they also
have the chance to conduct research in state-of-the-art astrobiology
laboratories. Each student is matched with a principal investigator
who guides them as they manage research on a pre-chosen topic. At
the end of the internship, Everett will present the results of her
research to the NASA community.
Everett is no stranger
to research. During her time at Acadia, she received a Natural
Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) award to
support her honours research project that focused on the
evolutionary genetics and sperm fitness of blue mussels. She spent
most of her summers in laboratories at Acadia.
"Erin is a dedicated
academic," says Dr. Dan Toews, a biology professor at Acadia who
encouraged Everett to apply for the scholarship. "Getting an honours
degree at Acadia requires discipline and intelligence and as such
will be essential for Erin's work at the academy."
Next week, Everett
will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science with Honours from
Acadia University. In September, she will commence study at
Dalhousie Medical School in Halifax.
-30-
For more information contact:
Sheri Woodland
Communications Manager
Office of Public Affairs
Acadia University
(902) 585-1362
Acadia
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