NASA Ames Celebrates September 2026 Researchers and Support Staff

• The NASA Ames Science Directorate has recognized seven employees for their contributions to mission objectives, technical innovation, and collaborative efforts.

Space Biosciences

• Steve Ormsby: Acknowledged for facility maintenance, safety oversight, and property custodianship.
• Aphrodite Kostakis: Recognized for improving building N239 safety and leading successful VPP inspections.

Astrophysics

• Alejandro Borlaff: Developed advanced image reduction pipelines for the Hubble and Roman Space Telescopes to better detect low-brightness features.
• Sarah Nickerson: Commended for curating and analyzing data from the EXES instrument on the SOFIA observatory for community-wide use.

Planetary Science and Exobiology

• Martina Caussi: Conducted finite element simulations on the Tegid crater of Europa, providing key research for the upcoming Europa Clipper mission.

Earth Science

• Keiko Nomura: Led stakeholder engagement and team building for the NEX-GeoAI project, positioning NASA as a leader in GeoAI ground-truthing.
• Stephen Broccardo: Recognized for technical leadership in advancing atmospheric remote-sensing capabilities and satellite-validation activities.