About NASA Earth Science NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) missions help us to understand our planet’s interconnected systems, from a global scale down to minute processes. ESD delivers the technology, expertise, global observations, and applications that help us map the myriad connections between our planet’s vital processes and the climate effects of ongoing natural and human-caused changes. Using observations from satellites, instruments on the International Space Station, airplanes, balloons, ships and on land, ESD researchers collect data about the science of our planet’s atmospheric motion and composition; land cover, land use and vegetation; ocean currents, temperatures and upper-ocean life; and ice on land and sea. These data sets, which cover even the most remote areas of Earth, are freely and openly available to anyone. ESD offers end-to-end development, launch, data collection, analysis, and application of its missions, including those with partners in U.S. and international government, and the private sector. ESD also sponsors research and extends science and technology education to learners of all ages, inspiring the next generation of explorers. This informational talk will feature the key ways in which UNL PIs, UNL students, and state and local decision makers (e.g., NE DNR, NGPC) can engage with the NASA Earth Science Division. Jessica will provide a brief overview of the organization of ESD, highlight the most relevant current and upcoming satellite and airborne missions, and will provide examples of projects previously funded by the NASA Biological Diversity Research & Applications program & the Ecological Conservation Applications Area. She is eager to discuss student and early career opportunities at NASA (e.g., internship program, graduate student fellowship, early career researcher award), and can provide insights on the AAAS STPF.

Dr. Jessica Burnett is a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow and an Associate Program Manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She supports the Ecological Conservation Applications Area through program management, strategy development, interagency relationship building, and targeted outreach. She plays a key role in curating relationships with government and non-government conservation partners and coalitions in North America and, especially, the U.S. She currently serves on numerous interagency committees and initiatives, including the National Invasive Species Council, the Climate Change and Biodiversity Assessment, America the Beautiful (30x30), and the National Plan for Civil Earth Observations. Jessica earned a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and is an alumnus of the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Her disciplinary expertise centers around the intersection of applied ecology and software development.