Vanessa Pearce

As a senior at the University of North Dakota - majoring in Spanish and Atmospheric Sciences - I had been looking for opportunities were I could combine my two majors and passions.

My fascination for weather goes back as far as I can remember. In fact, - according to a neighbor - I was able to name local meteorologists on television at the age of eighteen months old! My love for Spanish came in high school when I took my first Spanish class.

My advisor at UND led me to the Windows to the Universe project, developed at UCAR/NCAR which combines these passions of mine. I sought out for an opportunity as an Intern the summer of 2008, so I could closely be a part of a project that clearly combines Spanish, Atmospheric Sciences, and Education and Outreach.

I was welcomed by the Windows to the Universe team to join them for 10 weeks during the summer of 2008. During this term I worked with W2U developers on developing pages for a new Natural Hazards section. Another task was creating Word Walls for all the translated activities within the Teacher Resources section.

Community outreach was another ingredient of my internship. Together with the Education and Outreach Coordinator, I worked in a couple of summer programs to the Hispanic community (CDE and Hispanic CREO). While working with these groups, I facilitated science activities with over a 100 kids ranging from ages 6 to 15 helping their understanding of science along with practicing my Spanish. I also was able to come to meet several of Denver’s Hispanic leaders. These outreach opportunities were an incredible chance for me to see that I can actually combine my two passions and be of great impact and service!

In my free time, I love to speak Spanish, watch sports -especially hockey-, baseball, and softball. I also enjoy playing sports or being outside, to cook/bake, and helping out in anyway I can. One day I hope to be a world traveler and been given the opportunity to help disadvantage communities around the world.

Last modified July 31, 2008 by Julia Genyuk.

You might also be interested in:

Emily Lenhart

Emily Lenhart currently holds two half-time positions at the University of Michigan; one as the Acting Executive Director for the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ELISE), and...more

Hank Thoenes

Hank Thoenes is a science teacher at Boulan Park Middle School in Troy, Michigan. Over the past ten years, Hank has taught science in grades six through eight. In addition to his teaching, Hank has been...more

Janet Kozyra

Janet Kozyra has been active in space plasma physics and aeronomy concentrating on processes that couple the atmosphere and ionosphe with near-Earth space. She has extensive experience in data analysis...more

John Bravender

John Bravender (bravende@engin.umich.edu) is a student in the Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences department at the University of Michigan. His emphasis in the department is meteorology. More specifically,...more

Jon Linker

Dr. Jon A. Linker is a research scientist in the Applied Physics Operation of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in San Diego. He is an expert in the development and application of large-scale...more

Michael Burek

Hello! I am an Engineer that specializes in designing and building measurement systems for scientific research. On the Windows to the Universe Project I am responsible for the technical portions of the...more

Michelle McDonough

Michelle has recently joined the Windows to the Universe team as a Senior at the University of Michigan School of Art & Design. She spent last semester studying fine arts at the Lorenzo di'Medici Institute...more

Paul Orselli

Mr. Paul Orselli is the President of POW! - a museum and educational consulting company he founded. He received his B.S. in Anthropology and Zoology at the University of Michigan in 1982 and his M.A.T....more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA