MDRS Crew 87
January 2, 2010 - January 8, 2010
Daily Crew Reports

Name	Speciality
Mary Beth Wilhelm	Commander
Donna Viola	Chief Biologist
Joshua Nelson	Chief Geologist
Denise Wood	Crew Scientist, Chief Astronomer
Clara McCrossin	Executive Officer and Health and Safety Officer
Grier Wilt	Chief Engineer
Jon Rask	Spaceward Bound Advisor

Mary Beth Wilhelm	Mary Beth is currently a sophomore at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY studying geological and planetary sciences. She is part of the College Scholars Program, conducting her undergraduate thesis work in geomicrobiology and astrobiology. She is the Science Team Project Manager for Cornell's student-led satellite project, Violet, which will hopefully launch by 2012, and also works part time in the Space Sciences Department researching young stellar objects in the infrared. This past summer was her fourth year interning at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA where she worked on the Pavilion Lake Research Project, studying modern-day stromatolites in British Columbia, Canada. She also conducted fieldwork in the Mojave Desert and spent time observing at Mount Palomar's 200-inch telescope. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing in Cornell's Dance Department and is an active member of the Cornell Italian-American Organization (CIAO). This is Mary Beth's second time to MDRS as commander, and is excited to return to the station with a fantastic crew and new exciting scientific and engineering objectives under the mentorship of Dr. Carol Stoker, PI of the DOMMEX Project (Drilling on the Moon and Mars and Human Exploration).
Donna Viola	Donna Viola is a junior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has designed her own major in Astrobiology through the UMBC Interdisciplinary Studies Department, and has been an avid space geek since high school. She has done research on the geomorphology of Titan as a part of the SETI Institute REU program, and would someday like to pursue a career studying Mars and its potential to support life. Donna is also a chemistry tutor, a captain of the UMBC Women's Rugby team, and actively involved in the Interdisciplinary Studies Council of Majors, Astronomy Club, and Secular Student Alliance at UMBC. She also enjoys reading and adventuring when she has some free time. She was a member of Crew 80 last April, and is looking forward to returning to MDRS.
Joshua Nelson	Joshua Nelson is a graduate student studying multidisiplinary topics in Space Science. He holds his bachelors in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona, along with minors in astronomy, physics, and planetary science. This summer he participated in the International Space University Space Studies Program. Most recently he has worked on the Mars Underground Mole project at the NASA Ames Research Center. Prior to his work at Ames he worked on high altitude balloon payloads, lunar landers, other space related projects. Joshua is presently the Chairman of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), the largest student run pro space organization in the world. Outside of space, Josh is an avid hiker and makes a hobby of collecting useful certifications like his HAM radio license and First Aid certification.
Denise Wood	Denise Wood is a senior undergraduate in physics at Iowa State University with minors in astronomy and mathematics. At Iowa State, Denise holds outreach chair of the ISU Physics and Astronomy Club and works as a tutor of introductory physics courses. Denise's childhood dream of working for SETI was realized when she participated in the SETI REU in the summer of 2009. She has a passion for exploration and discovery and believes that a manned mission to Mars will re-spark interest in space science around the world. Denise's goals are to graduate at ISU and continue on the path to a doctorate in astronomy. She is interested in the search for extrasolar planets and life and also in education and outreach.
Clara McCrossin	Clara McCrossin is a recent graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Biology from Shepherd University. She is currently working in the Lunar Dust Biological Effects lab at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. During her time here she will be support the Constellation project, and NASA's possible return to the Moon, by looking at the toxicological and biological effects of lunar dust as well as studying the chemical reactivity. While at Shepherd, Clara was vice president of her school's chapter of Beta Beta Beta, a national honor society of biology students. She is also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, and the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society. While at Shepherd, Clara was nominated and presented as a McMurran Scholar; the highest academic honor. In 2006, she graduated from high school and finished her Associates of Science in Biology in 2007 from Hagerstown Community College. Clara was a part of Crew 73, last field season, where she acted as the Health and Safety Officer.
Grier Wilt	Grier Wilt is currently pursuing Mechanical Engineering and International Studies degrees at The Pennsylvania State University. Grier serves as a mentor for the Women in Engineering Program and as an envoy for both the College of Engineering's Co-op Program and International Program. She is also involved with Penn State's Dance MaraTHON, Engineering House, Society of Women Engineers and American Society of Mechanical Engineers. With a lifelong dream of working for NASA, Grier's aspirations were finally realized when she began working as a co-op at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. She worked on NASA's new space program, Constellation. At Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, Grier served as project engineer for the 1/4 scale Crew Exploration Vehicle Water Egress and Survival Trainer and enjoyed her experience immensely. Grier has also completed rotations at JSC working on the Lunar Electric Rover and with the Extra Vehicular Activities Task group. Her most recent rotation included EVA Training of the STS-130 crew, scheduled to launch in February, 2010. Grier has previously served as the Crew Biologist for Crew 78, and looks forward to the change of pace in her new role as Chief Engineer for this mission.
Jon Rask	Jon Rask has worked as a Space Biologist at NASA Ames Research Center since 2001. While at Ames, Rask has performed Lunar Dust biotoxicity research, and has developed and tested life science hardware and experiments for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. He has also performed experiment operations aboard the NASA C9B parabolic aircraft, and been a test subject in four hypergravity experiments aboard the centrifuge facilities at NASA Ames. Jon has also had diverse fieldwork experiences in the Mojave Desert, on Catalina Island, and in the Norwegian Arctic on Svalbard. Jon also has an active role in education and public outreach, having authored the Radiation Biology Educator Guide "Spacefaring: The Radiation Challenge," and serves as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA JPL. Prior to his work at NASA Ames, Jon was a farmer, rancher, and high school science teacher in Bismarck, North Dakota. Jon's first experience at MDRS was with Crew Two in February 2002. In 2006, Rask was the commander for Crew 52, the first NASA Spaceward Bound Mission at MDRS, and most recently, served as the Crew Guide for Spaceward Bound Crews 73 and 74. In his personal time, Jon enjoys biking, hiking, drumming, and exploring wine country in California. Jon earned a BS is Biological Science from North Dakota State University and an MS in Space Studies from University of North Dakota.

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