{"id":3518,"date":"2021-11-09T16:13:44","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T16:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=3518"},"modified":"2025-02-11T12:37:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T17:37:53","slug":"starstruck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2021\/11\/09\/starstruck\/","title":{"rendered":"Starstruck"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column3518_24ba08-b9 dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p>Sharon Ungerer was in her third&nbsp;semester at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania when it occurred to her that perhaps Graphic Design was the wrong major.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She had taken a mandatory science class \u2014 Biology \u2014 and aced it, while many in the class of 100-plus failed. \u201cI thought it was really easy,\u201d Ungerer says, \u201cand I thought, if I understand this stuff so easily, maybe that\u2019s what I should be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The revelation should not have come as a total surprise. After all, an understanding of science was in her DNA \u2014 her mother is an analytical chemist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_3519\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/11\/Milton-and-son.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Milton Muldrow and his son William\" class=\"wp-image-3519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Milton-and-son.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Milton-and-son-188x250.jpg 188w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Milton-and-son-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Milton-and-son-360x480.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Milton Muldrow and his son, William<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ungerer re-focused academically, and, after receiving an associate degree from Delaware Technical Community College, enrolled in the Environmental Science and Policy program at Wilmington University in 2017. Here, she came under the tutelage of Dr. Milton Muldrow, chair of Science, Biology &amp; Environmental Science and Policy, who introduced her to the Delaware Space Grant Consortium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Established in 1991, the Delaware Space Grant is a NASA-funded consortium that promotes STEM education in the state to train students, researchers and teachers and, in turn, helps supply the brainpower that space exploration demands. Tuition awards are up to $5,000 per student. The consortium is headquartered at the University of Delaware, and students at UD, WilmU, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College, and Wesley College, as well as Villanova University and Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, are eligible. A primary goal is to provide academic-year tuition awards and fellowship opportunities to undergraduates and graduates. The program, which operates in many states, also supports internships in industry and at NASA centers during the summer of the academic year. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>When I think \u2018Space Grant,\u2019 I think of NASA and aerospace and things like that,&nbsp;but I learned from Dr. Muldrow that it was open to a lot of earth sciences research projects.&nbsp;\u2060\u2014&nbsp;Sharon Ungerer<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, she became the first Environmental Science and Policy major to receive a Space Grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ungerer graduated in 2018 and is now a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) specialist in the Water Supply Section of the&nbsp;&nbsp;Kent Conservation District in cooperation with DNREC. She\u2019s also a WilmU adjunct, teaching Environmental Informatics. She credits her Space Grant experience, in which she assisted Dr. Muldrow on a study of the Florida Keys coral reef ecosystem, with helping her to land a job in the environmental field, and to do that job well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSpace Grant gave me the opportunity to hone my research skills before taking on similar projects in a professional setting,\u201d she says.&nbsp;\u201cI do mapping analysis work, and a lot of the analysis has to do with source water protection&nbsp;and groundwater monitoring. We do&nbsp;permitting of wells and generally are making sure Delaware always has a consistent supply of water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The word \u201clove\u201d comes up a lot when Ungerer discusses her work. \u201cI love not only being in the environmental field, but I love the spatial analysis and helping the decision-makers to make informed decisions,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s all data-driven. Making sure people have quality water makes me happy. I love my work. I feel like I\u2019m home now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another Space Grant recipient and 2020 Environmental Science and Policy alumna, Laynunwah \u201cLyn\u201d Mambia, is a biotechnician with Merck Pharmaceutical Company in West Point, Pennsylvania. \u201cThe Space Grant was absolutely helpful in securing my job,\u201d says Mambia. \u201cFor a person like myself, who did not have any professional experience, the Space Grant work listed on my r\u00e9sum\u00e9 gave an idea about my ability in a laboratory setting, in a team environment, and a sense of working in a clean space with most of the equipment I am working with now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mambia, a native of Liberia, also assisted Dr. Muldrow on a coral reef project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I had a wonderful experience at WilmU. Dr. Muldrow gave me \u2014 all of us \u2014 wonderful mentorship when it comes to securing a job or getting&nbsp;into grad school.&nbsp;\u2060\u2014&nbsp;Lyn Mambia<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Mambia is in the Cross-Reactive Material Department at Merck, producing a protein used in a pneumococcal vaccine. \u201cI absolutely enjoy my job and my transition to the biopharmaceutical industry,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An off-shoot of the Space Grant program is RockOn!, an annual project designed for students to learn and apply skills in building experiments for suborbital space flight.&nbsp;Some 100 students from universities across the United States participated in this year\u2019s program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two WilmU students \u2014 Sarah Latorre and Michael Wilson \u2014 worked with Dr. Muldrow in RockOn! this year. Working virtually, the three received separate&nbsp;plans for building circuit boards for the suborbital-sounding rocket that was launched on June 24 from Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia. It collected information about radiation, temperature, humidity, and pressure, all of which contribute to what is known as space weather, which can cause problems with devices in space or on the Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a participant in the project, Latorre says, \u201cI\u2019m taking in so much information. I\u2019m getting the feel for what it\u2019s like to be a well-rounded scientist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Biology major, Latorre is a self-employed artist who plans to minor in either Art or Entrepreneurship.&nbsp;\u201cI plan on combining science and art in my career and going into teaching or fieldwork.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_3523\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/11\/Mambia-in-center.jpg\" alt=\"students in lab coats\" class=\"wp-image-3523\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This WilmU undergrad student research group was funded by the Delaware Space Grant. From left: Emily Kockott, Jakeyia Scott, Laynunwah \u201cLyn\u201d Mambia, James Kennedy, Michael Wilson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Wilson, also a Biology major, has participated in the Space Grant program since 2019. \u201cAs a student who is not majoring in Engineering or Physics, I assumed I would have been a liability to the team,\u201d he says. \u201cBut the video instruction thoroughly guides you through the build despite your background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe program provided an opportunity for me to conduct research, and I enjoy the yearly Delaware Space Grant Research Symposium, where we present the research conducted throughout the year.\u201d Wilson plans to apply to medical school after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Muldrow has been involved in the Space Grant program since 2015 and says that \u201cWilmU students have been recipients every year since then \u00ad\u2014 at least one, and as many as five. It\u2019s a big differentiator for an undergraduate with prospective employers and grad schools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not to mention an exciting experience for the students while they are participating. Sarah Latorre\u2019s reaction is typical: \u201cIt feels so incredible to tell people I\u2019m part of Space Grant \u2014 and it\u2019s being funded by NASA!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2060\u2014Bob Yearick<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sharon Ungerer was in her third&nbsp;semester at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania when it occurred to her that perhaps Graphic Design was the wrong major. She&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3524,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[163,135],"tags":[626],"class_list":["post-3518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifewilmu","category-magazine","tag-magazine-fall-2021"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":163,"label":"LIFE@WILMU"},{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":626,"label":"Magazine Fall 2021"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Starstruck-480x480.jpg",480,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Rachel Marchione","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/rachel\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":163,"name":"LIFE@WILMU","slug":"lifewilmu","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":720,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":90,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":163,"category_count":90,"category_description":"","cat_name":"LIFE@WILMU","category_nicename":"lifewilmu","category_parent":0},{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":431,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":431,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":626,"name":"Magazine Fall 2021","slug":"magazine-fall-2021","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1183,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":23,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3518"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15952,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3518\/revisions\/15952"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}