Based on the strength of this research, Lee was selected for the National Science Foundation\u2019s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), a prestigious national program that provides funding for graduate students to conduct their own groundbreaking research. She is one of three NAU students to be selected for the GRFP in 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n Read about Victoria Wiley’s research on southwestern birds.<\/a><\/p>\n Read about Jamie Ramirez’s research that looks at how insects explain forest health.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAs an Asian woman in STEM and a daughter of an immigrant, I\u2019ve learned the importance of education and taking every opportunity that is presented to me,\u201d she said. \u201cMy focus now and in my future career is on creating accessible educational programs that inspire diverse perspective for innovation and infrastructure improvements in space exploration and contributing to the development of a diverse and competitive STEM workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n Associate professor Christopher Edwards<\/strong>, who is Lee\u2019s advisor and a co-investigator on many of the international projects on which her research is based, said since day one Lee has been a driver of new research and collaborative education at NAU.<\/p>\n \u201cHer dedication to the project and follow-through, helping support a class and build a space instrument is really impressive,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cI can\u2019t say enough good things about Laura\u2019s collegiality, the breadth of her interests and dedication to figuring out very challenging and pressing problems in science.\u201d<\/p>\n She wants to find out where water in space is located and how it moves around in space. That project is happening through four different ways:<\/p>\n \u201cLaura\u2019s work will help us understand the context and distribution of water, a critically important molecule,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cThe key contributions of this work to the overall scientific literature are how water is distributed across the solar system, where it is on the given body and then how we can better understand its potential as a resource.\u201d<\/p>\n Persevere.<\/strong> Lee finished her undergraduate degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Spring 2020. She didn\u2019t get to walk for graduation. She finished the semester at home. She couldn\u2019t find a job in her field, so she started working as an arcade technician in a bowling alley. It\u2019s not the STEM job most people think of, but Lee\u2019s technical acumen and understanding of complex hardware and software expanded in that position, and it gave her truly hands-on experience. Then she got a night job as a physics lab assistant, preparing and maintaining equipment and overseeing a range of science labs.<\/p>\n Neither were her dream job, but they helped get her to the place she needed to be to prepare the kind of application for graduate school that gets noticed. And NAU noticed her. Edwards was so eager to bring Lee on board that he got her an email address and affiliate status months before she arrived so she could start work.<\/p>\n In grad school, her work has ranged from developing the VISIONS camera system, including working in a cleanroom and troubleshooting, she has presented at numerous conferences and spacecraft meetings, she mentored undergraduate students and will write lesson plans and do community outreach as that system starts sending data back to Earth. It all helped her to get to this point in her career and define where she wants to go from here.<\/p>\n Do your research.\u00a0<\/strong>The Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science offers a Writing a Fellowship Proposal class<\/a>. Class members reviewed successful applications, including reviewer feedback, from previous students, reviewed each other\u2019s work, got advice from professors and wrote and revised their application. For the GRFP, the personal statement is almost as important as the research statement, so knowing best practices and having peer reviewers can make a good statement a great one.<\/p>\n Interested in applying for a grant or fellowship? Check out the Writing a Fellowship Proposal class<\/a>; many students have won GRFPs, NASA grants and other major awards after taking the course.<\/p>\n Heidi Toth | NAU Communications <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Laura](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Laura-Lee2.jpeg\")
As a woman of color in a STEM field, she has experienced how minority inclusivity transforms educational opportunities\u2014for her and for others in the lab, field and classroom. For Lee, innovation isn\u2019t enough; she wants to make sure she\u2019s opening doors for others as well.<\/p>\nWhat to know about Lee\u2019s research<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
![\"Laura](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/LauraLee4.jpeg\")
The work will require Lee to synthesize data from different sources, collaborate with researchers from various countries as well as those in Flagstaff and other student researchers, and putting a big picture together from many little bits of data. Her research will provide valuable insights into hydrated regions on the Moon and other celestial bodies and will inform future missions studying the Moon, asteroids and more. She\u2019s helping to demystify the universe.<\/p>\nHow to be successful\u2014in writing grants and accomplishing your goals<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Laura](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Laura-Lee3.jpeg\")
Find opportunities to lead and grow.\u00a0<\/strong>In her undergrad, Lee learned how to do coding and data processing, she was a teacher\u2019s assistant at ERAU\u2019s observatory and she helped upgrade their meteor camera system. She interned in NASA\u2019s educational programs at Space Center Houston, she co-authored a research paper and did community service, including Girls Rock-It Day, a STEM-based learning experience for middle school girls.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Northern](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/NAU_primary-281_3514-300x213.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n