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October 12, 2016 at 1:29 pm

Physics NOAA Intern Takes Home Top Honor at Boulder Laboratories Symposium

Sara Sand

Sara Sand

Ohio University Honors Tutorial College Engineering Physics undergraduate Sara Sand received an Outstanding Presentation Award recently for her presentation “Evaluation of the Wind Flow Variability Using Scanning Doppler Lidar Measurements,” with co-authors Dr. Yelena Pichugina and Alan Brewer at the recent Boulder Laboratories Postdoctoral Poster Symposium.

Sand has a two-year Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory in the Chemical Sciences Division. This award was organized in honor of the Boulder Laboratories 50 Year Anniversary and the 50 Year Celebration of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s NRC Postdoctoral Associateships. The sponsor of this event is the Boulder Labs Diversity Council.

While in Boulder, Sand works with Pichugina and Brewer at the Earth System Research Laboratory to analyze the length and velocity deficits of the wakes created by wind turbines using data collected from two Doppler lidars located in the Columbia River Basin in Oregon. Sand is using this data to do case studies on significant ramp events and the efficacy of models in the complex terrain of this area.

“We really enjoyed having Sara here this summer,” notes Jeanne Waters, a Program Support Specialist in NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Division. “She was a valuable contributing member of our team and a real joy to work with.”

At Ohio University during the academic year, Sand’s faculty advisor Dr. Martin Kordesch, Professor of Physics & Astronomy, highlights her contribution to his lab.

“Sara’s research here involves electrospinning polymer fibers containing titanium dioxide and carbon nanotubes to ultimately improve the transport properties of dye sensitized solar cells. Sara is a bundle of positive energy in the lab. Her approach to her research is fresh and insightful.”

The Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance (up to $9,500 per year) for two years of full-time study during the 9-month academic year and a 10-week, full-time internship position ($700/week) during the summer at a NOAA facility.

The internship between the first and second years of the award provides the Scholars with hands-on, practical experience in NOAA-related science, research, technology, policy, management, and education activities.

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