Meet the Team

Dr. Darci Snowden
Director and Principal Investigator
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
_{Dr. Darci Snowden, an Associate Professor of Physics at Central Washington University. She has a research background in planetary science, specifically concentrating on Titan, and enjoys guiding students through high-altitude balloon and rocketry projects.}

Deanna Marshall
Program Manager
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
_{Deanna loves event planning, organizing activities, and analyzing data. She has been a part of NESSP since the early days and is proud of its growth and continuing evolution. In her spare time, she like to drop pumpkins off the roof of Discovery Hall, because Physics!}

Anita Mishina
Office Assistant 3
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
_{Anita appreciates her job every day. She especially loves designing logos & manuals and ordering educational materials & recognition items. She had fun visiting Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in August 2023, and really enjoyed meeting all the great teachers and students at the NESSP events.}

Mary Levine
Project Coordinator
Central Washington University
Remote
_{Mary has been working with NESSP for several years in different capacities. She enjoys working on the ROADS program with a focus on project management for the Companion Course and educator professional development.}

Student Members

Abbigal Beirens
Digital Communications Assistant
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
_{Abbigal or Abbi is a current student at Central Washington pursuing a bachelors degree in Computer Science. Growing up she attended a STEM elementary school and a STEM high school. She thinks that everybody should have access to STEM activities and loves that she can help make these opportunities more accessible.}

Lana Terry
Shipping and Handling Assistant
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
_{Lana Terry is a current student at Central Washington University pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre and a minor in American sign language. Lana loves how she can be involved in her community through her ASL skills and through acting. She enjoys that she is able to provide STEM opportunities to underrepresented, underfunded rural areas of Washington.}

May Elise
Shipping and Handling Assistant
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
_{May is a student at Central Washington University, pursuing a double major in Environmental Science and Economics. She is looking forward to studying abroad, dedicating time to learning about science, and is a strong believer in equal opportunities in education fields relating to STEM.}

Our Partners

Boise State University

Montana State University
_{MSU runs NESSP camps for underserved middle school youth, provides training and professional development to teachers, supports the NASA ROADS challenges, and engages Montana tribes in NASA science.}

Montana Learning Center

Museum of Flight, Washington Aerospace Scholars

Northern Arizona University
_{Anne Hamlin leads the Arizona regional hub of NESSP through Northern Arizona University’s Center for Science Teaching and Learning. She recruits new robotics teams for NESSP challenges in grades 3-12 and provides professional development, challenge support, and challenge communications to all registered teams. She focuses recruitment and professional development efforts particularly on teams from rural and Native American communities. She also organizes event planning for in-person challenges.}