National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Science 

 Innovation 

Fund AWARD

INSIDE

Science Innovation Fund (SIF) Award

SIF Award Strategic Research Areas

Breakdown of SIF Awards Across NASA Centers

Diversity and Inclusion in the SIF Award

SIF Awards and Public Engagement

Innovation and the SIF Award

SIF Research Transition and Broader Impacts

Summary

SIF Awardees 2012–2016 

Science Innovation Fund

Award Report 2012–2016

Office of the Chief Scientist
2

Science Innovation Fund 

(SIF) Award

The Science Innovation Fund invested in innovative, exploratory, 

and high-risk/high-return research activities that aligned with the 

Agency’s strategic goals and objectives.

The Science Innovation Fund provided small amounts 

of funding to NASA Centers to invest in strategic new 

scientific research that enhanced the Agency’s scientific innovation, ability to meet future missions, ability 

to forge new collaborations, and retention of scientists. 

Major objectives of the SIF were to promote science 

innovation and breakthroughs across the Agency; 

enable strategic planning in and across Centers; enable 

collaborations across disciplines and organizations; 

allow for flexibility for Centers to recruit and foster 

new talent; and foster creativity across NASA science 

workforce. At the same time, the intent of the fund was 

to discourage the use of Science Innovation Funds for 

other purposes (e.g., facilities construction, etc.).

The purpose of the 

Science Innovation Fund 

was twofold: 

1 Promote the conduct of highly 

innovative, exploratory and high-risk/

high-return scientific research in support 

of the strategic direction of the NASA 

Centers and the Agency. 

2 Promote the vitality of the NASA Centers 

through strategic investments in scientific 

research, capabilities, and people. 

 SIF Review at Goddard Space Flight Center (2016), with NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Ellen Stofan
3

What Has the Science 

Innovation Fund Award 

Enabled? 

NASA scientists require a means to 

conduct high-risk or early research that 

is not sufficiently mature for a response 

to a NASA Research Announcement 

(NRA). A small amount of high-risk, 

high-return research acts to increase 

innovation, collaboration, and morale 

within the NASA science community.

The Science Innovation Fund awards 

were piloted in fiscal year (FY) 2012 

at two Centers: Goddard Space Flight 

Center (GSFC), because it is NASA’s 

largest science Center, and Langley 

Research Center (LaRC), because it is a smaller 

science Center with a relatively concentrated 

technical focus. The pilot was funded in FY12 

at $2 million by the Science Mission Directorate 

(SMD). The overwhelming response demonstrated 

the strong interest the NASA science community 

has in having the opportunity to work on innovative seed projects. GSFC received 66 proposals 

from their scientists over a 2-week period, with 

14 projects being selected. LaRC received 14 

proposals, of which 7 were selected. These first 

SIF awards embraced all of the major scientific 

disciplines in SMD and featured 8 awards that 

spanned two or more disciplines. Nine projects 

were led by female PIs or co-PIs and eight had 

early career scientists in lead roles. The research 

results of the funded projects were highly rated 

by an independent review team, with the twofold 

purpose of the SIF being met across the board.

 SIF topics

The pilot study was extended in FY13 with a 

funding level of $4 million. In 2014, due to 

budgetary constraints, no SIF awards were made. 

In 2015, the SIF was awarded in an abbreviated 

fashion, covering only 5 months, and was funded 

at just under $1.5 million. Of the 27 funded 

projects that year, many were the continuation of 

previous SIF work, or work which had been recommended previously but not been funded due to 

a budget shortfall. In FY16, 47 SIF awards were 

made across 7 Centers, for a budget of approximately $5 million. From FY15 to FY17, SIF 

awards were made annually.

The SIF was utilized by the entire NASA science workforce, including the SMD and Human 

Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission 

Directorate. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 

and Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate 

(ARMD) have pre-existing funding mechanisms 

for innovative research and, thus, did not participate in the SIF.
4

 Brian Glass, 

Principal Investigator 

of the Atacama Rover 

Astrobiology Drilling 

Studies (ARADS) 

project at NASA’s Ames 

Research Center in 

Silicon Valley and SIF 

Award recipient

Management of the SIF

The Science Innovation Fund 

was managed at each individual Center, with oversight by 

the Office of the Chief Scientist.

SIF funding activities directly supported advancing the strategic direction of the NASA Centers 

and the Agency, and were solicited by each 

participating Center through an open internal 

call for proposals. SIF awards were selected 

by the Centers through a transparent internal 

review process, and the NASA Chief Scientist 

approved selected projects to ensure that they 

directly supported Agency strategy and goals. 

Individual projects were limited in duration and 

funding (typically from 1 year up to 18 months 

and less than $150,000 total per project). The 

Centers delivered progress reports to the Chief 

Scientist on an annual basis. The Chief Scientist 

then tracked the projects to determine how many 

SIF awards resulted in successful competitively 

selected proposals, as well as the number of 

multidisciplinary, collaborative proposals. The use 

of NASA Headquarters oversight acted to ensure 

that (1) funds were used according to program 

principles, (2) monitoring and tracking of projects occurred on schedule, and (3) programmatic 

continuity was provided.
5

Benchmarks of Success

Success for Individual SIF Award

There were many indicators of success for an 

individual SIF award. A prime indicator of success was that the PI was able to mature the 

research and successfully receive an award from 

a conventional, competitively selected source of 

funding (e.g., Research Opportunities in Earth 

and Space Science [ROSES]). Other equally 

important indicators of success involved technology or information transfer, such as through 

the receipt of patents, publication of research 

results in a peer-reviewed journal, or utilization of 

the research in other NASA missions or projects. 

Broader impact through publicity and outreach—

via Web sites, media interviews, and articles—as 

well as public engagement were also signs of a 

successful SIF. 

Success for SIF Program

Since the SIF was designed to foster highly 

innovative, exploratory, and high-risk/high-return 

scientific research, a metric of success involved 

ensuring that the correct amount of risk was 

borne by the program. If the ratio of successful SIF awards to those which did not yield 

promising results was greater than 50:50—a 

ratio commonly encountered in Department of 

Defense, Department of Energy, and industry programs1—then a case could be made that the SIF 

award was not fostering truly innovative research. 

Furthermore, since the SIF award acted to promote the vitality of the NASA Centers through 

strategic investments in scientific research, 

capabilities, and people, SIFs that fostered 

cross-disciplinary collaboration, as well as SIFs 

that encouraged early career and underrepresented individuals to participate were also signs 

of success.

1 See, for examples, DOE’s LDRD Program, DOE Order DOE O 413.2B;

DOD’s IR&D Program at http://www.defenseinnovationmarketplace.mil; 

and the report, Information on DOE’s Laboratory-Directed R&D Program

(http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-04-489), which describes not only the 

DOE program, but those of other governmental programs, including JPL’s.

 Yolanda Shea (née Roberts), NASA Physical Research 

Scientist and SIF recipient at Langley Research Center
6

SIF Award 

Strategic Research Areas

NASA conventionally divides its science research into the following categories: astrophysics, Earth sciences, planetary sciences, heliophysics, and astrobiology. The term “crosscutting 

research” is used for any topic that addresses at least two of 

these areas. SIF awards encouraged the development of new 

investigations that stress the innovative, exploratory, and/or the 

interdisciplinary nature of the proposed work. Furthermore, 

SIF awards were not targeted at work that could be funded 

under other program resources (including mission directorate 

programs), formal solicitations such as Stand Alone Missions 

of Opportunity Notices (SALMON) or ROSES, or other 

internal funds.

Cumulative Totals for Research 

Area Allocations (2012–2016)

Astrophysics

Earth Science

Planetary 

Science

Heliophysics

Astrobiology

Crosscutting

22%

12%

12%

8%

28%

18%

Distribution of SIF Awards by Year Across Areas

Astrophysics Earth 

Sciences

Planetary 

Sciences Heliophysics Astrobiology Crosscutting Totals

2012 2 5 4 2 0 8 21

2013 10 15 9 2 2 9 47

2015 2 10 6 3 7 0 28

2016 3 10 7 4 8 15 47

TOTALS 17 40 26 11 17 32 143

SIF Awards by Area 2012–2016

Astrophysics

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Earth Sciences

Planetary Sciences

Heliophysics

Astrobiology

Crosscutting

2012 2013 2015 2016

This requirement for non-conventional 

research led to a dramatic growth of SIF 

awards being made in crosscutting areas, as 

seen in the 2016 SIF cycle. An initial emphasis of SIF awards being made in the Planetary 

and Earth Sciences (2012–2013) was linked 

to the staged rollout of the SIF award across 

Centers. An increase in SIF awards made in 

the Astrobiology area, for example, was linked 

to the addition of Ames Research Center to the 

SIF portfolio in 2013. 
7

SIF HIGHLIGHT 

Understanding the Physical Link Between the Solar Corona and the Terrestrial 

Mesosphere (2013), and Particle Acceleration and Hard X-Ray Emission from the 

Sun (2016), with PI Dr. James A. Klimchuk (Goddard Space Flight Center)

Why is the solar corona so hot? Goddard scientists discovered 

that tiny nanoflares (bursts of magnetic energy, one-billionth 

of a normal flare) can reach temperatures of up to 20 million 

degrees, heating at least some of the corona. One million 

nanoflares occur per second across the Sun, each equivalent 

to a 10-megaton hydrogen bomb. Turbulent motions at the 

solar surface “stir” the coronal magnetic field, causing it to 

become tangled and twisted. Electric current sheets are then 

produced where the field is misaligned. Dr. Kilmchuk’s work 

at NASA Goddard aims to better explain solar flares through 

the simulation of particle acceleration from first principles, 

thereby illuminating the process by which energetic particles 

on the Sun are accelerated to produce hard x-ray emissions.

 Dr. James Klimchuk discusses the 

solar corona with NASA Chief Scientist 

Dr. Ellen Stofan.

Dr. Klimchuk’s research 

on nanoflares was named 

the #14 story in Discover 

magazine’s top 100 stories 

of 2015.

Dr. Klimchuk was the recipient of two SIF awards, 

both of which were crosscutting efforts. His research 

under the SIF was concentrated on understanding 

what causes nanoflares. This research advanced 

our understanding of (1) coronal heating, (2) full 

size flares, and (3) the fundamental processes of 

magnetic 

reconnection 

and particle 

acceleration. This was a crossdisciplinary effort, as magnetic 

reconnection and particle acceleration occur throughout the 

solar system and affect Earth, as well as the broader universe, thereby touching on aspects of heliophysics, Earth 

sciences and planetary sciences. This work also provided 

mission support through its influence on the design and 

scientific justification of future missions like the Focusing 

Optics X-Ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) and Solar-C.

Dr. Klimchuk’s research on nanoflares was named the #14 

story in Discover magazine’s top 100 stories of 2015. His 

research has led to multiple conference presentations, media 

interviews, and peer-reviewed journal publications.

 False-color temperature map shows 

solar active region AR10923, observed 

close to center of the Sun’s disk.
8

Breakdown of SIF Awards 

across NASA Centers

SIFawards were managed at each Center, with 

oversight coming from the Office of the Chief 

Scientist. SIF awardees were distributed across 

7 NASA Centers: Ames Research Center (ARC), 

Glenn Research Center (GRC), Goddard Space 

Flight Center (GSFC), Johnson Space Center 

(JSC), Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Langley 

Research Center (LaRC), and Marshall Space 

Flight Center (MSFC). The allocation of SIF 

funds to a Center was roughly proportional to 

the amount of science activity at that Center.

SIF Funding Spread by Center

GSFC 42%

7% JSC

4% KSC

16% LaRC

MSFC

7%

GRC 5%

ARC 19%

Due to the fact that the SIF program was 

piloted at Goddard and Langley in 2012, there 

is a higher cumulative total of SIF awards at 

those Centers. Additionally, Goddard, Langley, 

and Ames have a high concentration of SIF 

PIs due to a traditional or emerging focus on 

fundamental science areas targeted at innovative frontiers. SIF awards involved co-PIs from 

multiple Centers; awards of this nature were often 

able to leverage synergies, thereby creating investigative opportunities for cutting-edge research that 

would not have existed under traditional NASA 

funding profiles. 

SIF Award Amounts by Center 

(in thousands of dollars)

ARC GRC GSFC JSC KSC LaRC MSFC

2012 2013 2015 2016 Cumulative

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

As of 2017, there are 44 SIF awards still in progress, with 143 SIF awards having been completed 

since the award’s inception in 2012. PIs have 

been able to leverage known collaborators and 

facilities, both inter- and intra-Center, in order to 

ramp up efforts quickly once a SIF was awarded. 

Since most SIF awards are capped at $150,000, 

the highly exploratory nature of the award means 

that any synergies leveraged act as a strong multiplier for the utility of the final work. Of the 143 

SIFs awarded from 2012 to 2016, more than 23 

awards involved collaborations with more than one 

Center, with 4 awards involving 3 Centers. 
9

SIF HIGHLIGHT 

Development of the Optimal Estimation Algorithm for Deriving Microphysical Aerosol 

Properties from Polarimeter (2015), and Microphysical Aerosol Properties from 

Polarimetry (MAPP): Studying the Earth’s Aerosols and Oceans Using Polarized 

Light and LIDAR Measurements (2016), with PI Dr. Snorre Stamnes (Langley 

Research Center)

Dr. Stamnes, an early career researcher, has designed an 

innovative polarimeter aerosol retrieval algorithm based 

on optimal estimation theory, called Microphysical Aerosol 

Properties from Polarimetry (MAPP), in order to study 

Earth’s aerosols and oceans using polarized light and Lidar 

measurements. His research dovetails with the goals of the 

Aerosols-Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) decadal survey mission, 

which places strict accuracy requirements on aerosol characterization in order to quantify the impact of aerosols on 

Earth’s climate, which will require improved satellite instruments and retrieval algorithms. MAPP was designed for the 

ACE mission, tested on simulated data, and then applied to 

real Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) data.

 The NASA C-130 aircraft readies to 

fly and take samples of sea salt aerosols.

“This SIF award gave me the freedom 

to work on MAPP, to continue working 

in collaboration with the NASA GISS 

RSP team and to visit NASA GISS to 

meet with the RSP PI and team.”

The project benefited significantly from close collaboration between the NASA Goddard Institute 

for Space Studies (GISS) Research Scanning 

Polarimeter (RSP) and the NASA Langley High 

Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) teams on the aerosol/cloud microphysics and ocean color retrievals. 

Dr. Stamnes, a Research Physical Scientist in the 

Atmospheric Composition Branch at NASA Langley 

Research Center, had always wanted to collaborate with his colleagues at GISS. Dr. Stamnes 

reflected on his personal growth through his 2015 and 2016 SIF awards, “This SIF award gave me 

the freedom to work on MAPP, to continue working in collaboration with the NASA GISS RSP team 

and to visit NASA GISS to meet with the RSP PI and team.” He cites key collaborators B. Cairns, 

A. Wasilewski, J. Chowdhary, and W. Martin at NASA GISS, as well as fellow NASA Langley collaborators C. Hostetler, R. Ferrare, S. Burton, X. Liu, J. Hair, and Y. Hu as enabling his work.

MAPP is one of the algorithms now being used for a funded ROSES Remote Sensing Theory grant. 

The MAPP algorithm is featured in a proposal to the upcoming ROSES Remote Sensing of Water 

Quality solicitation. A publication is in progress on the Aerosols Above Oceans ocean color retrievals from the Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) and Ship-Aircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR). 

The microphysical aerosol and ocean color products produced by MAPP for TCAP and SABOR will 

be archived and made publicly available simultaneously with the publication of the paper. 
10

Diversity and Inclusion 

in the SIF Award

The provision of seed money for innovative/strategic research has long been considered essential 

in industry, research universities, and Government 

institutions to achieve their missions. Under SIF, 

NASA made a small investment and provided 

Centers with agile funding opportunities for early 

stage scientific research activities that aligned with 

the Agency’s strategic goals and objectives. The 

SIF worked to incubate new ideas that are highrisk/high-reward in nature, with a low technology 

readiness level (TRL), giving them a chance to 

mature. An open call at each NASA Center was 

used to enable NASA scientists to bring forward 

their most creative ideas for consideration. 

 Lauren Fahey and 

Dr. Liane Guild with SIF 

Project C-HORSE hardware 

The SIF award was especially successful in 

attracting a wide pool of applicants, which 

resulted in a diverse pool of awardee PIs. In 

2012, the inaugural SIF awards were presented, 

with 21 awards being made out of 81 proposals submitted. In that first year, approximately 

37 percent of the PIs were either women and/

or minorities, which is 

well above the national 

average for programs 

of a similar nature. 

Additionally, in the 

2012 SIF, close to 31 

percent of the proposals were won by “early 

career” scientists, that 

is, scientists within the 

first 5 years of their 

employment at NASA. 

In 2013, 114 proposals 

were submitted, with 

47 awards being made. Of these awards, 33 percent of the winning SIF PIs were women, with 14 

percent of SIFs being led by minorities, showing 

the potential of the SIF award to grow its base of 

underrepresented participants. Similarly, about 

42 percent of 2013 SIF awardees were early 

career scientists, demonstrating the ability of the 

SIF to encourage individuals early in their career 

to cultivate their own lines of research outside 

of traditional NASA funding programs, thereby 

enhancing innovation in the NASA environment. 

 SIF Review held 

at Goddard Space 

Flight Center

Due to budget issues, there was no SIF program 

in 2014, but in 2015, 27 proposals were funded 

at four Centers. While 2015 was an abbreviated program, with a duration of approximately 

5 months, important results were still achieved: 

27 awards were made, with over 40 percent going 

to PIs from underserved groups. In 2016, 47 SIFs 

were awarded, with 36 percent having PIs who 

were either women and/or minorities, and 32 percent were awarded to early career recipients. 

Since its inception, SIF has funded 143 research 

projects with over a third going to early career 

PIs, and 38 percent going to PIs from underrepresented groups.
11

SIF HIGHLIGHT 

Coastal High-resolution Observations and Remote Sensing of Ecosystems 

(C-HORSE), with PI Dr. Liane Guild (Ames Research Center)

 C-HORSE Operational Concept

Dr. Liane Guild’s research, under her SIF 

award, sought to answer the question “Can 

the unique spectral features of coastal ecosystems (e.g., corals, submerged aquatic 

vegetation, sand, mixed bottom types, and 

phytoplankton) be resolved with airborne 

remote sensing?” She worked on integrating a 

portable sensor suite into a research aircraft, 

configured to assess the biological properties of coastal ecosystems and water quality. 

Dr. Guild has field-tested the instrument 

suite by collecting bio-optical data simulating 

a range of water conditions from the clear 

waters of Lake Tahoe to the turbid waters of 

Pinto Lake, as well as the Santa Cruz Wharf. 

Her algorithms then utilize these atmospheric 

measurements to determine whether the relevant coastal features can be identified, thereby increasing cost effectiveness for rapid response to 

coastal events impacting water quality and ecosystems.

In 2016, Dr. Guild submitted a ROSES Airborne Instrument 

Technology Transition proposal, which was based on work done 

during her SIF. This proposal was funded and has enabled 

her to continue her flight test and sensor integration efforts; 

she will be gathering further data in subsequent flights over 

Lake Tahoe, Pinto Lake, and Santa Cruz Wharf. She is currently in the process of submitting a ROSES Earth Venture 

Suborbital proposal, to integrate her work with current Earthobserving satellite efforts. She has given a presentation regarding her work done on the SIF at the International Coral Reef 

Symposium and currently has a manuscript in progress for the 

special issue of Frontiers in Marine Science. She firmly believes 

that the high-quality bio-optical measurements enabled by 

the C-HORSE distributed sensor solution linking in- and 

above-water, air, and satellite data will greatly advance the science of coastal water quality and coastal ecosystems.

 Field setup of C-HORSE hardware. 

Left to right: Henry Housekeeper and 

Juan Torres-Perez
12

SIF Awards and 

Public Engagement

The SIF award was targeted at new investigations 

that stress innovation, exploration, and/or the 

interdisciplinary nature of the proposed work. 

Projects that encourage members of the public 

to participate in the scientific process in unique 

and innovative ways are highly valued. This public engagement, through the SIF awards acted to 

enhance the vitality of the NASA Centers through 

public awareness of research being performed, 

and helped to promote strategic investments in 

scientific research, capabilities, and people. 

Public engagement in science is vital to a vibrant 

scientific community, as well as to growing a 

capable workforce. The SIF award prized PIs 

who were capable of communicating with public audiences, working for the public good, and, 

most importantly, generating knowledge with 

public participation. 

Many SIF awards involved public education 

components that included carrying out live presentations, performing demonstrations, and 

hosting exhibits that engage the participation of 

a wide swath of individuals of all ages. SIF PIs 

have spoken at forums targeted at K–12, secondary, and post-secondary audiences, as well 

as engaged audiences at museums, libraries, 

community centers, science fairs, and sporting 

events. SIF research has been featured in multiple media, including radio, television, magazines, 

and newsprint.

One of the means by which SIF award winners 

engaged the broader community was through 

citizen science. Citizen science can mean anything from ordinary citizens observing natural 

events and characteristics of the world and universe around them, to a closely coupled collaboration in which a citizen and a scientist partner to 

answer real-world questions. Many SIF awardees 

have a strong presence on the Internet and have 

created immersive apps, as well as interactive 

Web sites, which encouraged public participation 

and engagement in their work. SIF PIs have created Web-based projects that have enabled the 

general public to interact with scientific data and 

aid in the necessary scientific analysis to enable 

significant discoveries.

 Exhibit at Cleveland Natural History Museum of SIF 

Awardee Dr. Rafat Ansari’s Research on Algal Blooms
13

SIF HIGHLIGHTS

Habitats for Planets: A Project to Discover Debris Discs in the WISE Database (2013), 

and PlanetX.org (2016), with PI Dr. Marc Kuchner (Goddard Space Flight Center)

 Star surrounded by a debris disk, which possibly indicates a 

forming planetary system

Dr. Kuchner is an avid proponent 

of citizen science. He is a driving 

force behind the Disk Detective 

and Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 

initiatives, which are an ongoing 

effort that encourages members 

of the public to engage in sifting 

through data in order to identify 

forming planets or undiscovered 

worlds in the outer reaches of our 

solar system. Both of these projects 

utilize data collected from NASA’s 

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer 

(WISE) mission, as well as from 

telescopes around the world.

Disk Detective, which went live on January 28, 2014, is an addition to the successful Zooniverse 

network of Citizen Science Alliance projects. The Disk Detective Web site has received traffic of 

over 200,000 unique individuals and is available in 14 languages, thanks to citizen scientist 

translators. Over 2 million classifications have been made so far by roughly 30,000 participants. 

Thousands of new “Objects of Interest” have been found, and participants help choose targets 

for follow-up campaigns on telescopes in California, Arizona, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Argentina. 

Thirty-seven disk candidates have been published so far. Furthermore, Disk Detectives discovered the first debris disk around a star with a white dwarf companion. Eight citizen scientists are 

coauthors on a paper that appeared in the prestigious Astronomical Journal regarding the debris 

disk around this binary star system. 

Dr. Kuchner’s second SIF led to the creation of a 

new Web site called Backyard Worlds: Planet 9. 

The site uses data to search for unknown objects 

in and beyond our own solar system by having 

citizen scientists perform a systematic search of 

moving objects in WISE images. “Backyard Worlds: 

Planet 9 has the potential to unlock once-in-acentury discoveries, and it’s exciting to think they 

could be spotted first by a citizen scientist,” said 

“Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 

has the potential to unlock 

once-in-a-century discoveries, and it’s exciting to think 

they could be spotted first 

by a citizen scientist.”
14

SIF HIGHLIGHTS (CONTINUED)

team member Aaron Meisner, a postdoctoral 

researcher at the University of California, 

Berkeley, who specializes in analyzing WISE 

images. Backyard Worlds currently has approximately 40,000 citizen scientists participating 

in classification efforts.

More information on these projects can be 

found at https://www.diskdetective.org, 

https://www.BackyardWorlds.org, 

https://blog.diskdetective.org, or on Twitter at 

@diskdetective and @diskdetectveES. 

 The newly 

discovered brown 

dwarf appears 

as a moving 

dot (indicated 

by the circle). 

(Click image to 

play movie.)

A General Aviation Citizen Science Study of Harmful Algal Blooms, with PI Dr. Rafat 

Ansari (Glenn Research Center)

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)—tiny plants with a toxic punch—are a worldwide ecological problem, and they were cited as such in the Earth Science Decadal Survey of 2007–2017. Almost 

every state in the United States is affected by HABs, and Dr. Ansari’s research is focused on developing an early warning system to alert communities of ensuing algal bloom. He wants to provide 

free, near real-time data access to 

anyone interested in water quality, 

such as community members and water 

quality managers. 

The approach taken in this SIF award 

involved leveraging the nearly 600,000 

private pilots and over 200,000 general aviation (GA) aircraft in the United 

States to study land and aquatic systems. Sensors attached to low-flying 

GA aircraft can provide images with 

higher spatial and temporal resolution 

than satellites or commercial jet aircraft. Dr. Ansari worked on developing 

a pilot network, and his initial call for 

 Cleveland Natural History Museum volunteers demonstrating 

hands-on Environscope 
15

pilots yielded approximately 100 volunteers across 

the United States, along with a few from Australia, 

Greece, Israel, and Ireland. For this proof-of-concept 

study, only pilots from OH, MI, MN, CA, TX, and GA 

were included. These pilots affixed a 3-ounce remotely 

controlled camera sensor, capable of RGB and nearinfrared imaging, to the bellies of their aircraft, which 

were able to take images in the nadir position every 

5 seconds, as well as continuous forward video. The 

cameras were equipped with a geolocation (geotagging) function that enabled accurate geo-referencing 

for the early warning system to alert communities of 

impending HABs. Before the onset of an algal bloom, 

the images were able to provide insight into the 

response of the three major indices (mPRI, nVARI, and 

NDRB) to a strong cyanophyte bloom.

 Dr. Ansari’s SIF collaborator from North 

Eastern University (Sophie) educating students 

on Cartoscope

This work has been the feature of a video documentary series for the International Joint Commission 

for the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. It 

was also a part of a special exhibit at the Cleveland 

Natural History Museum’s Citizen Science Display 

from March to June 2017 and had an interactive demonstration (Environscope) on June 4, 

2017, which showed how water run-off affects 

drinking and recreational water. This effort has 

involved collaboration with Northeastern University, 

including the development of the mobile app 

Cartoscope, which engages the public in learning 

about water quality through hands-on data analysis. A movie can be viewed at https://drive.google.

com/file/d/0B0sbfWDme3q-bWV5QzVyWjhRS1E/

view?usp=sharing.

The approach taken in this 

SIF award involved leveraging the nearly 600,000 

private pilots and over 

200,000 general aviation 

(GA) aircraft in the United 

States to study land and 

aquatic systems.
16

Innovation and the SIF Award

An innovation-driven economy requires the discovery and development of new ideas to solve old 

problems, as well as the seizing of new opportunities with technology and ingenuity to produce 

great strides forward in current state of the art 

processes, practices, and research paradigms. 

The SIF award was targeted at new investigations 

that stress innovation, exploration, and/or the 

interdisciplinary nature of the proposed work. 

Projects that encouraged members of the public 

to participate in the scientific process in unique 

and innovative ways were highly valued. This 

process acted to enhance the vitality of the NASA 

Centers through strategic investments in scientific 

research, capabilities, and people. 

 Singular Value 

Decomposition analysis 

of Chandra X-ray data 

of the Crab Nebula. 

(Click image to 

play movie.)

The SIF award embraced many topics that are 

at the vanguard of scientific and technological 

frontiers, such as novel instruments and sensors; innovative software and simulation modeling techniques; as well as multiple aspects of 

computing. Awarded research encompassed the 

areas of quantum computing, data mining, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, along 

with novel hardware and processor design. Many 

SIF awards leveraged developments in emerging 

technology platforms, such as small satellites’ 

mission design and deployment and remote sensing, in order to enable breakthrough scientific 

techniques and discoveries. 

SIF Investments 2016 

(in thousands of dollars)

Life Science

Simulations

Computing

Samples

Materials

Smallsats Citizen Science

Modeling Remote Sensing

Sensor

Instruments

$900.39

$188.22

$432.62

$160.30

$330.00

$155.00 $108.00

$1,162.89 $1,145.26

$647.99

$730.45

Furthermore, progressive techniques for biology 

and astrobiology as well as life sciences, along 

with cutting-edge work in material properties and

sample studies (including biological materials) 

have allowed for the advancement of our understanding of the nature of life both here on our 

planet and in the greater universe. Synergies with 

public interest led to several SIF awards leveraging crowdsourcing opportunities, thereby engaging 

the citizen science community. For example, in 

2016, over $108,000 was spent on SIF awards 

that benefited from citizen science inputs.

The focus on innovation created a diverse portfolio of SIF award topics, which may traditionally 

not have been enabled under NASA’s conventional research programs. This environment acted 

as an incubator for future NASA projects, which 

are pre-aligned with NASA’s strategic goals. 
17

SIF HIGHLIGHT 

Meteorologically Driven Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika Forecasts, with PI Dr. Dale 

A. Quattrochi (Marshall Space Flight Center)

Each year, dengue fever (DF), caused by infection with 

the dengue virus (DENV), affects 96 million people worldwide; the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a virus similar to 

DENV, has been recently introduced into the Caribbean 

and the southern United States. Prior to the initiation 

of this project, there was no effective way to predict the 

transmission of DENV, CHIKV, and ZIKAV or assess the 

potential risk of the presence of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that is the vector for these viruses. 

 Risk assessment map of presence of 

Aedes aegypti and potential existence of 

ZIKAV based on airport arrival data

NASA scientists at Marshall Space Flight Center have 

created a map to better target future search-and-destroy 

missions for one of the deadliest creatures on the planet, 

the female Aedes aegypti mosquito. The bloodsucking 

females are responsible for the spread of dangerous diseases such as yellow and dengue fevers, Chikungunya, and now Zika.

The researchers focused their analysis on 50 cities within or near the currently known range of 

the Aedes aegypti in the United States. The resulting map, newly released in the journal PLOS 

Currents, applies factors such as temperature, amount of rainfall, poverty levels, and travel to the 

United States from Zika-affected areas of the world. Furthermore, the researchers analyzed the risk 

for each month in the year.

“This information can help public health officials effectively target resources to fight disease 

(Zika) and control its spread,” said Dale Quattrochi, NASA senior research scientist at MSFC in 

Huntsville, AL.

While most of the model seems in line with expectations of the spread of Zika, “there were some surprises,” said Cory Morin, a NASA postdoctoral program fellow with MSFC’s Earth Science Office. One 

such surprise was just how far north the Aedes aegypti might spread during the summer months.

“This suggests that the mosquito can potentially survive in these locations if introduced during 

certain seasons, even if it hasn’t or can’t become fully established,” Morin said. This project 

has developed risk forecasts for DENV, CHIKV, and ZILAV that use a coupled entomologicalepidemiological model in conjunction with a real-time weather prediction model to forecast the risk 

of transmission of these viruses.

This work has led to multiple presentations, media exposure, and a peer-refereed journal publication.
18

SIF Research Transition and 

Broader Impacts

The SIF awards have produced 

over 75 peer-reviewed 

journal papers (in print 

or under review), with an 

additional 18 papers currently 

under preparation.

The SIF awards supported two of NASA’s 

research-aligned strategic goals: (1) to expand 

the frontiers of knowledge, capability and opportunity in space, and (2) to advance understanding of Earth and develop technologies to improve 

the quality of life on our home planet. The SIF 

also directly reinforced NASA’s goal to serve the 

American public and accomplish NASA’s mission by effectively managing people, technical 

capabilities and infrastructure. Specifically, the 

SIF dovetailed with NASA’s strategic objective to 

attract and advance a highly skilled, competent, 

and diverse workforce, cultivate an innovative 

work environment, and provide the facilities, 

tools, and services needed to conduct NASA’s 

missions. The SIF award’s ability to foster innovation acted to attract and maintain an invigorated 

science workforce and led to the furtherance 

of fundamental research breakthroughs in our 

understanding of our planet, solar system, and 

the greater universe. 

NASA CLARREO 

Climate Accuracy 

Framework 

(BAMS, 2013)

Integrated 

Climate/Economic 

Model 

(DICE, 2009)

Interagency 

Memo on Social 

Cost of Carbon 

(2010)

Global Value 

of Improved 

Climate 

Information

 Economic Model for Global Value of Climate, co-developed 

by SIF awardee Bruce A. Wielicki

SIF awards have produced 

patents, software and mobile 

applications, prototype hardware, sensors, experimental 

platforms, datasets, complex 

models, and simulations that 

help further a broader scientific 

understanding of the cosmos.

SIF awards touched on topics ranging from understanding the fundamental nature of the universe, 

to the practical design of flight hardware. Issues 

ranging from environmental and climate modeling,

economic systems analysis, life detection techniques, massive dataset collection, processing, 

dissemination, and curation (e.g., for lunar data) 

were addressed through SIFs: all of these topics 

are directly applicable to real world concerns, 

reach beyond traditional borders in science, aid 

in engaging a wide public audience, and act to 

improve society by tackling relevant challenges. 
19

The SIF awards have produced over 75 peerreviewed journal papers (in print or under review), 

with an additional 18 papers currently under 

preparation. SIF awardees have given more than 

23 talks regarding their research at conferences, 

universities, and in other public forums such as 

museums, schools, libraries, and fairs or festivals. SIF awards have produced patents, software 

and mobile applications, prototype hardware, 

sensors, experimental platforms, datasets, complex models, and simulations that help further a 

broader scientific understanding of the cosmos.

SIF awardees have been successful in growing their research into mainstream projects. 

Approximately 37 percent of SIFs have received 

follow-on funding, of which about 30 percent 

was composed of further NASA funding. Of that 

30 percent, half of the awards received ROSES 

funding, while the remaining half received other 

NASA funding (SALMON, Explorers Program, 

Center Innovation Fund (CIF), Internal Research 

and Development projects (IRAD) etc.). Other 

sources of follow-on funding included funding 

from other government agencies (e.g., National 

Science Foundation, Defense Advanced Research 

Projects Agency, Department of Defense etc.), 

funding from industry, or through partnerships 

with academia. 

SIF awardees have been 

successful in growing their 

research into mainstream 

projects. Approximately 37 

percent of SIFs have received 

follow-on funding, of which 

about 30 percent was composed of further NASA funding.

 NASA Glenn’s Dr. Rafat 

Ansari (right) and pilot Terry 

Schubert use their aircraft 

to monitor algal blooms on 

Lake Erie as part of a citizen 

science initiative.
Center Breakdown: 

Who Receives the SIF Award?

20

SIF HIGHLIGHTS

A Global Network for Monitoring Greenhouse Gases in the Atmospheric Column: 

Column Greenhouse Network, with PI Dr. Emily Wilson (Goddard Space Flight Center) 

During her SIF, Dr. Wilson worked on developing a low-cost 

global surface instrument network for monitoring key greenhouse gases. Her research focused on carbon dioxide (CO2), 

methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrous oxide (N2O), 

as well as oxygen (O2) for determining atmospheric pressure. 

This work has led to the invention of a new instrument that can 

operate in tandem with the passive aerosol sensor currently 

used in AERONET (a well-established network of more than 450 

ground aerosol monitoring instruments worldwide), and thus can 

be rapidly deployed into this established global network.

 Operational Concept for Use of 

Laser Heterodyne Radiometer

In the course of this award, and by leveraging prior IRAD funding, Dr. Wilson designed and fabricated the low-cost, miniaturized laser heterodyne radiometer (mini-LHR). The mini-LHR 

uses a technique based on a radio receiver that amplifies weak 

signals from a radio antenna by mixing them with a strong local oscillator. Consequently, she is able 

to measure the concentration of trace gases in the atmosphere by measuring their absorption of 

sunlight in the infrared spectrum. In her invention, sunlight that has undergone absorption by the 

relevant gasses in the atmosphere is collected and mixed 

with continuous wave laser light at a near-by frequency (e.g., 

1,573.6 nm for CO2

) in a fast photoreceiver. The resulting 

beat signal is sensitive to changes in absorption and located 

at an easier-to-process frequency. Scanning the laser through 

an absorption feature in the infrared results in a scanned 

beat signal in the radio frequency. Deconvolution of this signal through the retrieval algorithm allows for the extraction of 

altitude contributions to the column signal.

Dr. Wilson’s work on the mini-LHR has led to multiple journal articles as well as conference papers, presentations, and 

invited talks. The retrieval algorithm used to analyze the 

data provided was developed in conjunction with a research 

effort led out of George Washington University, and strong 

collaborations with academia arose throughout the work. 

Furthermore, the mini-LHR has been submitted as a patent 

application and has led to multiple follow on funding awards 

from NASA programs, including ROSES and Explorer. 

 Mini-LHR (as add-on to an 

AERONET Sun photometer), enables 

simultaneous monitoring of aerosols 

and carbon cycle gases.
21

Advanced Bio-Detection Sensors for Icy World Exploration, with PI Dr. Jessica Koehne 

(Ames Research Center)

Biological molecules involved in electron transfer serve 

critical roles to life as we know it. In January 2016, 

Congress directed NASA to “create an Ocean World 

Exploration Program whose primary goal is to discover 

extant life.” The Announcement of Opportunity for the New 

Frontiers Program specifically focuses on ocean worlds, 

including the search for life as a key target. Dr. Koehne’s 

work involved developing new sensor-based technologies 

to enable bio-exploration and life detection during future 

missions to our solar system’s icy worlds. In the course 

of her work on this SIF, she sought to identify key molecular targets to enable a scientifically justified search for 

biomarkers on Europa, as well as to constrain the likely 

physical and chemical state of those target molecules on 

Europa, thus allowing for in situ life detection. 

 Cassini image of Enceladus from a 

close flyby 

Electrochemical sensor arrays can provide high sensitivity with limited power, mass, and volume 

requirements making them a logical choice for small payload implementation and an attractive alternative to traditional analytical instrument approaches. In this proof of concept study, 

Dr. Koehne characterized and optimized a number of electrochemical sensors with varied surface 

chemistries and nanoarchitectures, to a variety of targets of interest that might be found in the 

oceans of Europa and Enceladus, both icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, respectively. She examined 

a variety of electrode materials to distinguish 

the differences between similar redox active 

molecules, and she developed a sensor that 

searches for evidence of the protease trypsin.

 Scanning electron and light microscope images of 

carbon nanoelectrode array. Left and center: Array of 

carbon nanotube electrodes. Right: Sensor device with 

gold working electrode.

This research has resulted in multiple avenues of follow-on funding, including two 

NASA Center Innovation Fund awards, as 

well as a NASA ROSES Concepts for Ocean 

worlds Life Detection Technology (COLDTech) 

award. Dr. Koehne has additionally applied for a NASA Game Changing Development Newstart 

award, and her work played a key role in an Ames/Applied Physics Lab (APL) submission for a 

mission proposal to the NASA New Frontiers program, targeting the icy worlds of Europa and 

Enceladus. Additionally, the results of this study have been published in a peer-refereed journal, 

with an additional manuscript for a journal under review. 
22

Summary

The Science Innovation Fund enabled NASA to 

promote science innovation and breakthroughs 

across the Agency. Furthermore, the SIF facilitated strategic planning in and across Centers, 

supported collaborations across disciplines and 

organizations, empowered Centers to recruit and 

encourage new talent, and fostered creativity 

across the NASA science workforce. The SIF 

awards cultivated an environment where innovative, exploratory, and high-risk scientific research 

could be funded and successfully conducted 

in a rapid timeframe, leading to potentially 

high rewards. 

The return on investment for the SIF awards has 

been remarkable. From 2012 to 2016, the SIF 

employed a lean budget of $12.5 million over 

143 awards across 7 Centers. The yield on these 

agile, $150,000 awards has been phenomenal. 

Approximately 37 percent of SIF awards have 

received some form of follow-on funding, with 15 

percent of awards receiving ROSES funding, 15 

percent receiving other NASA funding (SALMON, 

Explorer, CIF, IRAD, etc.), and the remaining 7 

percent receiving funding from external sources 

(e.g., Department of Defense, Department of 

Energy, other academic institutions, etc.).

The SIF awards have produced research of the 

highest caliber, leading to the publication of 

over 75 journal articles and numerous talks at 

conferences, academic institutions, and public 

forums. The SIF awards have produced a patent application, as well as collaborative Web 

sites for members of the public to participate in 

research projects, resulting in citizen scientist 

SIF Return on Investment 

Statistics

37% of SIF awards received 

follow-on funding (including 15% 

which received ROSES funding)

75+ peer-reviewed journal 

publications (in-print or in-review)

Media exposure through 

multiple TV, radio, and print 

documentaries, interviews, and 

articles

40,000+ user base for citizen 

science SIFs

More than 33% early career SIF PIs

Over 38% underrepresented SIF 

PIs (women & minorities)

Approximately 22% 

interdisciplinary SIF awards

Over 16% multi-Center SIF awards
23

coauthorship in prestigious journal papers. SIF 

citizen science projects have public user bases 

numbering over 40,000 participants. The SIF 

awards have led to the development of mobile 

applications that raise science awareness in the 

public consciousness and have dovetailed with 

interactive demonstrations and talks at museums, public schools, universities, and community 

centers. Multiple SIF PIs have been interviewed 

in both print and visual media regarding their 

research, and several PIs have participated in 

making televised documentaries. 

The SIF awards have also been successful in 

cultivating a diverse base of principal investigators, as well as funding an interdisciplinary range 

of research. Well over 33 percent of SIF PIs 

were early career awardees, and over 38 percent of SIF PIs were either women or minorities. 

Approximately 22 percent of SIF awards went 

to interdisciplinary research, spanning two or 

more of NASA’s traditional scientific areas. Over 

16 percent of SIF awards involved investigators 

spanning two or more NASA Centers, with many 

more involving collaborations with external partners such as academic institutions.

Overall, the SIF can be hailed as a successful 

effort, in that it promoted innovative, collaborative research across disciplines and Centers; 

provided a force multiplier for the public impact 

of NASA’s research portfolio through publication 

and media exposure; and fostered a diverse, creative workforce at NASA via the engagement of 

early career and underserved PIs.

 Aki Roberge, NASA Research Astrophysicist and SIF 

recipient at Goddard Space Flight Center

Credits

PHOTO CREDITS: Pages 1 and 26: iStockPhoto. 

Page 2: NASA. Page 4: NASA. Page 5: NASA/David 

C. Bowman. Page 7: (top) NASA; (bottom) Reale, et 

al. (2009). Page 9: NASA. Page 10: (top and bottom) 

NASA. Page 11: (top and bottom) NASA. Page 12: NASA. 

Page 13: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Page 14: (top) NASA/

JPL-Caltech; (bottom) NASA. Page 15: NASA. Page 16:

NASA. Page 17: NASA. Page 19: NASA. Page 21: (top) 

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute; (bottom) 

NASA. Page 23: NASA/W. Hrybyc. Page 24: NASA. 

Page 25: NASA Ames.
24

SIF Awardees 2012–2016

Mitzi Adams

Marshall Space Flight Center

Rafat Ansari

Glenn Research Center

Spiro Antiochos

Goddard Space Flight Center

Ricardo Arevalo

Goddard Space Flight Center

John Baker

Goddard Space Flight Center

Anum Barki

Langley Research Center

Richard Barry

Goddard Space Flight Center

Natalie Batalha

Ames Research Center

Brad Bebout

Ames Research Center

Leslie Bebout

Ames Research Center

Kristopher Bedka

Langley Research Center

Bilal Bomani

Glenn Research Center

Jason Burks

Marshall Space Flight Center

Aaron Burton

Johnson Space Center

Anne Caraccio

Kennedy Space Center

Sarah Castro

Johnson Space Center

Winston Chao

Goddard Space Flight Center

Eric Christian

Goddard Space Flight Center

David Chuss

Goddard Space Flight Center

Mark Cintala

Johnson Space Center

Barbara Cohen

Goddard Space Flight Center

Peter Colarco

Goddard Space Flight Center

George Cooper

Ames Research Center

Carl DeVore

Goddard Space Flight Center

Josh DiGangi

Langley Research Center

Mark Ditzler

Ames Research Center

Shawn Domagal-Goldman 

Goddard Space Flight Center

John Dorelli

Goddard Space Flight Center

Richard Elphic

Ames Research Center

Cynthia Evans

Johnson Space Center

T. Duncan Fairlie

Langley Research Center

James Foster

Goddard Space Flight Center

Marc Fries

Johnson Space Center

James Gaier

Glenn Research Center

Stephanie Getty

Goddard Space Flight Center

Brian Glass

Ames Research Center

Thomas Greene

Ames Research Center

Liane Guild

Ames Research Center

Theodore Gull

Goddard Space Flight Center

Alice Harding

Goddard Space Flight Center

Jennifer Heldmann

Ames Research Center

Paul Hintze

Kennedy Space Center

Tori Hoehler

Ames Research Center

Michael Hogue

Kennedy Space Center

Terry Hurford

Goddard Space Flight Center

Laura Iraci

Ames Research Center

Syed Ismail

Langley Research Center

Linda Jahnke

Ames Research Center

Gary Jedlovec

Marshall Space Flight Center

Natasha Johnson

Goddard Space Flight Center

 Members of the Ames algae crew include (from left to 

right) Angela Detweiler, Erich Fleming, Brad Bebout, and 

Lee Bebout
25

Jennifer Jordan

Glenn Research Center

Virginia Kalb

Goddard Space Flight Center

Demosthenes Kazanas

Goddard Space Flight Center

James Klimchuk

Goddard Space Flight Center

Kirk Knobelspiesse

Goddard Space Flight Center

Jessica Koehne

Ames Research Center

Lora Koenig

Goddard Space Flight Center

Alan Kogut

Goddard Space Flight Center

William Koshak

Marshall Space Flight Center

Michael Kraniak

Goddard Space Flight Center

Linda Krause

Marshall Space Flight Center

Therese Kucera

Goddard Space Flight Center

Marc Kuchner

Goddard Space Flight Center

Andrew Lacis

Goddard Inst. for Space Studies

Timothy Lang

Marshall Space Flight Center

Mark Loeffler

Goddard Space Flight Center

Constantine Lukashin

Langley Research Center

Richard Lyon

Goddard Space Flight Center

David MacDonnell

Langley Research Center

Peter MacNeice

Goddard Space Flight Center

Avram Mandell

Goddard Space Flight Center

Maxim Markevitch

Goddard Space Flight Center

Mark Marley

Ames Research Center

Alexander Marshak

Goddard Space Flight Center

Amy McAdam

Goddard Space Flight Center

Timothy McClanahan

Goddard Space Flight Center

Nargess Memarsadeghi

Goddard Space Flight Center

Stefanie Milam

Goddard Space Flight Center

Martin Mlynczak

Langley Research Center

Andrew Molthan

Marshall Space Flight Center

Richard Moore

Langley Research Center

Douglas Morton

Goddard Space Flight Center

Samuel Moseley

Goddard Space Flight Center

Murali Natarajan

Langley Research Center

Craig Nickol

Langley Research Center

Paul Niles

Johnson Space Center

Ann Parsons

Goddard Space Flight Center

Alexander Pavlov

Goddard Space Flight Center

Steven Pawson

Goddard Space Flight Center

Noah Petro

Goddard Space Flight Center

Dale Quattrochi

Marshall Space Flight Center

Kenneth Ranson

Goddard Space Flight Center

Aki Roberge

Goddard Space Flight Center

Yolanda Roberts

Langley Research Center

Miguel Roman

Goddard Space Flight Center

Jeremy Schnittman

Goddard Space Flight Center

Christopher Schultz

Marshall Space Flight Center

David Sibeck

Goddard Space Flight Center

Justin Simon

Johnson Space Center

Snorre Stamnes

Langley Research Center

Timothy Stephenson

Goddard Space Flight Center

Jennifer Stern

Goddard Space Flight Center

Carol Stoker

Ames Research Center

Eric Switzer

Goddard Space Flight Center

Patrick Taylor

Langley Research Center

Melissa Trainer

Goddard Space Flight Center

Compton Tucker

Goddard Space Flight Center

Renee Weber

Marshall Space Flight Center

Martin Weisskopf

Marshall Space Flight Center

Deirdre Wendel

Goddard Space Flight Center

Wenonah Vercoutere

Ames Research Center

Bruce Wielicki

Langley Research Center

Emily Wilson

Goddard Space Flight Center

Edward Wollack

Goddard Space Flight Center

Diane Wooden

Ames Research Center

Honglu Wu

Johnson Space Center

Melissa Yang

Langley Research Center

Luke Ziemba

Langley Research Center

 Dr. Laura Iraci, a research scientist in the Earth 

Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center, studies 

Earth’s atmosphere.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Office of the Chief Scientist

NASA Headquarters

300 E Street SW

Washington, DC 20546 

www.nasa.gov

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