NASA Ames Science Directorate Recognizes Seven Contributors for Outstanding Mission Support and Research

NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of Steve Ormsby, Aphrodite Kostakis, Alejandro Borluff, Sarah Nickerson, Martina Caussi, Keiko Nomura, and Stephen Broccardo. Their commitment to NASA’s mission reflects the entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise, and collaborative approach needed to explore Earth, the solar system, and worlds beyond.

Steve Ormsby: Supporting Facility Safety and Infrastructure

Steve Ormsby is a project engineer in Amentum’s Astrobiology Sciences Division within the Center Operations Directorate. He is recognized for his perseverance, dedication, and self-motivation in overseeing the safety and maintenance of the department’s facilities and infrastructure. He is also recognized for his exceptional diligence as a property manager.

Aphrodite Kostakis: Advancing Building Safety and Facility Improvements

Aphrodite Kostakis is a facilities services manager at Amentum, which is building N239 in the Astrobiological Sciences Division. She is recognized for her exemplary work ethic in maintaining building safety, carefully preparing for and leading VPP inspections, recommending infrastructure improvements, and ensuring those improvements are implemented for the benefit of everyone.

Alejandro Borluff: Developing Space Telescope Image-Processing Pipelines

Alejandro “Alex” Borluff, a research scientist in the Astrophysics Department at the Bay Area Environmental Institute, is recognized for his leadership in pioneering and developing image-reduction pipelines for the Hubble Space Telescope and the Rome Space Telescope’s Wide Field Instrument.

These algorithms significantly advance the detection of very low-luminance surface features through rigorous modeling of background contamination, including scattered light and zodiacal light. They also take full advantage of science from NASA’s flagship astrophysics missions.

Sarah Nickerson: Preparing SOFIA Data for Future Discovery

Sarah Nickerson, a research scientist in the Astrophysics Division at the Bay Area Environmental Institute, is recognized for her outstanding work analyzing and curating data obtained from the EXES instrument aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA.

Her work will provide a high-level data product for the global astrophysics community, supporting continued discovery and scientific synergy with other NASA missions.

Martina Caussi: Studying Europa’s Unusual Impact Crater

Martina Caussi is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow in the Planetary Sciences and Extraterrestrial Biology Division. She is recognized for outstanding research using finite element simulations to determine that topographic relaxation plays a key role in the formation of Tegido, an unusually shaped impact crater on Europa.

This research represents valuable pioneering science in anticipation of the Europa Clipper mission and will further deepen scientists’ understanding of this oceanic world.

Keiko Nomura: Building NASA’s GeoAI Research Capabilities

Keiko Nomura is a research scientist in the Earth Sciences Division of the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute at NASA Earth Exchange, or NEX. She is recognized for her leadership, stakeholder engagement, coordination with NASA Headquarters management, and timely efforts to build the team for the recently funded NEX-GeoAI project.

The project is now recognized as an important step toward establishing NASA as the ground truth authority for federal and private-sector GeoAI modeling efforts used in decision-making.

Stephen Broccardo: Advancing Atmospheric Remote Sensing

Stephen Broccardo is a research associate in the Geosciences Department at the Bay Area Environmental Institute. He is recognized for outstanding initiative and technical leadership in maintaining and developing Ames’ atmospheric remote-sensing capabilities.

Broccardo has maintained significant observational capabilities and developed thoughtful technical milestones for future satellite validation and science activities.