FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2004
FY04-16
From the Science Bowl to Mars
OAK RIDGE, Tenn.—If you’ve been keeping up with national news during the past few months, you might have seen Derek Shannon’s jubilant face on TV, celebrating the first NASA rover to land on Mars. Shannon’s excitement goes beyond the wonder that the rest of us feel at this historic moment: he’s devoting his career to uncovering the mysteries of the Red Planet.
Shannon’s interest in space was sparked at a young age when he began reading science fiction. By high school, he knew he wanted to be a scientist. As a high school student, he competed in his local Science Bowl and won the opportunity to compete in the National Science Bowl—twice! “My Science Bowl experience was a wonderful affirmation of my early ambitions to do science,” said Shannon.
Shannon is now an Affiliate with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a graduate student studying Mars at the University of Southern California. He completed his undergraduate study at the California Institute of Technology, where he co-founded Caltech's chapter of the Mars Society and participated in a number of Mars-related research projects. When asked about his future plans, Shannon says, “I want to continue my efforts as part of our Mars exploration and science program, but most importantly, I want to bring everyone along for the ride so that all people on Earth can benefit from the triumphs, discoveries, and breakthroughs to come.”
Last year, Shannon returned to the National Science Bowl to share his excitement with science bowl competitors in a seminar entitled “To Mars via Utah: Simulating Human Mars Exploration at the Mars Desert Research Station.” Hearing Shannon speak about the possibilities of space exploration is inspiring to young scientists. “It's incredible to think that, out of 4.5 billion years of solar system history, our generation could be the first to walk on another planet,” said Shannon.
It’s this kind of excitement about where science can take us that fuels competitions like the Science Bowl. On February 28, teams from across Tennessee will meet in Maryville to compete for the chance to travel to Washington, D.C. for the National Science Bowl. Who knows where they will go from there?
To learn more about the Tennessee Science Bowl, visit www.orau.gov/sciencebowl/.
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is a U.S. Department of Energy institute focusing on scientific initiatives to research health risks from occupational hazards, assess environmental cleanup, respond to radiation medical emergencies, support national security and emergency preparedness, and educate the next generation of scientists. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities.