New NASA students working at Mobile County Health Department

Students taking part in NASA's DEVELOP program at the Mobile County Health

Department include, from top row left to right, Shikher Mishra (team leader),

Emmanuel Hitimana, Christopher Castillo, Walt Clark. Front row, from left to

right, Kenny Nguyen, Amber Jones and Charles White.

MOBILE, Alabama -- For more than a decade, small groups of college students have been working in an office at the Mobile County Health Department as part of NASA’s DEVELOP program, an earth sciences initiative created to foster a better understanding of complex environmental issues facing our planet and its people.

DEVELOP charges students with sharing NASA earth science research with local, state and scientific communities in meaningful ways. Projects are often initiated in response to community demands and help students build relevant work skills under the mentorship of NASA science advisers and partner organizations such as the health department and Dr. Bernard Eichold.

About 10 years ago, the Mobile County Health Department’s Dr. Bernard Eichold learned of the earth sciences initiative during a policy conference. He established one of the earliest national DEVELOP locations in Mobile. In 2012, Dr. Eichold was awarded NASA’s highest civilian honor for his work as a mentor to those students and his support of the research they accomplish.

Earlier this year, NASA interns had an opportunity to meet with former NASA astronaut Kay Hire when she visited the Mobile County Health Department.