Standout Spartan: Ana Reveles Leon '24

This summer, Ana Reveles Leon ’24 participated in the highly selective STEM Enhancement in Earth Sciences (SEES) intern program, which was sponsored by NASA at The University of Texas Austin. During the two-week internship, participants learned how to interpret NASA satellite data while working alongside scientists and engineers. Roughly 2,000 students applied to the program; Ana was one of 95 who were accepted. 

“My research focused on how the atmosphere of the earth is affected during a solar and annular eclipse,” explained Ana, who was part of a seven-student cohort. “Together, we created a functional weather balloon with sensors that will be used by NASA researchers during future eclipses.” Ana also met NASA researchers and learned about important aspects of space travel: the neurology of astronauts; zero gravity and the behavior of objects in it; the psychological effects of space travel; and how AI is being used in space exploration. 

“I also designed an experiment that will be flown on a microgravity parabolic flight this November,” she said, “and my team designed a mission patch that will be on a zero-gravity flight.” Ana also had the opportunity to view relics from previous space flights, including the first moon rocks discovered. A highlight of her experience was meeting Dan Tani, who served on several space shuttles to the International Space Station. 

Ana’s extraordinary experience allowed her to hone her leadership, teamwork, and coding skills — all while living on The University of Texas Austin campus. Her story was featured in the August 9 edition of the Richmond Times-Dipatch. 

Ana, the 2020 recipient of Steward’s Debbie Robson Merit Scholarship, has long been fascinated by space exploration. In 2022, she was one of 80 middle/high school students whose projects were included in the Cubes in Space program.