Above: UH Hilo senior Raven Daegmorgan is involved in multiple space-related studies.
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo senior Raven Daegmorgan has been selected for a competitive summer internship doing cutting-edge research for NASA’s Europa Clipper science team. Raven, who is double majoring in English and Astronomy, was chosen from thousands of applicants nationwide to spend 10 weeks working with leading scientists on one of NASA’s most ambitious planetary missions.
“I’m very excited about it,” Raven said. “This mission is a huge deal. We’re going to learn things from it that we’ll still be studying 20 or 30 years from now. It’s an amazing and wonderful opportunity to be part of that exploration.”
The Europa Clipper mission will be the first to study the origins and present environment of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa—a potentially habitable world harboring a massive subterranean ocean.
During his internship, Raven will examine how impacts from asteroids and other cosmic debris have shaped the surface of Europa. He jokingly describes the project as “throwing rocks at other rocks to see what happens”—an experiment that aligns with his personal interest in geology and space exploration. During his studies, Raven will work at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California.
Research is nothing new for Raven, who is already deeply engaged in other space-related studies. He is currently collaborating with Affiliate Professor of Physics and Astronomy John Hamilton—along with support from the UH Hilo Geology Department—on a study of Martian sand analogs. This work has earned him a NASA JPL travel grant to present his findings at an international workshop on planetary dunes in Italy this summer. Raven is also delving into the mysteries of dark matter and dwarf galaxies under the mentorship of Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Nicole Drakos, through the Hawaiʻi Space Grant Consortium.
Raven’s fascination with space began at an early age. He took an interest in stars, planets, and space at the age of five thanks to an astronomy field manual for kids. As a toddler, he played and replayed a record of Walter Cronkite talking about the Apollo moon landing. Raven now has his sights set on a doctorate in astronomy and a career in planetary research.
“One of my childhood dreams was working for NASA. This is a chance to work with professionals on a big project I’m excited about and be mentored by folks who are doing exactly what I want to be doing professionally.”