Atila Meszaros – Crew Biologist
Atila Meszaros is the Assistant Director of the Mars Desert Research Station operated by The Mars Society in Utah, USA. He craves his line of research to be related to analog sciences and extreme environments. He has been in 7 space analog missions and can’t wait for the next one. In his free time, if he’s not playing the ukulele, reading Lovecraft, or writing terrible poetry, he could be traveling cross-country on Greyhound to go see Bob Dylan.
Jen Carver-Hunter – Crew
Jen Carver-Hunter is a 5th grade teacher at Mountain View Elementary School in Salt Lake City, UT. She loves her students and takes great pleasure in getting her students excited about learning, especially when it involves science or stem-based content. In her free time, Jen likes to camp and paddleboard with her family and their dogs. A fun fact about Jen is that she has 8 tarantulas in her classroom even though she is terrified of spiders.
Allison Weber – Crew
Allison Weber is a first year teacher from northern Utah. She teaches 3rd grade at Ascent Academy Farmington to a group of innovative, creative kids. Allison’s love of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) started at three years old when she found a screwdriver and took apart her great aunt’s door. Since then, she has graduated from toddler property crimes to working in formal and informal STEAM education. Her dream is to help schools and organizations make STEAM education more accessible through authentic, high-quality experiences and play. When she’s not working, Allison enjoys playing D&D with her friends, writing, and playing video games.
Jeff Streba – Crew
Jeff Streba has been teaching in the Salt Lake City school district for 22 years. He has taught math, science and CTE classes. He has a bachelor’s of science in Physical Science composite and a Masters degree in Engineering and Education. Prior to being a teacher he was a Project Engineer in the aerospace industry.
Jennifer Grimes – Crew
Jennifer Grimes is a 15 year veteran Science Teacher from Missouri. Currently, she teaches 10-12 Science at Van Buren High School. She has her Masters in Natural Science with an emphasis in Science Education. Throughout her career, she has completed Mars PD with NASA in Houston, a FDA PD in Washington DC, and collaborates regularly with fellow teachers to create and update curriculum, write state assessments. She is an inspiration to her students and an integral part of her state scientific community. It is her passion and priority to instill a lifelong love of learning Science and to grow scientifically. Currently, she lives in Piedmont, MO with her family. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her grandbabies. She dreams of one day being part of research team.
Randall Gibson – Crew
Randall Gibson is a STEM Educator from Denver Colorado that is passionate about developing engaging scientific curriculum. Randall enjoys working with projects that lead students to create their own imaginative designs. In the past, these projects have included a wide range of topics including robotics, 3D printing, rocketry, and chemistry. As a member of the MDRS crew, he hopes to gain further experience and insight into the engineering and logistical challenges of establishing an outpost on Mars. He is an avid supporter of space science and has technically been a Martian since 2017, through the NASA Passport program.
Thomas Quayle – Crew
Thomas Quayle is an Education Program Specialist with Clark Planetarium. His primary duties include conducting outreach visits to 6th grade students throughout the state of Utah and developing lesson content for use with Science On a Sphere – a NOAA exhibit. Thomas also serves as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA/JPL and an Aerospace Education Officer for the Civil Air Patrol. When not teaching about space science, he enjoys teaching kids how to play the Pokémon Trading Card Game and assisting with championship events for The Pokémon Company International.
Krysta Darby – Crew Journalist
Krysta Darby is a K-6 educator with 6 years of teaching experience and is in the process of completing a Master of Arts in Mathematics Education. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with fellow teachers to create curriculum from scratch, and is eager to incorporate compelling lessons and experiences from this exciting program into her classroom. It has always been a priority for her as a teacher to instill an excitement for math and science early on in her students in order to inspire a lifelong love of STEM. Originally from San Diego, she currently lives in West Valley City, Utah, with her husband and cat. She spends her free time painting, camping, and riding her motorcycle.
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