Prize Recipient

Olivia Smarr
Stanford University

Background:

Olivia Smarr has been passionate for space since she was a little girl and is amazed at the beauty of the Universe. As a resident of the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, Olivia had access to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, one of the nations most notable centers for space research. Interested in learning as much as possible about physics and astronomy, Olivia applied for her first internship at the Center in 2008 and was accepted; she has been interning at Goddard each summer since then. Through her involvement with NASA, in May of 2009 Olivia was invited to attend a special reception for the astronauts of STS-119 and present the educators of the mission with an award. In October of 2009, President Obama hosted an Astronomy Night on the White House Lawn. Olivia was invited to attend the White House Star Party as a NASA volunteer, where she helped teach 150 local middle schoolers about the science of craters. She is immensely grateful for the opportunities she has been blessed with. Olivia also has a passion for dance and being involved with the ministries in her church. In addition, she volunteers with the American Cancer Societys Relay for Life. Olivia will attend Stanford University in the fall. She aspires to earn a PhD in astrophysics and go on to pursue a career in research and science policy.