2007 ORAU Annual Report - Oak Ridge Associated Universities

NASA Postdoc
Program Offers
Fellows Unparalleled
Research Experiences
In the second year of administering the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP), ORAU supported 215 participants.
This included fellowship offers to more than 65 new participants and renewals of more than 80 fellowships.
Approximately 55 percent of the participants in 2007 were foreign nationals representing 33 countries.
The NPP Fellows conduct research in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including space science, earth
science, aeronautics research, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology. The following profiles
describe the research and experiences of three of these participants.
Photo courtesy of NASA/Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digital
Keigo Fukumura
Location of Fellowship
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Research Focus
Black holes, specifically the X-ray activities associated with black hole
accretion processes (i.e., processes of hot plasma falling into black
holes), which will greatly help scientists understand their specific roles of
producing observable high energy phenomena.
Background
Born and raised in Osaka, Japan
Bachelor’s degree in physics from Kyoto Sangyo University in Kyoto, Japan
Master’s degree in physics from Western Illinois University
Ph.D. in physics from Montana State University
Accomplishments
Collaborated with NASA researcher Dr. Demosthenes Kazanas on several
papers, which have been published by various scientific journals.
The Value of the Fellowship
“The NPP has provided me the opportunity to conduct research of my interest and explore new insights
into a wide range of astrophysical context,” said Fukumura. “While any scientific research is a never-ending
story, it is my dream that my research will open up a new door to unveil the mysteries of these exciting
objects in the universe.”
NASA Participant Studies Influence of Environmental Factors
on Bird Migration
NASA’s reputation as a world leader in the advancement of
space exploration has helped it earn the distinction as one of
the federal government’s most respected research agencies.
But beyond being known for its commitment to the progress
of space research, NASA is also working to learn more about
environmental factors that affect the earth.
One area of interest
to NASA scientists is
demonstrating how the
agency’s remote sensing
data and models can be
used to understand the
distribution of organisms
on the planet. As a
participant in the NASA
Postdoctoral Program at
the Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt,
Md., Dr. Jill Deppe
studied avian migration
on continental scales to
understand the potential
impacts of climate
change, natural disasters,
and human activities on
migratory birds.
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