(DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)
This year,
The Mars Generation named DePaul's Melissa Vazquez-Hornik to its list of
24 Under 24 Leaders and Innovators in STEAM and Space. The annual list aims to honor some of the brightest students and young people positioned to shape the future for the better through science.
Vazquez-Hornik is a graduate research assistant studying industrial and organizational psychology at DePaul, and part of psychology professor Suzanne Bell's NASA-funded research projects team. The research team is currently developing a model of how team member relationships develop and evolve for a crew in extended isolation and confinement, such as would be expected for a Mission to Mars.
Founded in 2015, The Mars Generation aims to excite people about human space exploration and STEAM education, and foster an understanding of the importance of those two aspects to the future of humankind on Earth. Ultimately, the organization hopes to advance public interest in human space exploration and advocate for NASA's journey to Mars.