The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) celebrated a record cohort of student employees graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder this spring. More than 50 LASP student employees were recognized in departmental ceremonies across the university last weekend and at the campus-wide commencement at Folsom Field on Saturday, May 2.
While LASP does not confer degrees like an academic department, it is proud to employ nearly 150 CU Boulder students who gain hands‑on experience working directly on NASA missions, instrument development, and scientific research, which positions them to enter the aerospace workforce after graduation, sometimes at LASP.
The graduating students span nearly every division of LASP, including 23 students in Science, 16 in Mission Operations and Data Systems (MODS), 12 in Engineering, and two in Finance and Operations. Within those divisions, the Planetary Science group and Mission Operations each graduated 11 students, followed by Space Physics with six, Mechanical Engineering with five, and Solar/Stellar with four.
On April 21, the students were honored at the LASP Graduating Student Recognition Ceremony, where they received the first‑ever LASP graduation stoles—a new tradition that reflects the students’ LASP affiliation and the pride they take in contributing to space missions throughout their academic careers.
“As the Class of 2026 begins the next chapters of their careers, LASP celebrates their achievements and the lasting impact they have made on the lab’s missions and community,” said LASP Director Bethany Ehlmann. “Long after graduation, their work will continue to shape instruments that fly in space, data that informs scientific discovery, and operations that keep NASA missions running.
One of the year’s standout student achievements was earned by Amy Haft, who was awarded a prestigious Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) Fellowship for her investigation into how charged spacecraft interact with plasma environments in low Earth orbit. Haft is a third‑year aerospace engineering doctoral student whose research bridges the Autonomous Vehicle Systems Laboratory, where she works with Hanspeter Schaub, and LASP, where she works with senior research scientist Jan Deca.
Additionally, four LASP student employees in Engineering—graduate students Jocelyn Lafyatis and Sierra Vesey and undergraduate students Mia Nemkovich and Noah Sentnor—were nominated for CU Boulder’s 2026 Student Employee of the Year Award, reflecting the professional contributions students make at LASP.
“As we plan for the future of space science, engineering and technology, our students are critical to advancing LASP’s endeavors. With the support of Dr. Ehlmann, we are working to both expand undergraduate hiring and enhance the student employee experience at the lab,” said LASP Director of Engagement, Assessment, and Innovation Lynda Duran. “These efforts include fostering a welcoming environment for students, expanding our outreach for student recruitment with intention, and assessing the student experience to inform long-term student engagement.”
This year’s graduating class also highlights a trend that has become central to LASP’s workforce development mission: students don’t just come to LASP to work during their studies, many of them come to stay. Of the 53 graduating students, 19 graduates are transitioning into temporary researcher positions; six have accepted professional staff roles; and 11 are beginning graduate school in the fall, many of them continuing their research at LASP.
Lucia Wittiko—who worked for MODS while pursuing her master’s degree in aerospace engineering and applied computer science on the use of machine learning to detect satellite anomalies—graduated last week and will now join MODS in a full-time professional staff role.
Alex Pichler, now a SmallSat Mission Operations flight director at LASP, began working as an undergraduate student flight controller while studying for his bachelor’s in aerospace engineering. After graduating in 2023, he became a professional flight controller at LASP and later joined the SmallSat Mission Operations team.
According to Pichler, around 40 percent of Mission Operations professionals are former student employees. “We have heavily invested in their training, and they are familiar with the projects, the data, and the operations. It’s quite a pipeline,” he said. “Some may go out and work elsewhere for a while, but many of them end up coming back to LASP.”
LASP additionally has many full-time employees pursuing degrees. For example, Pichler is now pursuing a dual master’s in engineering management and aerospace engineering, aiming to graduate in 2027.
The retention pattern underscores LASP’s role in training the next generation of space scientists, engineers, and mission operators. “Ultimately,” said Duran, “my hope is that we continue to foster a meaningful experience for students, so they remain engaged with LASP as they pursue their professional careers in space exploration.”
LASP offers several other opportunities for undergraduates to become involved in space exploration, including the summer-long Boulder Solar Alliance Research Experience for Undergraduates program; the Barth Scholarship; and the Student Flight Controllers Program, which certifies and hires undergraduates to work as operators for NASA missions. Additionally, LASP employs CU Boulder graduate students as Graduate Research Assistants from many departments, including Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Geological Sciences, Physics, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Computer Sciences, and Mechanical Engineering.
By Sara Pratt, LASP Sr. Communications Specialist
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder (LASP) is revolutionizing human understanding of the cosmos. LASP is deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs.
