Bradley Turner, Commander (Crew A)
Bradley T. Turner teaches environmental science at McLennan Community College and holds both a Master of Environmental Studies and a Master of Arts in American History from Baylor University. Turner has published an eclectic assortment of both popular and academic books, articles, and photographs on a variety of subjects and enjoys exploring new fields. He served on Mars Crew 128B in April 2013 and looks forward to another extraterrestrial experience as a member of Crew 139 in April 2014.
Alexandra Shiu, Crew Astronomer
Alexandra Shiu is an associate professor of economics at MCC. She earned a BBA and MS in economics and a PhD in educational psychology. Alex's research interests include the role of social capital in educational attainment and the use of classroom experiments to teach economics. She thinks Mars 101 is an amazing, unique opportunity for MCC students to conduct research and would like to provide research methodology and data analysis support. Alex enjoys playing the violin at church and is taking guitar lessons for the first time.
Jennifer (Lee) Kindle, GreenHab Officer
My name is Lee Kindle, I'm 26 years old and a Medical Laboratory Technician student at McLennan Community College. I've worked as a veterinary technician where I learned so much, and had some amazing experiences. I have 3 dogs and 2 cats that keep my life entertaining! I love to travel and am very excited about this opportunity and can't wait to get out there!!
Selena Barrientos, XO & Crew Journalist
My name is Selena Barrientos and I am a sophomore Pre-Health student here at MCC. I plan to transfer to Baylor University next fall to earn my Bachelors of Science in Psychology. I hope to further my education after that and specialize in Community Psychology. I will be the Executive Officer for the first crew out on the Mars simulation and will be researching personalities. In my research, I will use the personalities of each crew member to predict and encourage teamwork. I am super excited to be a part of the Mars 101 project. I believe this experience will definitely contribute to my education in community psychology and most importantly to my future career.
Alice Yount, Crew Biologist & Health Safety Officer
I’m Alice Yount, a current freshman at MCC. I heard about Mars101 the summer before college and have been excited ever since. My major is Biomedical Science which will help me on my dreams of becoming a veterinarian! I will be the biologist on this trip. My project is about fungi so this should be interesting! I can’t wait to meet the rest of my crew.
Michael Shepherd, Crew Engineer
My name is Michael Shepard, and I am in my first year of engineering at MCC. I plan on transferring to Texas Tech to earn a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Design. I will be making my first trip to Utah as Lead Engineer and Chemist for Crew One. My research as an aspiring engineer will include a multi-purpose rover with airborne and land-based capabilities. With this project I am pushing myself into new areas of research that I hope will further my passion for engineering as a whole. I look forward to being in a crew of people, each interested in their respective fields of study, and I can't wait to see what they all have planned.
Paula Sidwell, Commander & GreenHab Officer (Crew B)
Paulina Sidwell teaches engineering and math at McLennan Community College. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Professor Sidwell attended New Mexico State University, where she played Division I tennis while getting her B.S. in Industrial Engineering. She also received her M.S in Industrial Engineering from NMSU. As an undergraduate, Professor Sidwell was vice-president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and was an active member of the school's Tau Beta Pi and IIE chapters. At graduation she was honored with the Outstanding International Student Award and the Joe and Van Bullock Medal of Honor to Outstanding Female Student-Athlete. She was part of MCC’s Mars 101 program in 2013, for which she served as crew engineer and geologist at MDRS with Crew 128A. She looks forward to serving as crew commander for one of the crews that MCC is sending to MDRS in the Spring of 2014.
Liz Painter, Health Safety Officer
Liz Painter is the Simulation Coordinator in the Vocational Nursing program at MCC. She is originally from Colorado and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Baylor University. She has worked as a nurse for several years with a main emphasis in ICU. She discovered a love for teaching and students while teaching life science at a local high school. It was this experience that encouraged her to combine her love of teaching with her degree which brought her to the nursing program at MCC. Liz is married and has three children. She enjoys running, being outdoors, reading, traveling and just hanging out with family. Liz is excited to be a part of the Spring 2014, MARS 101 crew for many reasons. She is looking forward to experiencing another type of simulation, traveling to a new place and working with students in a unique environment.
Kyle Flaherty, Crew Astronomer & Crew Engineer
I am Kyle Flaherty and will be continuing my work with radio astronomy on my return trip to Mars. I am currently pursuing an associate in Electrical Engineering at MCC with the intention to transfer to Texas A&M to continue on and get a bachelors degree. Most of my time outside of work and school is spent building Arduino based projects. On this rotation at MDRS, I am going to improve on my radio astronomy design and work with interferometry.
Dylan Kirby, Crew Scientist
Dylan Kirby is a Psychology major at McLennan Community College and holds his AAS in Mental Health. Dylan is a former Honors Scholar and current Presidential Scholar, who has explored the cold and wet weather of Washington D.C. in February, but has never been to Mars. Dylan has joined the Mars team with readiness, and is eager to get started as he explores the correlation between teamwork and potential voyages to Mars.
Kelsey Compagnon, Crew Biologist
My name is Kelsey Compagnon, and I am a freshman here at MCC. I plan to transfer to either Grant MacEwan University or The University of Alberta next Fall. For my project, I have put together a set of exercises with Nick Musachio's Kefty machine. Throughout the week I will collect data on changes in heart rate and blood pressure of the team members who do the exercises. I am super excited for this opportunity, and I look forward to meeting everyone!
Josh MacFie, XO & Crew Journalist
Hello World! Joshua here, I’m in my second year at McLennan Community College studying Electrical Engineering. I am a member of the MCC honors college. I plan to attend Texas Tech in the fall of 2014 where I will seek a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering. My off time is mainly filled with electronics projects, programming projects, and caring for a reptile collection. For this mission I will be setting up an automated environmental system to test the viability of sustaining plant life in unfavorable conditions. I am really exited to be in the program and can’t wait to get to the Mars Sim!
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