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By Steven Weber
“When I was younger, I always dreamed of two things, computers and airplanes. The idea of working with both of them at the same time seemed like science fiction to me,” said Chris Kruse, a junior from Hartington, Nebraska, who is double-majoring in aviation education and atmospheric sciences.
This past summer, Kruse participated in the Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) in southern California, doing what he once thought was science fiction. SARP was designed and organized by the National Suborbital Education and Research Center (NSERC) at UND.
The program is used by UND and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to train future airborne scientists how to conduct research on Earth system processes. SARP is funded by the Airborne Science Program at NASA.
Kruse’s research was done aboard a DC-8 aircraft originally designed to carry about 200 passengers. NASA converted this aircraft into an airborne laboratory that doesn’t always fly at cruise altitudes.
“There were times we flew at only 1,000 feet and were surrounded by mountains significantly higher than us,” Kruse said.
Kruse’s SARP research may have a significant impact on environmental regulations in California. He participated in a study that examined the evapotranspiration process in almond and cotton farms in California. He used remote sensing technology aboard the DC-8 to test the validity of measurements that were taken on the ground. His research investigated how the plants responded to different irrigation techniques and fertilization.
SARP was designed for seniors and graduate students, but Kruse completed SARP after only two years of undergraduate study at UND. Surprisingly, he never felt out of place while participating in the program.
“When I was a freshman, I got a job as a research assistant,” he said. “At the time, they were looking for upper-class students. Nobody applied, and I got the job. My time as a research assistant helped me to learn programming and research early on.” This programming and research experience set his application apart from the dozens of other applicants who competed for one of only 30 available positions in last summer’s SARP program.
Kruse plans to pursue a master’s degree in astronautical or aeronautical engineering and aims for a career with NASA. For most people, the sky is the limit. For Kruse, the sky is only the beginning.
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