From physics to music, Grace Zimmerman’s interests have paved the way for profuse accolades at the University of Central Arkansas and beyond.
This past summer, the senior physics major — who minors in both mathematics and music — interned in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Solar System Exploration division. While there, she worked on a project titled “Net Flux Radiometer for the Ice Giants” and was recognized as a John Mather Nobel Scholar, which awarded her a travel allowance toward the cost of presenting research papers at professional conferences. This honor also included a private meeting with John C. Mather, Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist, whose work helped cement the Big Bang theory of the universe.
“I believe that acting as an example for young women and other underrepresented groups within STEM is incredibly important,” she said. “My goal is to spread my passion for the subject to young students, especially those in rural school districts, so that they can always feel that science is both interesting and accessible.”
Zimmerman’s first internship was a year-long management position with Georg Fischer Harvel, an engineered piping company in Little Rock, during her junior year. Shortly after being awarded the NASA Workforce Development Grant by the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium earlier this year, the scholar accepted an internship with NASA Langley Research Center for fall, where she creates computer simulations for flight dynamics and robotic control applications under the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (OSAM) division.
This past summer, Zimmerman received UCA’s Bear C.L.A.W.S. Award, which stands for Celebrating the Lofty Achievements of Our Wonderful Students. She was also awarded the UCA Service-Learning Spirit of Humanity Award for her exceptional contributions to service-learning projects and partnerships. The scholar has volunteered with the majority of the outreach programs in UCA’s STEM Institute such as Super Science Saturday and Bear Explorers.
Zimmerman has also been recognized for her music, receiving a grant from the Friends of Flutes Foundation. She was also accepted into the Aria Institute of Music and the New York University Summer Institute for Woodwind Studies during her freshman year.
Zimmerman credits most of her success to UCA’s Department of Astronomy and Physics, as the department and professors encouraged and assisted her whenever she was in need.
“As a NASA intern, I have never met another Arkansan, so I absolutely love being able to represent both Arkansas and UCA at this level,” she said. “Even while working alongside students from the most prestigious colleges in the world, I still feel just as prepared and educated, thanks to UCA. I know I could not have chosen a better school and department for my degree.”
She is set to graduate in May 2021.