[title Crew biographies, photos and mission patch – March 31st]
Crew 313 Bios
Jen Carver-Hunter
Jen Carver-Hunter is a 5th grade teacher at a Title 1 School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Carver-Hunter is the crew commander for the Spaceward Bound Utah program at the Mars Desert Research Station. She is also an alumni member of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Teacher Innovator Institute and a current member of Space Center Houston’s SEEC Crew.
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Emily Lehnardt
Emily Lehnardt first "gravitated" towards the exciting world of astronomy during a high school lecture about black holes. From that moment, she has actively pursued anything space related. She is the former director of the Utah Women Astronomical Society which focuses on STEM and astronomy outreach. Her love of knowledge, exploration, and space is contagious, and, for her indefatigable talent for teaching, Emily is a two-time-award winning educator. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in science education with a research interest in astronomy and STEM. Additionally, she is collaborating with Clark Planetarium to create robust astronomy curriculum for rural communities. Emily loves to travel and share her passion about astronomy with others.
Becca Hodgkinson
Becca Hodgkinson is a National Board Certified Teacher who has worked at Escalante Elementary in Salt Lake City, UT since 2004. For the past three years, her sixth grade students have been maintaining a commercial hydroponics unit in order to study how matter cycles through the ecosystem and potential ways humans might be able to grow food on Mars. She is a three time graduate from the University of Utah and a proud mom of two young adults.
Samantha Reynolds
Samantha Reynolds is a homeschooling educator of 15 years, community organizer, and meditation instructor. She loves connecting people to resources and outlets for their passions, and looks forward to sharing the MDRS experience with others. In her free time she enjoys travel, reading, learning new things, and spending time with family.
Riley Nuttycombe
Riley Nuttycombe is a 17 year old high school student out of Boulder Colorado. She enjoys reading and writing science fiction, working on CAD projects, and playing ultimate frisbee. This is her third mission to MDRS where she is working on a project (the Mars Trek Project) to design and test her own EVA helmets.
David Joy
David Joy is a junior high school science teacher in Northern Utah. He is currently teaching physics and integrated science, but has also taught chemistry and Earth & Space science. In 2020 he earned a Ph.D. in outdoor education and social justice. This is his second Spaceward Bound mission at MDRS, and he is grateful to have these opportunities.
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