Professors Ellyn Enderlin and Dave Estrada received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest U.S. government honor in this category. They are the first faculty members in Boise State’s history to receive the recognition.
Estrada, a materials science and engineering professor, has collaborated with NASA to develop in-space electronics manufacturing for the International Space Station and Artemis missions. His work has secured over $3 million in NASA funding and helped establish Boise State’s Aerospace Days, benefiting over 300 Idaho students and teachers annually.
Enderlin, a geosciences associate professor, uses satellite data to study how climate change impacts the cryosphere (the frozen parts of the Earth, including snow, ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, permafrost, lake ice and river ice). Her NASA-funded research has advanced techniques for estimating snow depth and glacier coverage and improving understanding of seasonal snow and glacial change.