Anna Brunner

I grew up in Massachusetts, and next fall I will be a senior at MIT. Geology is my area of study, and I’m particularly interested in the application of geology concepts to other planets, which is why I like working for NASA. In January I got my first taste of field work and geological mapping, and I quite enjoyed it. After MIT, I plan on going to grad school, but I have no idea where I want to go.

This summer I will be working for Dr. Amy McAdam in the Planetary Environments lab, continuing the research project I worked on last summer with her. I’ll be using evolved gas analysis, x-ray diffraction, and gas chromatography as methods of determining the organic content and mineralogy of Mars analog rocks. These analysis techniques are ones that the Mars Science Lab can perform, so basically I will be generating MSL-like data and then trying to figure out what we can learn from that data and what sorts of useful tests we can do once the MSL lands.

I am a rather nerdy girl. I delight in playing board games and video games, reading (and sometimes writing) science fiction, and attending anime/sci fi conventions. I’m also really into Dr Who and Harry Potter. I enjoy both watching and participating in theater productions. My involvement with theater is mostly backstage (costuming, set building, making props, stage managing…), but I’ve done a teensy bit of acting and stage combat.

Me and some of the mad engineers of my dorm, building a wooden roller coaster in the courtyard.

I’m excited to meet you all, and I'm sure this summer will be excellent!