This spring, Northern Virginia high schoolers are researching snow with NASA

The weather may be warming up, but a handful of Arlington Tech students are still talking about freezing temps, thanks to a NASA program that had them sledding and throwing snowballs during class last winter. 

As part of SnowEx, a project in NASA’s Climate Change Research Initiative, the Northern Virginia high schoolers are learning how to collect and analyze data about snow’s role in environments, with the goal of understanding how climate change will affect water resource management. 

Samantha Wong, a junior at the STEM-focused public school, remembers having fun picking up snow with spoons and snapping photos to log how temperature and humidity affected flake shape and size. 

At face value it seems rudimentary, Wong said. “That’s something that you learn in elementary school.” But adding data points into an Excel spreadsheet to track variations takes it to the next level, she added: “We’re kind of rounding out that educational aspect through this research.”

This program, which is affiliated with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, is led by Ryan Miller, a physics teacher at Arlington Tech since 2021 and an associate educator researcher at the agency. 

This is the second year he’s led the initiative, which runs for a full year, from the start of the academic year in August and throughout the summer via a paid internship — though Miller is currently looking for new funding sources. The goal is to bridge researchers and educators to find ways to apply scientific research in the classroom, Miller explained. 

“I cannot do only research or only teaching. I love to do both together,” Miller told Technical.ly. “That’s why … I decided to come here.”

‘Nothing like a traditional high school’

Arlington Tech students participating in SnowEx typically meet once a week, per Miller, and are getting hands-on experience and practical skills like how to operate Excel to do data analysis. 

“So far,” Miller said, smiling, “they did a really good job.” 

Alexis Brairton, a junior, found out about Miller’s program through another teacher at the school, which she described as anything but typical. Since being accepted to enroll in her freshman year, she’s been a part of several skill-building projects, like building hydroponic systems and making fertilizer out of rabbit manure. 

“It’s nothing like a traditional high school,” Brairton said. 

Several students gain associates degrees before graduating by taking college level courses (also taught by Miller). 

Junior Dagny Schnitger plans to be one of them. “Those opportunities have been really significant,” Schnitger said. 

Olive Jenj, also a junior, has been getting research experience since her start at Arlington Tech, she said. Participating in SnowEx helps her learn more about how intricate environmental science is.

She’s been specifically interested to learn how big a role snow plays. “That’s not something I had really thought about before,” Jenj told Technical.ly. The work she’s doing will help her in other pursuits, she said, like research related to animals. 

As the students think about what their capstone project will look like for their last year of high school, they aren’t sure if they will continue with this research. But they want to continue contributing on the side, because of how much they’ve learned. 

Wong is set to intern at Arlington Animal Hospital for her senior year, but plans to still be part of the program with Miller and her friends. It’s a resume and experience builder, she noted. 

“I’ll still pursue it outside of that,” Wong said, “because it’ll help me grow that knowledge.”

Miller shares his findings with fellow educators and researchers in the program across different NASA centers in California and New York. Because snow is rare in this region, he plans to collaborate with another school or center up north in the future. 

Balancing research and teaching in a tough funding environment

Miller plans to keep renewing the Climate Change Research Initiative partnership, and he hopes it’ll continue at Arlington Tech for years to come. 

But the paid summer internship, which served both high school students and undergraduates, has been canceled, per Miller. He’s working finding alternatives so students can still get paid, he said. 

NASA is one of many federal agencies with looming budget crises as the Trump administration attempts to slash spending, like  the Department of Education, where staff size has been cut in half. Elon Musk’s task force, called the Department of Government Efficiency, also cut $900 million in contracts focused on researching teaching. 

Miller earned his PhD in astrophysics from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he studied the evolution of black holes in spiral galaxies. He still works on that research and is in contact with his advisor and students in Arkansas, which comes in handy when he leads a capstone project for Arlington Tech students about it, as well. 

Transitioning from working and studying at a university to a high school was a difficult decision for Miller. He knew he would not be able to do as much research as he used to, but this climate research program with NASA and advising students on their capstone has allowed him to do that. 

Miller has published four academic papers during his three years at Arlington Tech, and likened the school to a college.  

“I can be a teacher,” Miller said, “at the same time I can be a researcher.”