Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Carina Alden

(RESEARCH ASSOCIATE)

Carina Alden's Contact Card & Information.
Email: carina.r.alden@nasa.gov
Org Code: 674
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 674
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: CATHOLIC UNIV OF AMERICA

Brief Bio


Carina Alden is a Space Weather Analyst and Outreach Coordinator with the Moon-to-Mars (M2M) Space Weather Analysis Office in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. As part of the M2M team, Carina monitors and analyzes space weather in real-time using satellite imagery, in-situ data, and tools provided by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC). This includes populating CCMC's DONKI database and CME Scoreboard with space weather event details. Additionally, Carina works closely with NASA's Heliophysics Communication Team by providing her space weather expertise for posts used on NASA's social media pages as well as at outreach events.


While at NASA, Carina has had the opportunity to present about the M2M team at national conferences, participate in educational activities internationally, and support some of NASA's missions including ARTEMIS, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and Parker Solar Probe (PSP).


Prior to joining the Moon-to-Mars (M2M) Space Weather Analysis Office, Carina spent four summers in the realm of heliophysics with internship experiences at the National Solar Observatory, Southwest Research Institute, and two within the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Carina’s passion for space weather began during her freshman year of college when she was first introduced to the subject at the National American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in 2014. Since then, she’s been chasing knowledge through her summer internships, as a space weather mathematician for a NASA SBIR proposal, and as a student representative for NOAA’s Space Weather Workshop (2019).


Carina has had the privilege of sharing her knowledge with the Heliophysics Communication Team and during NASA outreach events. Some of her favorite events have been staffing the NASA booth at the 2023 Annular Eclipse in Kerrville, TX; Summer Solstice Live Shots (2023) in the NASA studio; and the SUNday Experiment at NASA’s visitor center (2024).


Outside of her work at NASA, Carina enjoys spending time with her two cats Salem and Eclipse, photographing nature and weddings, watching TV and movies, and gaming with friends on Twitch.

Positions/Employment


Space Weather Analyst & Outreach Coordinator

Catholic University of America (CUA) - NASA GSFC

November 2020 - Present

Education


  • B.A. Applied Mathematics (minors: Atmospheric Science, Physics) | Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, VT | Class of 2018

Professional Societies


America Meteorological Society (AMS)

Member

2014 - Present


American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Member

2016 - Present

Talks, Presentations and Posters


Other

Understanding the Heating and Cooling Cycles of a Solar Prominence Observed with the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly

2018

NASA GSFC Summer internship closing poster session.


Analyzing Ionospheric Escape Into Space Using the Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer

2017

NASA GSFC Summer internship closing poster session.


The Mysterious Case of the Missing Filaments

2016

  • LASP/SwRI Summer REU closing poster session | Summer 2016
  • Annual Fall American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, CA | Dec. 2016
  • National American Meteorological Society Student Conference in Seattle, WA | Jan. 2017
  • Northeastern Storm Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY | Mar. 2017


Solar Spectral Irradiance Variations of the b and y Bands as a Function of Magnetic Field

2015

National Solar Observatory (NSO) Summer REU closing presentation session.