Logistics

• The NASA EarthRISE Developers Academy application and selection processes are managed by a team at the NASA Langley EarthRISE Office and the location(s) the applicant selected. The process is managed on behalf of NASA by contractors.

• Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted to arrange a day and time. Typically, interviews will be conducted virtually through Microsoft Teams.
• After the review process is complete and selections are made, each applicant will receive a notification via email regarding the outcome of the selection decision.
• Applicants who accept an in-person opportunity must participate onsite at their selected location.
• Participants are responsible for their own housing, living expenses, and transportation to and from their NASA EarthRISE Developers Academy location.
• Participants are employed as part-time temporary contract employees through Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. (AMA). Hourly rates are provided by the NASA Langley EarthRISE Office and are determined by education level, applicant classification, and locality. For inquiries regarding hourly pay rates, please email the NASA Langley EarthRISE Office at NASA-DL-ERDA@mail.nasa.gov.

Fall 2026 Projects

Fall 2026 projects will span a variety of topics and thematic areas including Water Resources, Disasters, Agriculture, Ecological Conservation, and Wildland Fires. Please see example project ideas below. All projects are tentative and subject to change. Project information will be updated as available throughout the application window.

Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, CA):

Decision-makers in the Western US are dealing with challenges from precipitation shortfalls. The project will use NASA Earth observations and model data sets to inform water availability from snowpack and rainfall and may also assess additional water cycle and hydrological parameters to characterize water quantity.

Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, MD):

This project will leverage the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission for water resources decision support in U.S. coastal and/or large inland lake regions. Translating these capabilities to decision support relies on 1) accurate data at the regional level and 2) co-development with end users. The team will evaluate the performance of a suite of PACE water quality products against in situ water data and evaluation will be done in association with state/local entities according to which remotely-sensed data products meet their decision-making needs.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA):

In May 2026, a wildfire burned approximately one-third of Santa Rosa Island within Channel Islands National Park. This project will partner with the National Park Service to use satellite and airborne observations to characterize pre-fire, active-fire, and post-fire conditions across the island and examine potential impacts to biodiversity and water quality.

Langley Research Center (Hampton, VA):

Field to Market, a non-profit organization, hosts a Fieldprint platform that provides an assessment framework that members use to aggregate data and guide sustainability outcomes. This project aims to test the integration of OpenET data products into the platform at a regional scale to identify land likely under irrigation in the Southeastern US.

Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, AL):

This project will boost data usability to empower partner applications that strengthen disaster risk reduction and accelerate community recovery.

Virtual:

Conservation districts in Montana face intensifying challenges across vast and often understaffed landscapes. This project will leverage NASA Earth observations to support early detection of flammable invasive species, assess drought conditions affecting dryland farming and grazing systems, and improve rapid response capabilities during wildfires—particularly in the eastern part of the state where post-fire restoration is urgent.