A former teacher describes Ellen Drake as having “an exuberance for life and exploring new things,” and Ellen certainly brings this energy to the Monster Storms Argonaut Team.   

 

Among Ellen’s top scientific interests is medicine, because “it’s always changing, and every day there is something new to learn or discover.” Her attraction to medicine began seven years ago after she learned her grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is particularly interested in finding medicine that will cure common but serious diseases. Some additional scientific interests of Ellen’s include psychoanalysis and marine biology.

 

Being a Monster Storms Argonaut has been particularly fulfilling to Ellen, because it has afforded her the opportunity to learn so many new things. She has also been able to meet new people and have new experiences. Argonaut Boot Camp was the first time Ellen saw the ocean, which she says, “was probably the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. The thrill of not knowing what was coming next was incomparable.” Another benefit of being an Argonaut was attending Argonaut Boot Camp when Milwaukee’s Summer Fest was underway.  She was able to add to her smiley face collection during Summer Fest and visit the "Have a Nice Day Café," known for its smiley face sign.

 

Currently an 8th-grader at Ruffing Montessori School in Cleveland Heights, OH, Ellen is a competitive swimmer and studies classical piano. In addition, she is the captain of her eCyber Mission Team, which combines science, math, and technology to address community problems. Ellen has previously studied and followed two JASON Project expeditions: Rainforest at the Crossroads and Disappearing Wetlands.

 

 

During our first day at NASA, we assembled an Aerosonde. We arrived at NASA not knowing what to expect. We were told we would be peforming Aerosonde activities all day. I walked in thinking, "Oh great, I get to spend the day in a conference, listening to people talk about how the Aerosonde works and what its uses are." Boy was I wrong.

 

We were led into our hanger and introduced to our team members. We were shown a room where we would work. A table with lots of plane pieces greeted us. I could not believe they were going to let US build an actual Aerosonde. I shook hands with Ryan Vu, who ove saw our work, and we set to work.

 

In the end it turned out all right. I was really excited when the Aerosonde was fully built. It was such a great feeling of accomplishment to see something so technologically advanced built with my own hands, even if it took us longer than if Ryan had assembled it. It was an extremely unique experience, and I consider myself fortunate to have worked with such a gifted group of people.

 

“I remember watching previous Student Argonauts learning side-by-side with scientists and having loads of educational fun. I remember last year when I attend the JASON broadcast, the audience had to decided what the one girl had to eat. They choose frog. Though eating frog is not my cup of tea, I said to myself, I would love to be a Student Argonaut one day.”

 

On participating in online JASON chats: 

I really like the chat room part where we talked to the scientists. Instead of being in a classroom with just the couple of kids from my school who decided to participate in The JASON Project, it was like being in a giant room with everyone in the world who was logged on at the time. It was really interesting to see what kind of questions other kids asked.

 

Then on Thursday, when we were on the Len-der, I got to drive the boat. It was really fun but hard, especially considering my hand-eye coordination, or lack thereof. I was also amazed that the owner, Jerry, would let me drive his boat without a second thought, especially when I know that when I get my permit in a couple of years, they’ll have a hard time letting me drive cars!