MDRS Crew 25
February 29 - March 14, 2004

During the active field season, the crew of the Mars Desert Research Station rotates every 2 weeks. These are the scientists and engineers who live and work on site within the MDRS. They explore all of the facets of human exploration in a simulated Mars environment. The MDRS will be active for a 7 month period.

Name	Speciality
Kevin Sloan	Commander & PSUMS Team Lead
Dennis F. Creamer	Biologist
Jason Schwier	Computer Engineer
Amy Blank	Math
Ryan Kobrick	Aerospace Engineering
Daniel Hegeman	Aerospace Engineering

Kevin Sloan	Kevin Sloan, 22, is a senior at Penn State University, where he co-founded, and is current President of, the PSU Chapter of the Mars Society. Additionally he is the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Mars Society. Kevin will be graduating from PSU this May with degrees in Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and a minor in Spanish. This summer Kevin will start working for Northrop Grumman in the Washington DC area, and next spring will hopefully return to school part time, working towards a Master's in Aerospace Engineering. After several years of hard work starting up the PSU Mars Society, he is extremely excited with its recent success, and current rotation at MDRS. Kevin's next major obstacle will be to walk away from PSUMS over the summer without having major withdrawal symptoms. He'll probably have to offset that void by getting involved with the DC chapter, and recovering from five years worth of sleep deprivation. In the rare occasions that he has any free time, he spends it playing soccer or football, or otherwise being involved in some form of athletic activity.
Dennis F. Creamer	Dennis F. Creamer is a retired biologist, with an electronics background. He has a B.A. in Zoology from the University of South Florida, and grad school in Oceanography, at Florida State. He worked for about 27 years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as a Biologist. He likes hiking, snorkeling, and is facinated by paragliding, although he has only a Beginner's rating. Have been on Mission Support for the MDRS, a couple of years, now, and is happy for this opportunity to be on a MDRS crew.
Jason Schwier	Jason Schwier is a 21-year old undergraduate studying Computer Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. Born in State College, Pennsylvania and raised in Penns Valley, he has been interested in space and exploring the unknown since watching the original Star Trek television series with his father when he was four and learning about space from his mother. While in school, Jason works as a research assistant in analyzing computer network attacks and as a support assistant, helping to troubleshoot and solve computer problems. He will graduate with a Bachelor's of Science degree in May 2004 and is looking to attend graduate school with a focus on network security. His experience and involvement with the Mars Society mainly focuses on Outreach programs and electrical and computer systems work with the rover project. He is the vice-president of the Penn State Chapter and is heavily involved with the Mars Outreach Initiative project to educate the public about space exploration. In the rare occasion that a five or ten-minute break exists that Jason has free, he enjoys reading and hanging out with friends.
Amy Blank	Amy Blank is a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering and mathematics. She has worked as a teaching assistant in a freshman introduction to engineering class for two semesters. This semester she has begun participating in research related to combustion through the mechanical engineering department. Her interests include theater production (building sets, lighting) and robotics, from which she gained experience in working with wood, metal, and technical equipment. As a member of Girl Scouts in grade school and a Venture Crew (co-ed part of Boy Scouts of America) in high school, she has frequently gone camping and has grown comfortable with living in such conditions. In addition, she has completed lifeguard training and is certified in first aid with the American Red Cross.
Ryan Kobrick	Ryan Kobrick was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is a dual citizen with dual purposes. To go to space; and to go to space again. He first obtained his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and then moved overseas to Strasbourg, France where he completed a Master of Space Studies Program at the International Space University. Currently he is a graduate student at Pennsylvania State University pursuing a Masters of Science in Aerospace Engineering and then a PhD. His research is being developed to focus on the interactions of multiple weightlessness countermeasures for long duration spaceflight. He has continued to educate others as a project supervisor for an undergraduate rocket design course and as a coach for both a "learn to skate" and a "learn to play" hockey program. Additionally, he has taken on the volunteer role of "Coach" for the PSU Sailing Team. Ryan believes that everything happens for a reason and that hard work is the fundamental backbone to knowledge.
Daniel Hegeman	Daniel Hegeman is a 19 year old Aerospace Engineering major at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky and has been interested in space exploration and the future human colonization of Mars ever since reading 'Cosmos' by Carl Sagan. While in school, he has been a Teaching Assistant for a Computing for Engineers course, is the AE Representative in the Student Government Association, and is involved with his Fraternity. His relevant experience includes being a member of the GT Microgravity Team which designed an experiment through NASA to fly aboard the KC-135 "Vomit Comet" and he also is working with a Graduate research team designing a Long Range Liquid Booster Target Vehicle for use in national defense. He hopes to attend graduate school in the future and use this knowledge to further mankind's presence on the Red Planet and in the solar system. His other interests include piano, diving, travel, and fencing.