\u201cI fell in love with physics in high school,\u201d she says. \u201cI figured I would study it in college all the way through to a Ph.D.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/laine1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>Laine enrolled at Cornell and originally majored in physics as planned. But then she discovered an even more exciting option serendipitously while browsing an academic catalog: science and technology studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was scrolling through looking for a different class, but then I saw science and technology studies and began reading more about what it involved,\u201d Laine says. \u201cIt was all about studying science \u2014 the philosophy of what it is, and how it interacts with social, political, ethical, and historical dimensions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seeing the new program made Laine realize she could connect her love for critical analysis with her interest in science. She changed her program to a double-major in science and technology studies and astronomy, resolving to not only study and communicate science but to better understand the factors that influence it.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Laine began by working as a science writer at her university\u2019s student-run newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, where she later became the science editor. Meanwhile, she volunteered with The Physics Bus \u2014 basically a mini science museum on wheels with experiments for kids \u2014 and the Free Science Workshop, an after school program offering kids an opportunity to build things or craft using all sorts of materials and gadgets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you first hear about physics there\u2019s a huge stigma, so we aimed to expose kids to it at a young age so they would associate it with fun,\u201d Laine says.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>During her junior year, Laine started searching for science communication internships and found one at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. She applied and was accepted to one focusing on NASA\u2019s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Following her first internship, Laine came back for two more with the same team. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day here at NASA is inspiring,\u201d Laine says. \u201cI\u2019ve learned so much about both hard and soft skills involved in science communication.\u201d<\/p>\n
During her first internship, Laine leaned into her background as a science writer to cover engineering milestones<\/a> and craft a Tumblr post<\/a> that walks readers through the universe\u2019s different stages. She also produced videos, including one about Goddard\u2019s biggest clean room<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody let me take that and run,\u201d Laine says. \u201cI got to write the script, host the video, and edit it.\u201d The video, which garnered millions of views on social media, was the first of several Laine created to engage NASA\u2019s traditional audience while drawing in others who don\u2019t typically follow NASA or science very closely.<\/p>\n Throughout her internships, Laine also led tours to teach people more about Roman, helped manage a celebrity visit with John Rhys-Davies, wrote Roman team member profiles<\/a>, helped gather drone footage, contributed to the release of the NASA documentary Cosmic Dawn<\/em><\/a>, emceed an intern day event, and supported Live Shots \u2014 short, live TV interviews with NASA experts. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been cool to see a different side of things,\u201d Laine says. \u201cI ultimately want to keep doing what I\u2019ve been doing, but also become engaged in how to make it better \u2014 the science of science communication.\u201d<\/p>\n To others who are interested in interning at NASA, Laine recommends speaking up.<\/p>\n \u201cJust ask people things, whether it\u2019s for help or an opportunity,\u201d she says. \u201cSometimes you don\u2019t want to impose or risk looking dumb, but for the most part everyone wants to help you and see you succeed. I\u2019m very grateful to the Roman team for making it feel like a safe space where I could speak up.\u201d <\/p>\n Sometimes that meant pitching ideas that were ultimately rejected, but that still provided an opportunity for discussion. \u201cNot everything works, but in talking about it you might think of something else that does work,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s no consequence to it, because either way you\u2019re learning something from it \u2014 either from the process of seeing it through or figuring out why you can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n The same advice applies to securing an internship in the first place.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to advocate for yourself,\u201d Laine says. \u201cIf you find something you love, you can\u2019t wait for it to happen on its own \u2014 you have to decide to go for it and find a way to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n By Ashley Balzer<\/strong><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure>
NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/strong><\/a>, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n