Stars and Stories: Intern’s Blogging Journey to NASA

Image Description: Dominating the center of the image, a Black man with gray glasses and a blue striped polo stands in front of a window. Behind him is the New York City skyline and faint orange clouds. Image Credit: Stephan Bellamy.

In the fall semester of his sophomore year, former intern Stephan Bellamy applied for his internship after developing a blog, Space by Stephan, during a class at Vanderbilt. After writing posts about NASA and contractors such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, he started exploring communications opportunities at NASA. He received a position as a Science Communications intern focused on the Biodiversity Survey of the Cape (BioSCape) program. BioSCape is a collaborative project between NASA, the South African government, and local organizations to preserve biodiversity in the Greater Cape Floristic Regions.

Image Description: Off the coast of South Africa, phytoplankton bloom colored the waters with a swirl of turquoise, blue and white. The phytoplankton illuminate deep blue water in a spiral shape, similar to a galaxy. Image Credit: Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team.
Alt Text: Off the coast of South Africa, phytoplankton bloom colored the waters with a swirl of turquoise, blue, and white. The phytoplankton illuminate deep blue water in a spiral shape, similar to a galaxy. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team.

“I hesitated to apply because I did not have a zeal for ecology,” Bellamy said. “I fell in love with the project and found a new passion for understanding biodiversity.”

Bellamy focused on redesigning the website. He designed graphics, created, and edited videos, researched the science, and enhanced the website.

“Some specific outputs I made include an updated flowchart of all organizational members and projects, graphic highlights of individual science projects, an edited Space Apps challenge video, and a collage of all institutional partners,” he said. “I took on different priorities, but the core of my work stayed the same: communicating the science of BioSCape.”

Alongside his remodel of the website, Bellamy was tasked with telling the story of NASA’s first biodiversity field campaign. To bridge the gap between the project and the public, Bellamy interviewed his leadership team and others to understand and share the human stories behind BioSCape.

“Hearing about everyone’s unique path to the project has been inspiring, and the heart of constructing this piece is recognizing the humanity of a research project like BioSCape,” he said. “I wanted to give the humans of BioSCape the platform to say something that no data or scientific findings can say for them.”

Image Description: The southernmost tip of Africa dominates the image. Shades of green and browns compile to represent landmarks. Around the tip of the continent is white feathering representing a current and the rest is the rich blue of the ocean. Image Credit:  NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Alt Text: The southernmost tip of Africa dominates the image. Shades of green and browns compile to represent landmarks. Around the tip of the continent is white feathering representing a current and the rest of the image is the rich blue of the ocean. Credit:  NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.

Bellamy acknowledges his leadership team as mentors during his internship, with special recognition for his assigned mentor, Keith Gaddis. Gaddis’ trust and flexibility, alongside the leadership team’s constructive feedback and tasks, has propelled Bellamy’s creativity and independence.

Bellamy aspires to be a full-time author. He credits his internship with opening his eyes to new possibilities for his passion for writing.

“I see myself writing sci-fi novels and other creative works, maybe screenwriting if I pick it up or poetry if I’m feeling whimsy,” Bellamy explains. “I know that writing as a career is challenging and taxing, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve my dream.”

Bellamy is thankful for the opportunity presented to him, “as a Black, first-generation student, having the opportunity to work at NASA feels transformational. The offer letter opened my eyes to my place in the workspace. In times like these, I must be cognizant of the systemic and cultural issues at work to prevent someone like me from having a job at a place like NASA. To my community back in Georgia, I am proof that, yes, you can make it here.”

Gracie Glover/NASA Headquarters