NASA's Ames Science Directorate recognized three staff members as Science Stars of the Month in an article published August 4, 2026. The honorees, pictured left to right, were Danielle Lopez, Jennifer Claudio and Duncan Mifsud, cited for contributions to the agency's mission.

Lopez, deputy project manager for the Open Science Data Repository with Amentum in the Space Biosciences Division, was recognized for management efforts supporting Open Science at NASA, including collaborations across Ames directorates, NASA centers and the public. Claudio, a research staff member with Blue Marble Space in the same division, was cited for supporting the 2026 GeneLab for High School summer program, including quickly overcoming a security breach of its learning platform.

Mifsud, a postdoctoral research scientist with the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute in the Astrophysics Division, was recognized for infrared analysis of laboratory samples produced from ultraviolet irradiation of soluble organic molecules and of extraterrestrial material returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission.