BAERI researcher Nikki Tulley’s work highlighted at VP Harris’ inaugural Space Council meeting

On December 1st, 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris chaired the Biden administration’s first meeting of the National Space Council. Biden’s Space Council is the largest in history — new members include Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, and climate adviser Gina McCarthy. The expanded council reflects the Administration’s focus on using space to address the climate crisis, and boost STEM education.

When VP Harris invited Haaland to speak about how space satellite data can be used by communities to help tackle the climate crisis, Haaland cited the work of BAERI researcher Nikki Tulley:

“I was very pleased to meet Nikki Tulley, a young scientist from the Navajo Nation, who I met during the Landsat 9 launch in California. Nikki is from the community of Blue Gap, Arizona, an area afflicted by extreme drought in recent years.

“Nikki is working on her PhD in environmental science, using remote sensing satellite data to contribute to the Navajo Nation’s decisions on effective water resource allocation, and drought mitigation. Nikki is someone who has used the publicly available images from Landsat satellites to further her scientific career, and help her home communities.

“Additionally, Nikki, working far from her community on the Navajo Nation, uses Landsat images of her home to feel close to her family and the teachings that have been handed down to her through the generations.

“We’re eager to hear more stories from people like Nikki, who use Earth observations to empower communities across our nation to achieve environmental and climate justice, and tackle our common economic, educational, and environmental climate challenges,” said Haaland.

You can view Harris’ introduction to Haaland and Haaland’s full remarks starting at 1:02:10 in the video below.