Words matter. How we read, define and share information has a massive impact on our lives. Everything from ordering lunch to driving a car runs more smoothly when we all agree—or at least understand—what something means.

My parents always told me I could be anything I wanted when I grow up. I believed them, but even then, the mere thought of working for an agency like NASA seemed as distant as the moon.

Clouds have a substantial role in stabilizing the surface temperature of Earth and regulating the global hydrological cycle. Aerosols are particulate matter that are suspended in the atmosphere either as a solid or liquid. Aerosols have numerous sources such as a volcanic eruption or burning biomass. When aerosols are released into the atmosphere through a natural or manmade source they influence cloud properties.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of satellites? If you were alive in the 1960s, you might have vivid memories of Russia’s Sputnik — the world’s very first satellite — and the resulting Space Race to be the first country to reach the moon. For younger generations, your association with satellites might be from brief references in pop culture, such as a glimpse in the Disney movie WALL-E or maybe something more Star Wars-esque. Now, picture a rural community in a poverty-stricken part of Africa.