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Carolina I. Ragolta ’13. (Photo courtesy of the Harvard Crimson.)
By John A. Elzinga
Crimson Staff Writer
Like many children, Carolina I. Ragolta ’13 wanted to be an astronaut. Unlike most, she’s well on her way to fulfilling that dream. Sporting an orange skirt and a green purse, she meets me on a cold Saturday afternoon at Starbucks.
“I actually have a scholarship from NASA,” she explains to me as we sit down. “It’s a pretty sweet deal. I’ve worked two summers at Kennedy Space Center, and then this past summer, I was at Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California,” she says. While in California, Ragolta was able to explore new facets of biotechnology.
“Basically, I was trying to develop an artificial leaf—an artificial membrane that would be capable of photosynthesis,” she explains, smiling as she describes her progress on the project. “I made it. So that was good. We haven’t quite been able to finish up all the testing yet, but the research has been ongoing.” Ragolta presented her findings at the Materials Research Society’s fall meeting in November.
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