Taylor Rose Nations ’12
Taylor Rose Nations ’12 is one of 663 finalists in consideration to colonize Mars. The search, which began in 2013, started with over 200,000 applicants. The mission, which aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars, is called Mars One. Crews of four will depart every two years, starting in 2024.
If Nations isn’t chosen to join Mars One, she is schedule to take the MCAT in January, and go on to Medical School. Nations was hired coming out of Evergreen, where she studied Biochemistry and Biology, at Earth Friendly Products. Nations runs a lab at their Lacey, Washington location, with one assistant and four chemical blenders in her lab. She manages quality control for the lab, as well as finding new technologies and new formulas to implement into the company’s Eco-friendly and green cleaning supplies. Nations considers herself lucky to have been given this opportunity after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, citing the hands-on learning style at Evergreen as what set her apart from her counterparts graduating from other schools.
The next step in her candidacy to join the Mars One mission, which Nations believes will take place in about a month, will be interviews with the candidates. Nations believes Mars One looks at all candidates still under consideration as being capable of becoming astronauts, so most of the interview will be to assess her personality. If she is ultimately selected, her ability to live and work with the three other members of the pod will be of critical importance.
Taylor sees being selected for the Mars One mission as the ultimate tradeoff. She would be devastated to leave friends and family behind, and is looking forward to a career in medicine, but the temptation to see what no one has seen before and to be a pioneer in such a transformative effort is ultimately too great to pass up.
Within the next six months, forty people from around the world will be chosen to work for Mars One, based in the Netherlands, on a nine-year contract. The mission’s first astronauts will be selected from that group, with the rest staying to support the mission from Earth.
Listen to a radio interview with Taylor Rose Nations on Love + Radio.
In my humble opinion, I do not believe that being pre-selected for the Mars One program is newsworthy. Evergreen State should not be proud of this particular achievement by Ms. Nations. Mars One is a non profit organization with an unclear scientific method and mission to send the first group of human beings to Mars permanently.
Ms. Nations, I am happy to hear that this entire experience has provided thoughtful reflection on your end. I hope that you realize that this organization will not satisfy what you’re looking for, and that their end goal is to make profit (ironically) through media exposure and advertising. Thank you.
So your contribution is to offer your “humble” opinion as to what achievements Evergreen State should or should not be proud of? Sounds like somebody’s jealous…
You realize she’s in the top 0.33% of people considered for the program right? That’s an amazing accomplishment.