Charles Turner

Charles Turner was born in San Diego, California while his father served in the U.S. Navy. However, he spent the majority of his adolescent years near Ann Arbor, Michigan. He currently lives with his wife Mireille and his son Elijah in Severn, Maryland. Before arriving at the University of Maryland, Charles served four years in the U.S. Army and two years in the Maryland National Guard as an all-source military intelligence analyst. During his service, he deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 to support multiple Special Operations units. He also responded with his guard unit during the Baltimore Civil Unrest. While in school and under the support of veterans scholarships, Charles worked as a research assistant in the High-Power Frequency Laboratory under the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics (IREAP). The main focus on his research group is developing a particle accelerator which will be used in support of ionospheric research. As of September, Charles also works as a Radio-Frequency Engineer Intern for NASA Goddard in the Microwave Instruments Division. There, he works on a team which develops microwave instruments for various spacecraft. These instruments support both earth science and planetary research. Charles will graduate in May 2017 and expects his internship with NASA to turn into a full-time position.