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(Click noise of opening cane)  [Marco Midon] The thing that made a difference between me being, let’s say like a physicist

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or a scientist is probably the idea that as a

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visually impaired person I have to solve problems all the time. My background

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is electrical engineering with an emphasis on

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radio frequency and that interest goes

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back to when, you know, I’ve been fascinated with radio ever since I was a little

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child and got the ham radio license at eleven. So, I’ve been doing

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similar things for this for a long time.

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I oversee the design and implementation

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of the ground stations for SDO and LRO,

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mostly in the area of RF radio frequencies. So that’s

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the antennas, the receivers, the

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transmitters, all that’s involved in that. My father,

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that really was the beginning with him, he told us we could do anything we want

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and to not settle for second best.

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Working for NASA has really been a fantastic experience.

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I’ve gotten to travel all over the world.

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I went to Greece last year to help out the Russians when they

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requested for us to do the Soyuz. I got to go to Antarctica

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to work on an antenna. So, it’s been an adventure.

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I’ve gotten to do what I love to do and travel all over the

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world and have a lot of fun doing it.

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Mentoring, I’ve done some with the National Federation for the Blind,

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the Rocket On Program, the Maryland Business Round Table.

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I guess my advice would be to anyone out there that they can

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do what they want. They have to be persistent, you know look for help,

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you know look for people that care about your future.

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Work hard. Get a good education. That would be my advice and the

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opportunities are out there. Yet, there are obstacles,

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difficulties, but they can be overcome.