NASA Intern and Alumna Daphney McCoy Proves She Has ‘The Right Stuff’

Daphney McCoy, B.S. ’23, is having a blast this summer on Florida’s Space Coast as a NASA intern. As part of her 10-week internship, she has designed and assembled a cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet. Her work supports NASA’s Artemis mission to land astronauts on the Moon to better explore the lunar surface and then apply that knowledge to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars. 

“It is an honor and privilege to serve on projects that support NASA’s Artemis mission,” stated McCoy. “It has been an extraordinary opportunity to be alongside the brightest experts in their fields, and to realize I am stepping into the legacy of so many engineers and scientists who came before.”  

The cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet that McCoy designed is used to treat the surface of different materials to modify their surface properties. The device has a wide range of medical applications such as wound healing, selectively targeting cancer cells and sterilizing instruments. In terms of agriculture and the environment, the device could be used for seed treatment, food decontamination and pollutant degradation. These are just a few of the technological developments and applications of plasma to help enable crewed transit and planetary habitation. So far, her team has seen promising results and expects to publish them at a later date. 

McCoy, who is currently a Biomedical Engineering graduate student, performed her work inside the Applied Chemistry Laboratory located in the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout (O&C) Building at the Kenney Space Center. Built in 1964, the O&C Building was originally used for spacecraft assembly and testing for the Apollo program.  

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to all of my mentors who helped me get to where I am today,” expressed McCoy. “There is the ideal of NASA’s ‘The Right Stuff,’ and for me, it has taken on a different meaning—it’s not who you are now, but rather who you become as you have others by your side, helping you push the boundaries of innovation.” 

During her time in Cape Canaveral, she had the opportunity to meet and speak with astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. The pair spent nine months in space after unexpected technical issues with the Boeing Starliner capsule that launched on June 5, 2024, for a test flight. 

“It was life-changing to meet those who knew the risks and took them in order to push the frontiers for all mankind,” noted McCoy. “Their unwavering determination, bravery and courage truly inspires me.” 

While McCoy is set to graduate on August 5, she hopes her space days are not over. McCoy intends to continue her education in an M.D.-Ph.D. program, and she aspires to continue to serve the Artemis Missions on a future crewed mission to Mars. 

“The rich history and common desire for excellence in exploration of the unknown makes a career at NASA the most fulfilling dream,” shared McCoy.