Mr. Witman
Jason Mezilis Q&A: Mars Microphone and More
STEM students participated in a virtual talk and Q&A with Jason Mezilis - a musician and engineer who developed the microphone on the Mars Perseverance rover.
Jason received his BA in Music at UC Berkeley and works professionally as a touring rock instrumentalist, record producer, and audio engineer. In 2017 he began working as an independent consultant with NASA / JPL for evaluation and implementation of the microphone onboard the EDL-Cam (Entry, Descent, Landing) system aboard the Mars Perseverance Rover. The microphone system recently captured some of the first sounds from the Martian surface.
Students were given insight into the design process for the Martian microphone and Jason’s current project to develop a space “Selfie-Cam” that can take video of planetary landings. Jason also conveyed his great story about how he made the leap from music to JPL. It was an inspiring message that encouraged students to leverage their unique talents and get involved with what they love.
Thank you so much to Jason Mezilis for sharing with our students!