- In 1994, Aber advised three 8th grade students from Holy Trinity Catholic school in Paola, KS. These students prepared a research proposal on Satellite based laser spectrometer for detection of flue gas discharge at coal-fired powerplants for a NASA Mission to Planet Earth competition sponsored in collaboration with the National Science Teachers Association. Their proposal was judged first place in the nation. They were awarded an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in a five-day symposium in May, 1995.
- Landsat 7 proposal for global inventory of glaciers.
- Another example of a positive spinoff from NASA grant activity was the selection of Ballester as a NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow. In the summers of 1996 and 1997 he joined Alexander Tielens, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, for collaborative research. Their research involves dynamics of charged particles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the interstellar environment.