Dina El Deeb is the Systems engineer, Tactical Downlink Lead,and mission assurance support engineer for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Project. She began working at JPL as an Academic Part Timer (APT) in the summer of 1996 after graduating from California State University Northridge with a B.S. in applied physics, and minors in mathematics and engineering. While working as an APT in the Electronic Parts and Radiation Group she pursued her M.S. in applied Physics at California State University, Los Angeles, graduating in 1999. In 2000, Dina was hired as an Associate Engineer for section 331 where she learned about the Deep Space Network (DSN), specifically the Very Long Baseline Interfermoetry service the DSN provides for JPL. While an associate engineer, the opportunity to be a staff engineer for the MER project came up, so she followed it. As the Strategic Engineer Support for MAM, she assures that any issues that arise that may impact the mission success of the MER projects are properly addressed by working with members of the project team and management, in various technical divisions such as Avionics, Telecommunications, and Mechanical Engineering, and in Mission Assurance disciplines such as Quality Assurance and Reliability Engineering. Also, she does the status of the rover, and helps with the next days up link of commands. When not working, Dina can be found near Pasadena taking long power-walks, kick-boxing, and at the mall; only not kick-boxing at the mall!
