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Derric Loya is an incoming Ph.D. student in the Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences program at the University of Colorado Boulder. He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in both Computer Science (2022) and Physics (2025) from Colorado Mesa University. His research interests focus on advancing human exploration beyond Earth, with current work involving the design of a rotorcraft mission to investigate the Martian surface. He previously interned in the National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the SETI Institute (2024), where he began work on Mars rotorcraft.