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I have worked at NASA for over 23 years and have been an engineer developing spaceflight hardware for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, a scientist seeking to understand how gravity influences the cells that form our bones, an analyst of NASA Agency-wide questions and issues, and a program manager helping people in the United States and developing countries use our NASA Earth science applications to improve their lives. How did I get here and what are the connections between the steps in my journey? I think each step has taught me the importance and value of diversity and cross-disciplinary perspectives. And this lesson began in childhood.
I was raised by a dad in the Air Force and a mom who stayed home to take care of her four daughters. One of my worst school memories, and yet one that was oh so formative, was when I attended elementary school in Bossier City, Louisiana in the 1960's. I attended school on the first day of desegregation, black and white students coming together. I was so happy to be going to school but when a teacher said that I, who was a little white girl, would have to change classes during the day so I wouldn't have to be taught all day by a black teacher, I couldn't understand. A few years later, our family was stationed on the island of Guam where white skin was definitely in the minority. I was a young child and happy to have friends of every skin color. It was sort of a humbling experience to not be the dominant hue. Working together in school with my Guamanian best friend taught me how important it was to appreciate people for who they are rather than their skin color.
As I made my way through school, I learned that I liked science and math. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with them. While I was in high school, I considered studying in college to be an engineer, a brain surgeon, an archeologist, a geologist, or a psychologist. I had always loved collecting rocks and have a great memory of walking along the Potomac River and finding both an arrowhead and a small perfect egg-shaped rock with a hole drilled through the center – an Indian bead. My father was at school at the Pentagon and we lived in Maryland at the time. I discovered that I loved learning about how the brain worked in high school physiology and psychology classes as well as making things with my hands and figuring out how things worked.
I remember my mom calling me in from playing in the neighborhood to watch the Apollo launches, moon landing, and the Viking landing on Mars. Boy, it sure seemed like it would be fun to be an astronaut and go explore! I thought about the practical aspect of getting a job, how many years I would have to go to school and made the decision to study aerospace engineering sciences at the University of Colorado. There I was, another kind of minority – a woman studying engineering. About 15% of our class was women, yet that didn't bother me. My best friends were guys and I had already learned that it's important to appreciate every person for who they are.
After working at Lockheed developing early designs for the Space Station, I got a job at NASA Ames in California developing Space Shuttle hardware for biology experiments. One of the first experiments I worked on was to study how tiny baby jellyfish, or ephyrae, swim in microgravity. They looked like swimming snowflakes! Soon, I felt drawn to learning to conduct science experiments myself. I went back to school to pursue my Ph.D. in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in bioengineering, while working full time. It was a long but rewarding journey. I finished my degree and had my first child, all while working to both develop spaceflight hardware and conduct science experiments. I was an engineer working in a biology lab, and you know what? Engineers and scientists approach problems differently! To understand how bone-forming cells respond to changing forces, e.g. microgravity, I designed and built hardware to apply different types of loads to cells. My biology colleagues were looking a how cells signal to each other. Together, we used our cross-disciplinary perspectives to answer science questions in a novel way. The power of science and engineering diversity working together.
Life as a scientist, project manager, mother and wife has been busy and fun. My family and work life took some twists and turns including moving from one coast to another. I moved away from life sciences at Ames to working at Headquarters on Agency-level studies. One of my favorite studies was to examine how NASA partners with folks from the private sector and different US and international agencies to get our work done. I had the privilege of working with great people from all parts of NASA – passionate about human spaceflight, science, aeronautics, technology, managing our people and facilities – from both Headquarters and Centers. I saw the power of cross-disciplinary perspectives and our diversity at NASA, and I felt proud of the job we did together.
In my current job, I help people from the US and developing countries strengthen their abilities to use NASA's Earth science applications to make better environmental management decisions. This responsibility seems like a dream come true and a culmination of all I've learned about the power of diversity. In August of 2013, on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's I have a Dream Speech, I was not in Washington DC, enjoying the many celebrations. Instead, I was in Naivasha, Kenya planning our next year's set of activities with our SERVIR program team. We worked as a collaborative, open, honest team that had lots of fun striving to develop applications of Earth observations to address important problems such as flooding and protecting tea plants from frost. We are a group of people from the US, Eastern & Southern Africa, the Hindu Kush Himalayas, Central America – people of every color, different cultures, different perspectives, social scientists, Earth scientists – and we all share a passion to make a difference. That celebration of MLK Day is one of my best memories during my time at NASA, and the power of that diversity applied to important problems for our planet and our people drives me every day.
We do some pretty exciting stuff here at NASA, and some of it is even here on Earth.
Nancy Searby serves as the Capacity Building Program Manager for NASA's Applied Sciences Program in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. The Applied Sciences Program discovers and demonstrates innovative and practical uses of Earth observations in organizations' policy, business, and management decisions. She is leading the Program's efforts to build skills in use of Earth observations to make decisions in the US and developing countries. Nancy oversees four NASA Center-based projects – DEVELOP, SERVIR, Gulf of Mexico Initiative, and Applied Remote Sensing Training – that aim to improve the ability of local, regional, state, national, and multi-national stakeholders to make decisions informed by Earth science observations and models. She participates in related interagency, international, and public-private partnership activities to help stakeholders make decisions in nine areas of societal benefit identified by the Group on Earth Observations, including disasters, ecosystems, biodiversity, weather, water, climate, health, energy, and agriculture. Nancy is also leading efforts to develop alliances with non-traditional partners. Dr. Searby began working at NASA Ames Research Center managing space flight hardware development onboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. In parallel, she pursued and completed her Ph.D. to investigate the effects of mechanical loading on bone forming cells, and carried out related research projects. She left Ames for a one-year detail at NASA Headquarters where she led Agency-level studies and analyses, and decided to take a full-time position there. Following several years of Agency studies, she moved to the Earth Sciences Division. Nancy has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and bachelors and masters degrees in aerospace engineering sciences from the University of Colorado-Boulder.
NASA has been a part of my life since I was born, literally.
You see, on July 6, 1970 I was born on my father's birthday and surprised my parents by being a girl. They were expecting a son and had only picked out boy names. My parents couldn't decide on a name for me so my father took this "problem" to work with him. At that time, my father was a NASA engineer and he asked some of his coworkers for ideas on what to name his new baby daughter. Doing what engineers normally do, they started brainstorming and working this "problem" out on a chalkboard. The group of NASA engineers eventually came up with the idea that I should have the same initials as my father since I was born on his birthday and as a result they named me Becky Jean (Register). It was a privilege to grow up with a father that worked for NASA. I loved to hear the stories about the space program and was always interested about what it was like to be an engineer. At a very young age I dreamed about becoming a NASA engineer and working on the Space Shuttle. I even have a school assignment that I completed when I was 10 years old and it confirms my dream.
Having the dream was easy, but making it a reality was challenging. My parents always supported my dream and encouraged me to pursue a career in engineering. However, I did not always have that same support from teachers, counselors or friends. Some people just didn't think I was capable of achieving such a lofty goal. I didn't understand why at the time, but looking back it probably had a lot to do with me being a girl that wanted to go into a male dominated field. The fact that I was an average student probably didn't help others to believe that I could obtain such a challenging degree. This lack of confidence that some people had was hard to accept and it was somewhat discouraging for me. When I was in college I had to study a lot and there were definitely times that I questioned whether or not I had made the right decision in choosing a degree in engineering. During college it became very clear that this was indeed a male dominated field. In many classes I was one of only a couple of females and at times that was intimidating. In addition to these difficulties, I got married while I was a college student and had my first child during my junior year of college. I have never regretted making these personal choices, but they did in fact place additional stresses and obstacles for me to overcome. An engineering degree is challenging, demanding, and difficult, but the good news is that it is achievable.
My dream of becoming a NASA engineer began to come true in 1992 when I became a cooperative (co-op) student while attending the University of Central Florida. As a co-op, I served as an engineer trainee in the Orbiter Communications and Navigational Aids systems. I was so happy to be a part of NASA and even happier to be a part of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP). The co-op experience provided me with an excellent foundation in engineering and gave me the confidence that a career in engineering was definitely what I wanted. In 1995, I earned my Electrical Engineering Degree from UCF and I was ready to go to work full time at NASA. However, it did not happen immediately. Instead of receiving a job offer letter from NASA, I received a letter that advised me and the rest of the cop-ops to seek other job opportunities. NASA had entered a hiring freeze and for the first time in NASA history, they weren't going to hire their co-ops. My hopes and dreams were quickly coming to an end at the same time that I had planned on them coming true. I interviewed with other companies, but none interested me or excited me like NASA did. I never gave up and in May of 1995, I was finally able to join NASA as a full time system engineer (SE). Having my first full time, permanent engineering job was an awesome experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. In 2000 I left my role as a SE and transferred to the Project Engineering Integration Division and became a Lead Project Engineer where I managed large teams of multi-discipline engineers. I became a supervisor for the first time in 2003 and realized I truly enjoy managing people and helping them develop in their careers. The SSP ended in 2011 and at that time I had developed into a Division Chief position and was responsible for managing a group of professional engineers, scientists, technical experts and administrative personnel responsible for the technical integration of Space Shuttle processing activities. It was a wonderful job and I enjoyed working with such great people and being part of the SSP all the way through the end.
With the SSP over I started a new and exciting endeavor with the Commercial Crew Program (CCP). This new program is leading NASA's efforts to develop the next U.S. capability for crew transportation and rescue services to and from the International Space Station. During my time with the CCP, I had the opportunity to do a stretch assignment as the Acting Deputy Director of the Human Resources Office. This assignment really took me out of my comfort zone and provided me with extremely valuable leadership experience.
My career has been wonderful. I love what I do and I have never been bored. I have enjoyed all of the positions that I have held and will never forget the many unique experiences that I have had, including working with one of the engineers that helped name me when I was born. I have always had pride and passion while working for NASA. I still have it today, it hasn't dwindled and I don't think it will ever go away. Realizing my lifelong dream has been an incredible feeling and I am blessed that it is still on-going.
Ms. Becky Murray began her career with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in 1992 as a co-operative education engineer for the Space Shuttle Program. With a 22-year career with the United States space program, Ms. Murray continues to be a solid contributor providing valuable insight and technical excellence. She led several teams at KSC including Chief of the Launch Vehicle Processing Directorate's Ground Projects Branch from 2005 to 2007 and Chief of the Launch Vehicle Processing Directorate's Project Engineering Integration Division from 2007 to 2011. She was the Acting Associate Director of the Launch Vehicle Processing Directorate from 2009 to 2010 where she assisted the Director with the management and oversight of all Space Shuttle processing and launch operations at KSC. After the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Ms. Murray was the manager of Launch and Recovery Systems for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). Ms. Murray helped NASA develop the next United States-led capability for crew transportation and rescue services to and from the International Space Station and other low Earth orbit destinations. She provided reliable leadership and technical expertise in ground and recovery operations systems, processes, and products. Ms. Murray is currently the Acting Director, Human Resources Office at KSC. Ms. Murray has received many professional honors throughout her career, including a NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 2009, NASA Space Flight Awareness Leadership Award in 2010, and KSC Quality and Safety Achievement Recognition in 2011.
First and foremost I wish to thank my parents. They are the inspiration that has allowed me to fulfill my life goals one after the other. Without them I would not be where I am today nor would I have had the experiences I have been blessed with over the last 29 years. Words will never describe everything you have done for our family.
Treat those around you as you would like to be treated.
As the second child of four I learned early on that I needed to know how to communicate with those older and younger than I to be successful in my endeavors and that I had to prioritize everything or I would accomplish nothing. With these two lessons, I was able to set goals for myself starting in 5th grade. On a 5th grade science class trip to the Challenger Learning Center in Rochester, NY, I was told that I was in the Space Shuttle and as an Engineer it was my job to deploy the satellite out into space for NASA by listening to directions from Ground Control. After I successfully launched the satellite into space we landed back on Earth. At that moment, I was now in Ground Control and had to ensure the Astronauts launched the next satellite successfully. After the science trip, NASA's Astronaut Pamela Melroy visited my elementary school wearing the Astronaut blue suit and talked to us about her experiences in Space on the Space Shuttle. She explained to us how she used to go to our elementary school, sat in the exact same classroom as us and how the education she received as a child made her into the woman she is today. I thought to myself, "I could be her when I grow up" and told my parents the minute they arrived home from work. From that day forth I have never wavered and my parents (and even my sisters) have helped me to shape my life around that goal.
Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss you will land among the stars.
As time went on I realized that being an Astronaut wasn't going to be an easy path and that many people would be competing against me. Which meant I had to be smart and have the education to prove it. During high school, I learned many lessons about money, life and goals. First, if you wish to obtain something you must work to obtain it. Otherwise you will not understand the true worth of it. Second, earning minimum wage is not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Third, setting a goal is not enough to achieve the goal, you must work towards smaller goals to achieve the larger goal. I discovered that Chemistry and Math were passions of mine and that I could combine them into a career called Chemical Engineering. After high school I was informed that I would have to pay my own way through college as my parents had done everything in their power to ensure my siblings and I had the best education possible up until college. I went on to Community College where I studied engineering and worked a full time job to pay for my books and my classes. After two years, I transferred to a university where I graduated Cum Laude with my Bachelors of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering while working two jobs, one as a restaurant night manager and one as an Organic Chemistry Lab Assistant. Many times during my undergraduate career I thought "I am going to fail this class, this is way too hard but I really want to be an Astronaut, how do people do this when they have kids, and am I going to be able to do this." I always had a positive support system of friends and family. They always helped me to remember the end goal and how awesome working for NASA work be let alone being an astronaut.
Life is not easy and you deserve nothing. If you want it, earn it.
My undergraduate career was far from easy but I understood that my goal to become an Astronaut was going to be a difficult path. At this point, I also realized the likelihood of becoming an Astronaut was extremely low, so I made back up life goals. My second life goal was to work for NASA and to help Astronaut explore the Universe. My third was to work for IBM if I could not obtain a job at NASA. With these goals in mind I set off to earn my PhD in Chemical Engineering with a thesis in Microelectronics. This part of my life was even harder than the last. I knew that the only way to work for NASA was to Intern/Co-Op for them. I went to my graduate program and inquired about PhD Internship opportunities. I was told that only undergraduates could use the service. That didn't stop me. My life goal was to be an astronaut and my second was to work for NASA. I was going to find another way. I searched the internet for every NASA center's Co-Op Program office and Point of Contact. Within 1 week I sent out Cover Letters and my resume to every Center. After being rejected numerous times I was told that I had an interview scheduled with a group at NASA John F Kennedy Space Center. I was beyond excited. I prepared for the interview and aced it. I had to report to NASA within 4 weeks. This meant that I had to stop my research for 4 months. I was informed by my professor at the time that going to work for NASA and stopping my research was a horrible decision and that I would need to find a new professor and restart all of my research. This was the first time I had to make a huge life choice. I chose to jump and began working for NASA KSC as a Co-Op. I completed one of my life goals by the age of 23 which was to work for NASA. After several rotations of working for NASA and completing my PhD research, I graduated with my PhD in Chemical Engineering and began working full time for NASA Kennedy Space Center. I completed a second life goal, being the first in my family to earn a PhD. Sometimes in this life, one must make tough decisions that will affect them for the rest of their life without knowing all of the information and without knowing if they will succeed.
Fortune Favors the Brave. Be brave.
Today, I work on a project called the Resource Prospector (RP) which is slated for flight in 2020 to go to the Moon and prospect for ice and other resources that could be found underneath the top layer of Regolith. We are interested in understanding what resources can be found on the Moon and planets, such as Mars, to determine if In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is possible. In other words, we would like to know if we can make fuel for further exploration or Oxygen for Astronauts. I have not worked a day in my life since I started full time at NASA. My passion for human and non-human space exploration has allowed me to know that I am helping the world achieve an extremely hard task. During my time working full-time for NASA I have mentored three interns from various states around the country with varying interests and passions. All of them have kept in touch with me over the months since they have left the internship program. I wish the best of luck to them and I hope they have been successful in all of their endeavors.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
I was raised to help those in need without judgment or preconceived notations. I have a strong belief that it is not only my job but my duty to help those around me without judgment and without expecting anything in return. It is because of this belief that I continue to be a mentor for ICouldBe.org and NASA Interns and Co-Ops. I have also chosen to take part in FIRST Lego League and NASA's Robotic Competition as a judge and a Chemical Engineer Subject Matter Expert to inspire the next generation. Whenever I return home during the school year, I give presentations to grade school and middle school students to inspire them to love not only STEM programs but to love whatever career they plan on going into. One does not always help by giving finically, sometimes all a person needs is recognition and a smile.
Never Forget to Smile. We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.
Dr. Mary Coan grew up as the middle child surrounded by three sisters. Communication and prioritization was key to keep a peaceful home. From an early age, Dr. Coan set her goals high and set out to work for NASA as an astronaut. Many children would change their minds but Dr. Coan never did. She held true to her 5th grade self and never let go. She worked her way through her undergraduate career while still managing to graduate Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering. She continued to work her way to her PhD career where she began her NASA career as a co-op at John F. Kennedy Space Center. After graduating with her PhD in chemical engineering, she began working full time for NASA on the Resource Prospector (RP) which was known only as Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) at the time. Just recently, Dr. Coan has earned the opportunity to work for NASA's Headquarters Office in Washington D.C. as a detailee in the Office of the Chief Engineer where she is slated to learn about NASA's Program/Project Planning and Control policies and guidance.
From a very early age, I loved two things: drawing and being outside. I doodled and colored all the time. I would re-create scenes from Disney movies using colored pencils, spending hours blending the colors to look exactly like the original. My parents bought me Disney animation software, and I vowed I would work there some day. I drew still lifes of everyday objects – flowers, shoes, food – anything that looked interesting. People applauded my ability to recreate reality with just pencils. I had similar success with portraits and figures. I showed my artwork in galleries and student competitions.
Meanwhile, I was always looking for excuses to be outdoors – playing games, sledding, choreographing neighborhood dance recitals in my backyard. My mother has pointed out that in every place I've lived, I've put my bed next to a window. Junior year of high school I was selected to attend an advanced summer art program at Colorado College. I took college-level courses and fell in love with the campus at the base of Pikes Peak. I had already spent eight summers attending a nearby camp on the other side of the mountain, where I had fallen in love with the natural world. I was convinced that I needed to go to Colorado College.
My parents were not so convinced. The private liberal arts school was not exactly affordable. So I looked at financial aid options. The college offered a private scholarship for various science majors – four years, full tuition. I had recently done well in high school math and chemistry, so I decided to give it a shot. I applied for the geology scholarship and – much to my surprise – I got it! My friends all thought I was crazy. "But you're an artist," they'd say. "You can't major in science!"
I spent the next four years falling even more in love with the natural world. As a geology major, I spent the bulk of my college career exploring national parks, volcanoes, and canyons all over the western United States. I slept outside under the stars 84 nights during my junior year. But when it came time to graduate, I faced a tough realization. I didn't want to pursue a career in science. I didn't have the burning desire to get a PhD, or be a professor. I just wanted to be outside.
So I applied for a masters program in science documentary filmmaking. I moved to Montana and spent the next year filming wildlife in Yellowstone, and learning the art of creative nonfiction and video editing. It was tremendous fun, but again I faced a tough realization: I didn't want to be a filmmaker. I loved the creative part of it, but the business of filmmaking wasn't for me.
That's when my graduate advisor got a call from NASA. They were looking for a student filmmaker to create short Earth science videos for NASA-TV. Knowing my background in geology, my advisor recommended me for the one-year fellowship. I packed everything into my Subaru and drove from Montana to Maryland to start a job at the Goddard Space Flight Center. My dad actually flew out to D.C. and accompanied me on a site visit before I started the job. I realize now how young I was, and how silly I must have looked showing up for a job interview with my father. But I think he was just as thrilled as I was to be visiting NASA! It was my first real job, and I can't imagine how nervous I would have felt without him there.
I did not grow up dreaming about working for NASA someday. I knew very little about the agency and its programs. I learned it on the job. As a professional communicator, my whole purpose was to listen closely and tell stories. Over twelve years I have become a total NASA devotee… and I have great stories to tell! I flew over the South Pole in a DC-8. I watched Apollo 13 in the Apollo control room at the Johnson Space Center with Gene Kranz! I watched a team of grown men and women cry when their satellite crashed into the ocean. I cried and hugged strangers in front of the countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Center as we watched the final Space Shuttle launch. My rejection letter from the astronaut office is one of my most prized possessions.
But my favorite part of the job has always been working with scientists and drawing out their stories. After dreaming about it for almost eight years, I'm finally in a position where I can devote nearly 100% of my time to doing that. Not only that – I'm now literally drawing stories. I'm using my artistic skills to illustrate the work I do with science communicators at NASA. Practicing graphic facilitation has completely opened up a new world for me, and is adding value to NASA in ways I never could have imagined at the start of my career.
In 2008, I participated in a year-long agency leadership program. On the first day of the program, a coach made me cry in front of the group. She put me on the spot and asked me why I cared so much about how NASA communicates its work to the public. I couldn't articulate an answer then, and it took me years to understand what that conversation meant. If I care enough about my work to cry in front of colleagues, I'm doing something right. I'm in the right place. The closer I get to that scary vulnerable place, the better I'll be at my job. There have been times when I didn't feel that way, and I knew it was time to move on. When I see people get excited and emotional about their work, I surround myself with those people. And somehow, in all the various jobs I've had at NASA, I've almost always had my desk near a window.
Sarah DeWitt has worked in science communication at NASA since 2002. She started her career at Goddard as a video producer, and is now supporting the agency's chief scientist with communication to a global audience. She loves being outdoors and relishes her daily bike commute through DC. Her other passion is working with scientists and helping to draw out their stories of inspiration and discovery. In 2013 she developed NASA's first agency-wide science communication leadership program. Sarah is deeply committed to personal and professional development, and is constantly seeking ways to stretch herself. She has practiced a variety of communication methods including storytelling, public speaking, improvisation, acting, design thinking, graphic facilitation and scribing – all in the service of improving her own communication practice and to serve the development of other communicators. Sarah is interested in applying these unique skills to support increased diversity in STEM career fields.]]>
I was born in Sydney, Australia to a family that had a great interest in science. Although I have four brothers, I was the one most interested in pursuing a scientific career. However, that was easier said than done in those times in a country where women were not that common in science, especially in physical sciences and engineering. I attended an all girls high school, as was common at the time. What was uncommon was the dedication of the teachers, once they realized that there were a number of girls who wanted to study advanced chemistry, physics and biology. Fighting to teach these classes was a lesson for me to never give up! Extra classes every lunchtime and after school meant we could participate in those courses. Perhaps, watching the moon landing inspired me!
I have always been a bit contrary, so when we were give a careers' "newspaper" in school, I turned to the bottom right hand corner of the back page, where there was a very short paragraph on ceramic engineering. That "last place" career took my fancy and I signed up, not realizing that it would open up a whole world: materials. Materials science combines many disciplines plus some art and, even a little black art!
Becoming an engineer was not easy. At my girls only school, technical drawing (the prerequisite to Engineering 1) wasn't a class offering. I struggled, but did learn that "if you keep at it, you will get there" (but please do not ask me to draw anything!). Despite my high school results, I was not given a specific ceramic engineering scholarship because I was a girl. This was told to me often and directly. At the end of the first year, ( I was the only girl in Ceramic Engineering) I wrote a letter to the scholarship committee, pointing out my grades, asking for the scholarship and informing them that I would not be coming to an interview, as I would be traveling, but fully expected to have the scholarship on my return. And it worked!
There were times as an undergraduate that I had to bite my tongue. A memorable occasion for me was when, after an exam, the class tutor asked me what grade I got. When I replied that it was an A, the tutor went around the whole class taunting all of the boys who got less than an A, saying they were "beaten by a girl!" My mostly male friends loved to remind me of that incident!
Change was on the way though, and in my final year when I went to speak to an Engineering 1 class, I thought I was in the wrong room. I was surprised to see so many girls. I will never forget the day I graduated with a first class honors degree, the first in that subject for a girl. The other women (students and parents) applauded so loudly and the memory of that support has stayed fresh in my mind.
I had always wanted to pursue graduate studies abroad, but had really only thought about the UK as the place. One day the guys were talking about a plan they had hatched in my absence to go the US to study. My two reactions were "how dare you leave me out!" and "what a wonderful idea!" In the end, the only person who went to the US was me. I had a job for a few months before I left and the company said they would call me a Technical Officer and would pay me appropriately. However, as they were not allowed to hire women in that category I was to be officially hired as a janitor! I still learned a lot, and realized that change comes in bits.
I chose to attend Berkeley for many reasons, a major one being that it did not snow. I did not know about the fog though. I loved attending Berkeley and met my husband there. Currently, he is a professor emeritus there and our daughter attended Berkeley for her undergraduate degrees. I stayed at Berkeley for a PhD, despite having told my mother I would only be gone 18 months. She did not believe me, of course, and has stopped asking when I am going back to Australia.
I knew that I could not teach, except for teaching sailing, (I spent a lot of time at the Cal Sailing Club!). I always wanted to do research and pictured myself in a lab. I was fortunate to get a job at SRI International in Menlo Park, CA. I quickly realized that most of my time would be spent writing proposals and overseeing others, although I did manage to get some lab time. At SRI, I was introduced to a wider world of materials as well as the business of materials. We had clients from all over the world, in areas from defense and energy to domestic products. I learned to think on my feet to come up with a solution based on knowledge and experience. I always tell people to take every opportunity they have and do very job, because you never know when it will come back to help you or where it might lead you. Many times in my career I have said, "hang on, this is just like such-and-such that we did back when."
After 18 years at SRI, two children, and lots of experience, I was approached by NASA and offered a position as Chief of the Thermal Protection Materials and Systems Branch at the agency's Ames Research Center. At first, I was unsure about the role, as my experience was not in thermal protection materials. However, I did accept and spent almost 10 years in that position, before moving to my current job. I am proud of many things from that time: the great people, the labs and the expertise that we built together, and the quality of the technical work. I personally was involved in ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs). At Ames, we led the revitalization of this research field, which has grown to include researchers from all over the world.
I have always been interested in the general field of materials, education, business and policy. I was a member of the National Materials Advisory Board (part of the National Research Council) in the 1990s and still participate in studies. My professional society, the American Ceramic Society, has provided me with technical opportunities, leadership experiences, and a wealth of very good friends.
When asked what advice I might give to someone, it is always the same: see and take the opportunities, and if you fall down, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. Fight for what you want. Be firm, be kind, be polite—it always pays off! Remember that your family and friends are forever; nothing else is.
Dr. Sylvia Johnson came to NASA Ames Research Center in March 2000 and held the position of Chief of the Thermal Protection Materials and Systems Branch until 2009, where she was recognized for contributing to substantial technical and facility improvements. Currently, Dr. Johnson is the Chief Materials Technologist, of the Entry Systems and Technology Division. Before joining NASA, Dr. Johnson spent 18 years in research at SRI international, (SRI), where she held many positions, including the Director of Ceramic and Chemical Product Development. At SRI, she broadened her experience in materials research and development for a variety of materials and worked with industry, government, domestic and international clients. Dr. Johnson is a recipient of the 2011 James I. Mueller Award from the American Ceramic Society and was inducted into the World Academy of Ceramics in 2014. She will deliver the Edward Orton Jr. Memorial Lecture for the American Ceramic Society in October 2015 and will be featured in the book, Women in Ceramics, (2015). In addition to many lectures she's given on technical and research topics, Dr. Johnson has published over 50 papers, edited two books, and received 6 U.S. patents. Dr. Johnson received a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Ceramic Engineering from the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), a Master of Science and a Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
I'm sure that like many of my generation, I grew up always knowing about NASA. I do not recall seeing the moon landing on TV, which happened before I was 4 years old, but I remember that since I was very young, I always assumed that space travel would be a "normal" part of the human experience. I loved reading and watching science fiction and associated NASA with amazing futuristic ideas. I did not realize until later, however, that this storied agency did so much pioneering aeronautics research, which I'm glad to be a part of now.
When I was young, I wanted to be a doctor or some kind of scientist. I think that I was lucky that when I was growing up, I didn't actively feel that there was anyone trying to tell me that girls couldn't do anything they wanted to do, or that girls should only be in certain careers. Or if anyone did say that, I certainly wasn't listening. At the University of California at Berkeley, I completed a double major in biophysics and psychology and I gravitated towards the psychology courses related to cognition, exploring how humans process information, learn, and reason. I also took a course in environmental psychology where I learned how environmental factors can influence behavior. I was especially taken with research I had read about designing habitable environments for astronauts with environmental psychology principles in mind. That led to my "discovery" of human factors as a discipline. In between college and graduate school, I worked for a few years as a sleep technician, assisting in sleep research, as well as clinical evaluations of patients with sleep disorders. When I started graduate school at San Jose State University, I interned with a group at NASA Ames Research Center who was researching the communication patterns of airline pilots as they transitioned to flying more highly automated, or "glass" cockpits.
I've worked almost entirely in the aeronautics part of NASA since arriving at Ames, and worked as a contractor before becoming a NASA civil servant in 1997. I've also had small detours in my career with a detail assignment in another Ames organization and one at NASA headquarters. A source of inspiration for me is that one's contributions at NASA, however small, will likely advance technology and make a huge difference in the world. Researchers from other countries that we collaborate with have commented to me that they know that once NASA sets their mind to something, it'll get done.
Today, I am the deputy division chief of an organization that performs air traffic management (ATM) research and development and that operates high-fidelity flight simulators. We are directly contributing to a nationwide initiative called the Next Generation Air Transportation System (or "NextGen") that will make air transportation more efficient and better for the environment. I have worked on projects that have tested new technology for scheduling air traffic, evaluating how air traffic controller workload is impacted, and designing user interfaces and procedures to take advantage of the automation. The human factors implications of this new automation are taken very seriously with the technology development. When I first started working in ATM, human factors often was applied as a band-aid, once an automation system or piece of technology was designed. However, now it's clear that you have to evaluate the impact of human factors throughout technology development, so you don't end up with a technology that although is more efficient, the user simply can't trust or understand and therefore won't use.
Some of my most enjoyable work experiences were when I traveled to air traffic control (ATC) field sites for testing our technologies. Being in a live air traffic control facility reminds you of the complexity of ATC and how our work will ultimately affect the flying public.
What I'm proud of in my work has changed over the years. As an intern, I couldn't wait to contribute to a research project to earn co-authorship on a publication. When I worked as part of a team researching advanced ATM automation tools, I was more focused on whether the FAA or airlines eventually would use our technology, and publications were less important. Later, as I became a manager, I let all the smart people make the impact, and I wanted to make sure they got the recognition they deserve. Today, my most proud moments are when I have some role in helping our staff earn promotions, awards, or recognition for their incredible technical achievements. It's not the same as personally inventing some new technology or method, but it's very satisfying.
My greatest accomplishment so far is raising three amazing kids with my husband, who also works for NASA. OK, so that's not work-related, aside from the fact that our kids all attended the Ames Child Care Center when they were infants through preschool-age. (Work-life balance!) But our kids are growing up knowing and caring about NASA, really cutting-edge technology, science and engineering, and aeronautics and space. I know that what NASA develops will in some way touch their future lives. They think it's funny when they overhear our conversations that are overloaded with NASA acronyms. They also get a good laugh out of phrases like, "…well, if you're going to go to Mars…."
I really believe that NASA is a source of inspiration to our children. I try and make sure our kids' friends and classmates know about NASA, especially reminding them that the first "A" stands for Aeronautics! It's fun to do an outreach presentation to kids – in first grade, for example, they are in awe of any big number – no matter what it is or what it has to do with. They are so excited about airplanes and rockets. When we work here everyday, we forget how we are on the cutting edge of what's possible, and not everyone sees that all the time. High school kids are slightly harder to impress, but even they are pretty amazed when I show them a video of the national air transportation system that our researchers created, and that is currently running everyday in the National Air and Space Museum.
I got to witness a night launch of STS-88, Space Shuttle Endeavour, in December 1998 when I was in Orlando attending a conference. The first night that the launch was scheduled, we did not try and see the it, and it was scrubbed, but the second night, we decided to go, and Endeavour did launch. It was simply the most amazing thing I had ever seen. That was the only shuttle launch I saw in person. I guess it's fitting then that I got to witness Endeavour's flyover of NASA Ames in September 2012 on its way to its new home in Los Angeles.
Katharine Lee currently serves as the deputy division chief of a research organization at NASA Ames Research Center that performs air traffic management (ATM) research and development and which also operates high-fidelity flight simulators. She came to this position from providing human factors evaluations of ATM automation tools. Human factors is a discipline that examines how humans interact with and use technology. She learned about human factors at the University of California at Berkeley, where she completed bachelors degrees in biophysics and psychology. In an undergraduate environmental psychology course, she read about NASA's human factors research in designing more workable and livable environments for astronauts. While completing her masters degree in psychology from San Jose State University, Katharine worked as a graduate student intern in human factors with NASA Ames researchers investigating the communication patterns of airline pilots, contrasting their performance in "traditional" versus more highly automated, "glass" cockpits. From there, she was employed as a contractor supporting the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) liaison office at NASA Ames, and worked with NASA engineers to develop and evaluate a suite of ATM automation tools known as the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS). She joined NASA as a civil servant in 1997 and continued to contribute to, and later manage, increasingly advanced ATM research. Today, her division's work will help achieve the goals of the Next Generation Air Transportation System ("NextGen") with more efficient and environmentally friendly airspace operations. Katharine sees her NASA career as a family experience, as her husband also works at NASA Ames, and all three of their children attended the Ames Child Care Center from infancy through age 5.]]>
"Absolutely amazing" is how I would describe my career at NASA. Having the ability to have a profession in one's area of interest is rewarding, but being able to do that and work at NASA—well, that's pretty awesome. I began my NASA career at Johnson Space Center (JSC) as a project engineer assisting researchers from universities with developing hardware to conduct biomedical experiments on space shuttle astronauts. How cool is that! As a young girl fascinated by science and how the human body works, I never could have imagined I would have this opportunity—this is a dream come true.
Growing up, I liked to figure out how things worked. I opened and tinkered with my toys and got pretty good at fixing things. Until one morning when I attempted, unsupervised and unauthorized, to fix my grandmother's TV set and literally received the shock of my life—and a major scolding as well. However, instead of being deterred, my curiosity was piqued. Unfortunately, there weren't resources in my community for youth who were interested in engineering. My elementary and middle schools did not even have science laboratories.
My parents were both Educators who exposed their children to a variety of activities (sports, music, dance, scouting, religion). Although we did not have science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-related camps, they supported whatever educational passions we pursued. One Christmas they gave my brother a chemistry set and we did experiments in the backyard. This was the beginning of two future engineers (my brother is a chemical engineer).
As a child, I was not very familiar with NASA. While I was in college studying to be an engineer, I learned one of the Challenger astronauts, Dr. Ronald McNair, was from a town in South Carolina only 35 miles from my hometown. Dr. McNair's achievements marked an awareness of the endless possibilities available to me, including working at NASA. I was inspired to pursue my dream of obtaining a Master of Science in Bioengineering. My first job was working for the Food and Drug Administration as a medical device evaluator, determining the effectiveness and safety of hardware and systems used in diagnostics, treatment and prevention of diseases. Although the work was rewarding, I was elated when I had the opportunity to transfer and work at NASA.
My career began as a Project Engineer in the Space Life Sciences Directorate developing biomedical hardware to fly on the Space Shuttle. That progressed to Project Manager for suites of hardware systems for medical and microgravity experiments. This led to responsible positions in human spaceflight systems engineering and operations, including Flight Manager for several missions in the Space Shuttle Program, and Director of Operations and Test Integration in the Constellation Program. Previously, I served as Acting Director of JSC's Human Exploration Development Support until my recent assignment as Assistant to the Center Director supporting tactical operations and strategic planning for JSC.
I've had the thrilling opportunity to develop hardware flown on the Space Shuttle and to the Russian-Mir Space Station, supporting training and data collection on astronauts—before, during and after flight. I've also been responsible for the development and integration of hardware and systems, including ensuring astronauts were trained for research missions on the Space Shuttle and for missions which assembled the International Space Station.
With the support of NASA, I conduct outreach at schools, churches, and via organizations such as Boy Scouts, Jack and Jill of America, and the Links, Incorporated to inspire interest in STEM fields. For the past two years, I've spearheaded a partnership between JSC's African American Employee Resources Group and the Port City Chapter of the Links, Inc. to sponsor a science fair at a Houston elementary school. Engineers from across JSC and of various backgrounds volunteer to help children design and conduct experiments, as well as assist with hosting the fair. Perhaps some of these children will be inspired to pursue careers in STEM fields.
The most important lesson I've learned in my life is "don't let your environment define you." Even though I did not have the facilities and an accessible role model, because of my determination to pursue my dream, I enjoy a most rewarding career.
Vanessa E. Wyche is Assistant to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Director. She assists Center leadership with policy development, staff relations, strategic planning, and management integration of technical, mission support and communications activities. Ms. Wyche graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor's of Science in Materials Engineering and a Master's of Science in Bioengineering. Before joining JSC in 1989, she worked for the Food and Drug Administration in Washington D.C. Over the span of her career with NASA she has held several key leadership positions: in the Space Shuttle Program as a Flight Manager; in the Constellation Program as Director of Operations and Test Integration; as Acting Director for the Human Exploration Development Support Directorate, and recently as Associate Director of Exploration Integration and Science. In recognition of her management, leadership and innovation skills, Vanessa has received numerous honors, notably, a NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, two NASA Achievement Medals, a JSC Innovation Award, a Rotary Stellar Nomination and she is a 2014 Women@NASA awardee. As a strong supporter of Innovation and Inclusion (I&I) at JSC, Ms. Wyche is a member of JSC's I&I Council and co-Executive sponsor of the Emerge Employee Resource Group for early career employees. She also advocates mentoring and is a passionate promoter of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields in her community. Ms. Wyche leads efforts to oversee an annual science fair at an underserved elementary school and supports numerous STEM outreach activities through her affiliations with The Links, Incorporated, Boy Scouts of America and Jack and Jill of America. Ms. Wyche resides in Houston, Texas with her husband and they are the proud parents of one son, who is currently attending Howard University in Washington, DC.]]>
Unlike a lot of my friends and coworkers, I wasn't space-crazy as a child. Despite having an astronomy buff and engineer father, I wanted to be a teacher, or an architect, or a Disney animator, or a musician…until 9th grade. That year, my physics teacher offered extra credit to any student who wrote a paper for a contest sponsored by NASA and the National Science Teachers Association; the prompt was to design and propose an experiment that could be done on Mars. The mere mention of "extra credit" was all it took for a geeky student like me. I wrote the paper, and won a trip to KSC to present it to real NASA engineers. It was 1993, and I got an up-close view of NASA for the first time. We saw Endeavour on the launch pad, getting ready for the flight that would repair the Hubble Space Telescope. I was hooked.
I entered that contest three more times, even without the lure of extra credit. I won another trip to KSC and then a trip to Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, where I saw Mission Control for the first time with only the faintest idea that I might be sitting at one of those consoles years later. When I started to think about graduating high school and going to college, I slowly realized that NASA was something people did as a regular job – NASA was something that I could do.
As a high school senior, I sent letters to the JSC Co-op office, and after I arrived at Georgia Tech to study aerospace engineering, I sought out other students involved in the co-op program at JSC. I absorbed any and every bit of advice that I could about how to become a co-op, and sent more letters. At the end of my freshman year, as I was packing up to head home for the summer, I got a phone call from Houston. By the end of the day, I had a co-op job at JSC! I later learned that the only reason I was selected for an interview was that two extra co-op spots opened up, and there was no time to go to any additional colleges for interviews. My resume happened to be sitting on the co-op coordinator's desk. It pays to be persistent!
Each of my several assignments at NASA has been rewarding in its own way. After graduating from college, I transitioned from co-op to full-time trajectory analyst in JSC's Mission Operations Directorate. Only 8 months later, the Columbia accident changed the scope of our role overnight as I worked on a team tasked with identifying where debris could most likely be found on the ground. Finding these fragments was critically important to identifying what caused the accident and ensuring that it could not happen again.
In 2006, I was selected as a Rendezvous Officer in Mission Control. I spent many hours on console while the space shuttle orbited overhead, and served as Lead Rendezvous Officer for STS-129 and STS-133. Leading the rendezvous team for those missions and working on real-time mission operations was a truly unique experience, and a career highlight that I will never forget.
When the space shuttle program ended in 2011, I chose to join the Safety & Mission Assurance (S&MA) organization as a safety engineer supporting the International Space Station (ISS). Although I looked forward to the new challenge, I worried that I would miss being in the "hot seat" of the flight control world…but I quickly realized that Safety was a very good fit for my personality. I really enjoy learning new systems and gaining a breadth of experience, cooperating with other organizations, and focusing on the larger integrated picture of a complex system like the ISS – and S&MA has provided many incredible opportunities to do each of those things.
In addition to engineering, I enjoy more creative pursuits. As a child, I animated my own Disney characters on plastic transparencies, edited a section of the campus newspaper in college, worked as a photographer and graphic designer in my 20s and early 30s, and recently taught myself to sew in order to make bags and quilts. I sometimes wonder how I ended up in engineering at all, but the truth is that I love both, and I like finding ways to mix my technical and creative sides. Although its mission is technical, NASA is not just for engineers – we need all types of people with all types of backgrounds!
Having my daughter two years ago impacted me in ways I didn't expect. I've become more focused than ever on identifying my career path and how and where I can best contribute to the Agency—it's important for me to set a good example for her of how to work hard but smart, and how to lead a balanced life engaging both sides of her brain.
The space program has been an integral part of my daily life since I arrived at JSC as a wide-eyed 19-year-old coop student. Seventeen years later, I am happier in my career and life than ever before and look forward to more great adventures to come!
Sarah Ruiz's interest in NASA began as a high school freshman when she was challenged by her high school physics teacher to enter a contest. She won the regional prize and traveled to KSC to present a Mars experiment design—an experience which exposed her to the variety of amazing things NASA was doing, including preparations for the STS-61 Hubble repair mission. For the first time, she realized that doing "space stuff" was a viable career option. Inspiration led to dedication and now Sarah supports the International Space Station (ISS) program at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) as a safety engineer specializing in operations and visiting vehicles. She recently finished a three-month detail as Acting Deputy Chief, Safety & Mission Assurance (S&MA) Officer for the ISS. Her favorite part of the job is the breadth of topics that S&MA engages in, from providing oversight and guidance to systems under development to assessing the risks of real-time anomalies across the station's many systems. She is passionate about STEM education and sharing NASA's mission with the public through mentoring teachers and students via the Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program, and as a NASA Ambassador at several NASA Socials. Sarah was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, and came to JSC as a cooperative education student in 1997. After earning a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech and an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford, she joined the agency full time in 2002. Prior to her current job, Sarah worked in Mission Control as a space shuttle flight controller, highlighted by her roles as Lead Rendezvous Officer for STS-129 and STS-133. She also supported the Columbia accident investigation and return to flight efforts as a trajectory analyst, and spent time working with the entry, descent and landing team for the Mars Science Laboratory. Outside of work, Sarah has balanced technical work of her day job with more creative pursuits. She recently earned an M.A. in Digital Media, and has worked as a freelance web designer and photographer. She also enjoys quilting, crafting, and spending time with her husband (also a NASA engineer) and their 2-year-old daughter.]]>
I am writing this essay after just receiving a phone call from a friend of mine…from the International Space Station…and I'm in Moscow, Russia. How did I get here?
When people ask, "how did you know you wanted to work for NASA?" my answer is: it all started in 8th grade Earth Science class. Now I realize this may sound like the-answer-that-every-teacher-and-parent-wants-to-hear, but it's truly my story.
Growing up in Rochester Hills, Michigan, both my parents were teachers so education was important in our family. My dad encouraged me to study math and science, not necessarily so I would go into those fields, but so I would have the choice if I wanted. This is a life lesson that still serves me well—I work hard so I can choose my own path.
Back to 8th grade. Earth Science class was required and each week we studied a different subject. I saw the iconic photo of space-suited astronaut Bruce McCandless on a Manned Maneuvering Unit untethered from the space shuttle, and it captivated me. I was in awe. How could engineers design and operate such a system? That's when I knew I wanted to work for our nation's space program, and what would be more exciting and challenging than working with people who were spacewalkers? I was hooked and the goal was set.
While attended the University of Michigan studying Aerospace Engineering, I learned about the co-operative ("co-op") program where you alternate university terms with working at NASA. At that time, NASA only hired permanent employees from their co-op program, so I knew that I had to secure a co-op position to fulfill my dream. I applied through my university…and I wasn't selected. This was the first—though not the last—time in my career where I needed a backup plan. Sure, my school didn't pick me to co-op, but that didn't stop me. I contacted NASA at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and asked if I could apply directly to the program…and I was selected. I often look back and wonder if I didn't have the determination to pursue an alternate solution, where would I be? I was a 19-year old making a decision that put me on my career path with NASA.
After graduation, I accepted a permanent offer and spent the next 14 years in the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) or "spacewalk" Group where I worked my way up to an instructor and flight controller then finally to the Systems Group Lead. Some of my proudest, most challenging and fondest memories are working space shuttle and International Space Station flights with my teammates—the flight control team, astronauts, and other engineers, including those from our international partner agencies. Working as a team to accomplish such a momentous goal—to build the Space Station, one element at a time—what could be more rewarding?
As an EVA lead, my team and I were responsible for planning the spacewalks, training the crew and working in Mission Control Center—Houston (MCC-H) during them. The crew's lives and the success of the mission were in our hands. It was a huge responsibility, a tremendous amount of work and, the most fulfilling work imaginable. To this day, I love to look up in the night sky for a station pass (you can find when it goes over your town at http://spotthestation.nasa.gov) and know that we have maintained a continuous human presence on board for over 14 years.
One of the great things about working for NASA is that around every corner there's an opportunity to learn something new and directly contribute to the success of a program. Just such an opportunity presented itself for me to move to Moscow, Russia to be the Moscow Technical Liaison Office (MTLO) Manager. At first I was hesitant—do I really want to move to Moscow and essentially "start over" in a new position while creating some sort of everyday life for myself? My love—really need—for a challenge coupled with my passion for human space flight made this an easy answer—yes!
I've lived in Russia for more than 3 years. As the MTLO Manager, I help solve technical issues and exchange data between JSC and our Russian colleagues. The wide range of duties keeps the work interesting. Once such memorable experience was supporting a Soyuz landing in Kazakhstan—we rode in a Russian helicopter to the landing site and saw the Soyuz spacecraft on parachutes before they even landed! Right after the Soyuz landed, we landed in our helicopter close by to retrieve the earlyreturn science. The site was abuzz with excitement as the Russian ground team extracted the crewmembers from the vehicle. I remember a co-worker shouting out "welcome to earth!" to the returning crewmembers. It's not every day you are in the steppes of Kazakhstan welcoming home a crew from their 6-month stint on the Space Station!
My personal and professional advice is based on four guiding principles: 1) find your passion—it will fuel you and make work feel like play, 2) do not take "no" for an answer when you want something badly enough—there's always an alternate path, 3) be open to possibilities. Some of my best experiences have been opportunities that were placed in my path and I was open to receive them—they were not meticulously planned (though I resisted the urge), and finally 4) dream big! Do not hold yourself back out of fear or because someone tells you it can't be done. Your possibilities are truly boundless.
In high school, when other students may have asked for a spring break trip to the beach, Tricia Mack asked to go to Florida to tour the Kennedy Space Center. She still remembers the tour and excitedly taking photos of the space shuttle launch pads (even empty). Years later, she'd actually work in the shuttle on the pad days before launch as part of her duties as an Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) or "spacewalk" flight controller and instructor at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. Growing up in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she always loved a challenge and for this reason was drawn to math. Earth Science class in 8th grade solidified a love of space and fed a deep sense of curiosity. With unconditional support from her parents, who instilled in her the belief that if you work hard there are no limits, she earned her Aerospace Engineering degree at the University of Michigan and became a co-operative education ("co-op") student, alternating work terms at JSC with university tours. As a commencement speaker at her graduation, she compared the first lunar landing to graduating—both successes relying on extreme dedication and team work. Ms. Mack has worked as the EVA Systems Group Lead, Flight Operations Lead in the Orion Project Office, completed a rotation at NASA Headquarters and now works for the International Space Station (ISS) Program. She currently resides in Moscow, Russia and leads the Moscow Technical Liaison Office (MTLO). When asked to describe her duties in Russia, she simply says "I have range." One day she can be shipping toilet hardware destined for the space station and the next she will be representing NASA at a Flight Readiness Review in Korolov, Russia or at a State Tanking Commission prior to a Progress launch in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Dreaming big took her from Rochester Hills, Michigan to the inside of the space shuttle, to experience microgravity on the KC-135 zero-g aircraft, to the Flight Control Room of the Mission Control Center, to the steppes of Kazakhstan during a Soyuz landing, and to working in Moscow, Russia.]]>
As a small child I remember hearing the thunder of rocket engines occurring frequently. Whether playing outside with neighborhood friends or in my house, the testing of rocket engines caused the ground to rumble and the windows to rattle. It was the 80's, the shuttle program was in full force, and so I guess I knew of NASA from a very early age.
My father went to work for NASA when I was in elementary school, but I didn't have a real understanding of what he did. One day when I was 12 years old I went to work with him, sat in his office watching him work for what seemed like hours upon hours, and thought I would never want an office job. Little did I know that after high school, college and working other places for 10 years, I would go to work for NASA in the same field as my Dad, Procurement, and really enjoy the work!
I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University. After college I sold insurance (which I did not care for), worked retail (fun but not challenging), and then I was selected as an intern at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In the first year as a Contract Specialist, four major hurricanes struck the state of Florida. My office helped in the response after each storm by buying ice, water, blue tarps, and temporary housing. The blue tarps were used by the victims of the storms to secure their belongings. I remember calling every business that might have some of these necessary supplies and eventually we bought just about every blue tarp in the United States. That was a very busy time and I liked the challenge of the work because the work I did each day helped others and gave me a sense of fulfillment.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi and Louisiana gulf coasts, I volunteered for an assignment in New Orleans. The work in New Orleans was more challenging than anything I had done before. It drove me to work harder and learn areas of the contracting field for which I had not yet worked. After hiring companies to build flood walls and levees for about three years, it was time for a new challenge.
During my time working for the U.S. Amy Corps of Engineers in Jacksonville, FL, and then in New Orleans, LA, I took classes at night and finally earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. It took about 5 years because I started and stopped, changed schools (and therefore lost credits), but the knowledge gained in the graduate classes has helped me tremendously in my work at NASA. While my job title is "Lead Contract Specialist," it really means make good business decisions for NASA every day; decisions that serve customers well.
The people on my team and I are responsible for 4.5 billion dollars of enterprise IT services contracts. These services impact every NASA employee every day. IT requirements across the Agency are constantly changing, so I stay busy responding to those changes.
I love my career at NASA. There is a sense of family among coworkers, not just at the NASA Shared Services Center, but also with those with whom I have become well acquainted at other NASA Centers. People genuinely care about one another and the mission of NASA. Employees want one another to be successful and help one another achieve goals. I have now worked for NASA four years and am grateful for the career opportunities NASA has given me.
Anna Turner is the Lead Contract Specialist for the NASA Shared Services Center located at Stennis Space Center. In this role, she is responsible for helping NASA accomplish its mission by administering the Agency's Information Technology Infrastructure Integration Program (I3P) contracts. The portfolio of contracts has a value of $4.5 billion. Anna and her team interact with members of the OCIO and Center CIO offices regularly to ensure that the needs of the Agency are fully met. In August 2014, Anna was honored by receiving the Exceptional Achievement Medal for extraordinary commitment, determination, and leadership managing the Agency's multi-billion dollar portfolio of I3P service contracts. Previously, Anna worked at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans, LA, and Jacksonville, FL, as a contract specialist. Anna holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans.


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Area Girl Scouts converged on Westgate Mall's Center Court in late January to have fun with cookies.
Some of the Texas Plains Council's best sellers from 2002 were on hand, dressed in cookie costumes and ready to participate in games and other activities, according to a press release from the Girl Scouts.
Art students from various Amarillo schools displayed work that used Girl Scout cookies as a medium.
The event kicks off the annual Girl Scout cookie sale, which officially began Jan. 10 and continues until Mar. 22.
"Direct sales to grocery stores will begin Feb.22," said Suzy Compton, Girl Scouts product specialist.
The Girl Scouts encourage everyone to put in their orders for cookies as soon as possible, and if no little salesmen come to your door or your place of business, feel free to call the council office at 356-0096 to place an order.
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Dead fish and birds falling from the sky are being reported worldwide, suddenly. This is not a local affair, obviously. Dead birds have been reported in Sweden and N America, and dead fish in N America, Brazil, and New Zealand. Methane is known to cause bird dead, and as methane rises when released during Earth shifting, will float upward through the flocks of birds above. But can this be the cause of dead fish? If birds are more sensitive than humans to methane release, fish are likewise sensitive to changes in the water, as anyone with an aquarium will attest. Those schools of fish caught in rising methane bubbles during sifting of rock layers beneath them will inevitably be affected. Fish cannot, for instance, hold their breath until the emergency passes! Nor do birds have such a mechanism. And why would Sweden have clouds of methane being released when it is not even on a fault line? Nor is Brazil on a fault line, though New Zealand and the New Madrid region in Arkansas are. We have often stated that the plates have had the rock fingers preventing movement along their edges broken off, so they have become slippery. In this state, they are now pressed against each other under the stress of a more violent and rattling wobble. The stress is evident on all plates, which are shifting around, internally, under the strain. Thus methane, so poisonous to birds and fish, is being released.
There is indeed a relationship between the high waves and flooding in the Philippines in those towns along the eastern coastline and inland with access to the sea. The Philippines have begun to sink, though such sinking is never such that an entire land mass or large island sinks uniformly, so can be deceptive. There is an additional influence from the tilting of the Philippine Plate and continued compression out in the Pacific, so that water is heaped to the east of the Philippine Islands, and is washing over their eastern shores during equalization of the water level. However, this latter is a relatively small influence. The issue with flooding is absolutely due to a dropping in elevation for some parts of the Philippines.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Zetatalk: Newsletter and Chat (Nancy Lieder)
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E-Commerce in Jordan: Different Approaches From 3 Startups and From Jabbar and Aramex.
E-commerce and online shopping did not take off in Jordan and the Arab region for many reasons. Payment processing and delivery solutions are not as efficient as they are in other parts of the world. As electronic and credit cards are not common in Jordan as it is in USA .
In this post I examine the different startups and companies that are offering solution that caters to the current market conditions in Jordan:
International Solution:
Shop&Ship: A service from the regional delivery company Aramex, which solves the problem Jordanian e-shoppers face when trying to buy from US or UK based e-commerce websites. As many of them require a local (US or UK) address.
The service Shop&Ship was launched in 2001 and covers the whole Middle East. The service addresses the local address problem by offering a life time personal mailing address in the US and the UK where you can receive your correspondence as well as personal and business packages such as Internet orders, gifts, magazine subscriptions, bank statements and more. Aramex then forwards the mailbox contents to your doorstep back home. To open a mailing address with Shop&Ship you have to pay 35$ for a life time account.
So now if you shop on Amazon.com for example, you enter the Mailing address that Shop&Ship assigned to you in New York (NY) USA, the package is delivered to NY then Aramex ships the package to Jordan.
Aramex charge per weight and if the items need custom clearness, Aramex does that in behalf of the client and charges him/her upon delivery "We offer completive shipping pricing and transit time to Jordan and Middle East compared to what the e-commerce websites offer ." said Iyad Kamal, Chief Logistics Officer of Amarex.
In 1997, Aramex became the first Arab-based international company to trade its shares on the NASDAQ stock exchange now publicly listed in Dubai Financial Market (DFM.)
Local Solutions:
Wheels Express: Launched last May, Wheels Express offers diverse variety of goods that include original DVDs, Snacks, Pre-paid and mobile cards. The startup does not have an inventory; instead it established relationships with certain vendors. Orders can be made online or via a call center, and Wheels Express provides the delivery via its cars, delivery time is promised to be within 1 hour and payment is by cash upon delivery.
Wheels express currently covers delivery to west Amman. Delivery is available 12 hours every day (12PM – 12AM) and costs 1.5 JD (1 Jordan Dinar (JD) is 1.41 USD) on each order with minim order 5 JD.
I called today Ibrahim Manna one of Wheels Express founders, and told me they have 900 registered users, but only 25% use the startup web front to place orders, he added that his company broke even last month. Ibrahim 's previous startup for the last 3 years was called DVD on Wheels which he said was very profitable with 3000 members, but closed it because it was selling pirated DVDs.
Souq.com: used to be part of Maktoob Group and now part of Jabbar Group of companies which emerged after Yahoo"s purchase of Maktoob. Souq.com started around 2005 offering an eBay like auction website, where people can sell stuff and buyers bid for them. Souq.com has different local versions for UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The auction website local version for Jordan has different payment methods: cashU (a prepaid payment card also from Jabbar), Cheque or Cash, Cash on Delivery (COD) service in cooperation with Aramex.
The delivery can be done via Aramex or the buyer has to go to the seller's location to pay in cash and collect the item/s.
The payment method that is called Cash on Delivery (COD) from Aramex, goes like this: Aramex collects the item from the seller and delivers it to the buyer. The Buyer pays in cash the item's price plus delivery fees. And then Aramex sends the money to Souq.com which in turn deducts its transaction fees of around 5%, Souq.com releases the funds 15 days after delivery or once the buyer rates the seller positively. Souq will deposit the funds into the seller cashU account. If the seller does not have a cashU account, one will be created for him/her and fund deposited automatically. Deliveries of less than 5 kilometers are free of charge.
PhotoJONET: A photo storage and printing website service. You upload your photos (up loader is built on silverlight from Microsoft) and then place an order to print any of your photos at different sizes from 9x13cm to 80x120cm.
According to the startup website the delivery is offered within 24 to 72 hours and is free of charge if the order's total amount is 6.00 JOD's or more. Other than that, 2.00 JOD's apply.
Like Wheels Express, PhotoJONET bypass online payment all to gather and focus on service and accepting cash payment upon delivery. The site is currently running 10 prints FREE campaign, I placed an order and if I get it you I'll tweet about it on ArabCrunch Twitter account.
JOOrder Unlike PhotoJONET and Wheel Express, the site does not offer delivery service itself , what it does is connecting you to different restaurants in Amman under different categories (Asian, Burger, Grill .etc.) You place an order and within 5 to10 minutes the restaurant will call you to confirm the order. The delivery is done via the restaurant's delivery staff at the cost and the terms that each restaurant sets for its delivery service. I placed a test order to Kebab express and they called me within 10 minutes, but I had to cancel the order telling them this was just a test from the media :).
One big note to make here, JOOrder has a nice concept but the website has poor ASP.NET code and messy look and feel: I tried to access it several times in the last 1 or 2 months and I keep getting error messages. Another problem, the site does not work well on FireFox and has no AboutUs page. Instead it has a lousy flash intro that takes loads of time to load, Joorder is developed by company called Echotech. These guys need to understand the ABCs of web marketing and design.
Share and Enjoy
Tags: Aramex, e-commerce, feature, Jabbar, JOORDER, Jordan, PhotoJONET, shop&ship, Startups Review, wheels express


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17 posts tagged with game and towerdefense.
Displaying 1 through 17 of 17. Subscribe:
Weekend Flash Fun
Remember Gemcraft? Or perhaps Gemcraft Chapter 0 or Gemcraft Labyrinth? Well after a characteristically long wait Gemcraft 2 has finally arrived. (Previously 1 2 3)
Friday Flash Game Wants To Eat Your Weekend Bwahahahahaha!!!
Kingdom Rush, the best tower defense This may be the best tower defense game you've ever played. Or at least the cutest. [more inside]
Gemcraft Labyrinth
So maybe you've played and liked Gemcraft or Gemcraft Chapter 0 (previously 1, 2)? Game In A Bottle are back with Gemcraft Labyrinth
Don't touch my gems!
Friday Flash Fun: Cursed Treasure (Don't Touch My Gems) is a tower defense game with a twist. This time YOU are the evil overlord trying to prevent the heroic armies from stealing your gems. Fight off rogues, warriors, knights, mages, ninjas and priest with a level-up skill tree system that lets you command orcs, demons and the undead.
Fluid dynamics and cybernetics!
Creeper World Training Sim Something a little different for those who have been watching the Tower Defense genre's gradual stagnation. The full game is ten bucks from the makers.
Bubble Tanks Tower Defense
Bubble Tanks Tower Defense a flash tower defense game by HeroInteractive, creator of Bubble Tanks & Bubble Tanks 2. In many ways a Desktop Tower Defense clone/knock-off, but does add some of its own ideas to the mix.
Fun shooting mentally ill people in straightjackets
Madness Combat Defense, an evolution of the tower defense game.
Casual? tower defense
Plants vs. Zombies is out. (Mac also). Demo available. $10 on Steam. Adorable promo music video. [more inside]
Moar Crafty
Remember Gemcraft? They made moar.
The Space Game
The Space Game --
Friday U.S. Federal Holiday Flash Fun. This Flash game combines the resource gathering and management of a standard strategy game with the tower-defendiness of a tower defense game. Build a network of mining stations and solar collectors, and protect them from pirate raiders with repair stations and missile and laser turrets.
Casual Collective
Casual Collective has been linked before[Previously, and Previously-er], but they have some more recent, well-crafted games. [more inside]
You weren't planning on sleeping tonight, were you?
Flash Friday: If you enjoyed GemCraft (recently posted by juv3nal), you'll want to stop by towerdefence.net, catering to all of your tower defense needs. With a hundred Flash games and ten downloadable ones, you're sure to find something you like. [more inside]
GemCraft Flash Tower Defense goodness. Neat little rpg/upgrading touches in between maps. Lots of maps with some epic bosses thrown in every once in a while. [more inside]
Kiss your free time goodbye.
Protector. ~Flash Friday~ Protector takes the mechanics of tower defense games, and adds an RPG element to it. Specialize, level up, and say goodbye to your free time. previously
Pre-Friday Flash Fun
Paul and Dave, creators of the extremely popular Desktop Tower Defense flash game, have just opened up their new flash games site to the public! [more inside]
Escape-the-room games
Shut In: A collection of escape-the-room games. Friday Flash Fun.
Because you were getting too much done before.
From the Makers of Desktop TD and Flash Circle TD, comes the all new, all-addictive Vector Tower Defense! Goodbye productivity.
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TVS forays into men's scooter with Jupiter
By ENS Economic Bureau - CHENNAI
Published: 17th September 2013 09:30 AM
Last Updated: 17th September 2013 09:30 AM
In a bid to bolster its presence in the rapidly growing scooter segment, TVS Motor Company launched its new scooter TVS Jupiter here on Monday.
Speaking after the launch of TVS Jupiter, Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director of TVS Motor Company, said the new scooter will be targeting the male segment.
He said the company plans to sell 30,000 scooters, including Jupiter and its earlier launched scooter Wego, every month by the end of this financial year.
Priced at Rs 44,200 (ex-showroom New Delhi), Jupiter would come in four colours. The model is competitively priced and styled to enthuse the male customer, Srinivasan said.
Jupiter would compete with the market segment leader Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India 'Activa', HeroMotoCorp's 'Maestro' and India Yamaha Motor's — Ray Z.
The company has also used 110cc engine in Jupiter, (Wego also has 110cc engine) as it gives the necessary power and fuel economy.
With the launch of Jupiter, the company is targeting to sell 50,000 scooters and scooty a month by the end of financial year.
Srinivasan also said the company is looking at exporting Jupiter to other markets.
He also disclosed that the company is planning to launch Scooty Zest by the first week of January 2014.
Currently, TVS Motor retails Scooty Pep, Scooty Streak and Wego models. TVS Motor's market share in the scooter segment is around 13 per cent and is expected to go up to around 16 per cent with Jupiter, K N Radhakrishnan, president and CEO said.
Currently, TVS Motor exports minimal number of scooters to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Turkey. Motorcycles account for majority of the company's exports (95 per cent).
The share of scooters in two-wheelers segment is 27 per cent and it is growing by double digits, he said, adding TVS Motors will continue to grow despite the industrial growth slowldown.
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Alabama was out in shorts and helmets for its first day of spring drills, one of three NCAA-mandated "light" practice days. Alabama will also work in shorts and helmets next Wednesday, before donning full gear for the first time for Friday's practice.
"I enjoyed the first practice," Mike Price said. "I was excited about it starting out, so I tried to restrain myself. Once I got out there it was just like other practice days. That's a great group of guys. I love their attitudes, their spirit and their enthusiasm. Their work habits are tremendous."
For the fourth- and fifth-year players, Price is their third head coach during their careers at Alabama, so both coaches and players are adjusting to each other right now. "Things were a little mixed up sometimes," Price acknowledged. "We're not perfect (offensively) right now by any means. We don't even know all the names of the walk-ons yet." Price went on to explain that he expected things to start off slowly, especially on offense, where he and his staff are installing entirely new schemes.
"Defensively, what we're doing is pretty similar to what (Alabama) did last year," Price explained. "Our biggest adjustments will come on offense. The quarterbacks will be throwing the ball far more, the receivers will be running a lot more routes, the offensive line has to get better at pass blocking. We'll do what we do best, but we've got to be able to throw the football.
"Right now we've got a long ways to go in the passing game."
Price noted that one problem now is there are too many receivers, which limits the number of repetitions for the top players. "That will change later on," he said.
With an entirely new offensive playbook to install and only four short weeks to work with, Price is being realistic about this spring. "I've got to relax and have patience," he said. "I'm not particularly worried about what our offense looks like right now. Now our execution is not anywhere close to what it has to be in the fall."
Price added that it would be up to the quarterbacks and receivers to throw to each other every day all summer long in order to develop their timing.
Price described his relationship with the Tide quarterbacks as "growing." He noted that Brodie Croyle might appear to have a lackadaisical attitude to the casual observer, but the sophomore QB isn't that way at all. "That's just his way," Price said. "He's actually quite a competitor. And he's very coachable."
"Actually, all three (scholarshipped) quarterbacks are that way," Price continued. "Two of them play baseball as well (Brandon Avalos and Spencer Pennington), which I've told them I don't like. But they're all coachable. They all listen."
Known for his humor, Price joked that it's probably a good thing that the squad is forced to spend the first two days of spring in non-contact drills. "If we were practicing in pads with so many players not knowing what's going on, we might hurt somebody. Right we're just in our underwear."
Price explained that the tempo of Monday's practice was slower than normal, because the coaches were taking the time to make sure everything was done right. He and his staff made the decision to cut in half their plans to allow time for proper teaching. Once the pads go on Friday, the pace will pick up considerably.
Asked to list several good things he saw today, Price started at quarterback. "All three quarterbacks are very athletic," he said. "I liked Greg McLain, who we moved from fullback to tight end. He looked good at his new position.
"I watched the defense for awhile, and the linebackers looked very good---as did the defensive backs."
"At receiver Zach Fletcher catches your eye. He's taller than the rest and a good receiver. All our receivers have a lot of work to do. They just haven't worked in a passing offense."
Price acknowledged that he did notice the scores of fans lining the sidewalks around the practice fields when he first came out. But as practice wore on he was "otherwise occupied." He said it was good to see and meet the former players who were on hand to visit.
Thurman Ward from receiver to defensive back was the only position move evident today, that had not been previously reported. Defensive tackle Ahmad Childress was not there at first, but he joined practice later when he arrived from class. A few players, including offensive tackle Wesley Britt, had to leave early to attend labs.
Former minor league baseball players, Michael Machen and Scoop McDowell, worked with the team. Machen plays quarterback and wears jersey No. 17. McDowell is at wide receiver and sports a No. 1 on his jersey.


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MTV's EMAs has its biggest U.S. audience ever -- thanks to Miley Cyrus' (censored) joint-smoking
MTV's EMAs has its biggest U.S. audience ever -- thanks to Miley Cyrus' (censored) joint-smoking
MTV, however, won't acknowledge that word of mouth over Miley's stunt helped boost interest in this year's European Music Awards.
Michael Ian Black and Tom Papa will help co-host Nat Geo's "Duck Quacks Don't Echo"
The scientific experiment testing show will also be co-hosted by Seth Herzog.
"All My Children" is getting the axe, again
Several of its stars say the online soap is finished.
Kurt Sutter: A "Sons of Anarchy" prequel could be set in the '60s
"I've had discussions with the network about it, and I think they are open to it," he said Sunday at a Hurricane Sandy benefit. "I think there is something really interesting about the origins of the club. And to do a period piece set in the '60s, post-Vietnam could be kind of cool. I don't think we would dovetail and start right after the series ended, but it's something I'm potentially excited about it."
TNT announces the return dates of "Rizzoli & Isles" and "Perception"
Both will return on Feb. 25.
Jimmy Fallon: "We will take everything that works" to "The Tonight Show"
"We're not going to do anything that drastic," he says of his move to 11:35. "It's not reinventing the wheel. We've seen that doesn't work." He adds: "I'm not going to go out to change anything, but just gradually it just will change because I'm getting older and it is an hour earlier."
"Couples Therapy" confirms it's including a single Farrah Abraham, plus Jon Gosselin
Also appearing: Ghostface Killah and "Real Housewives" star Taylor Armstrong.
Check out "Breaking Bad's" Jonathan Banks on "Community"
Here's your first look at Banks as an intense criminology professor.
Netflix's "Daredevil" series will be written by "Lost" and "Buffy" vet Drew Goddard
Goddard also worked on "Angel" and "Alias," collaborating separately with Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams.
Alec Baldwin's stalker trial features crying and heckling
Plus there were threats during this morning's courtroom appearance.
Stevie Nicks was initially reluctant to appear on "American Horror Story"
As Ryan Murphy explains, "she was very resistant because from the beginning of her career people who are in the Wiccan community had given her a hard time thinking she was a witch and she got a lot of scary fan letters. She didn't like the darkness of that, and I explained to her the part and she's like, 'Aw f—, let's just do it. OK, I love it.'"
Masterchef Junior" champ: "It was a big shock"
Alexander Weiss says of watching himself on TV: "The first couple of episodes, it was very awkward. I never pictured myself being on TV. It was strange. It was also really interesting. I got to step back and look at myself cook and see what I look like in action. It was kind of entertaining."


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Evaluation of a Pro-Active Dynamic Accommodating Socket (PADS)
The recruitment status of this study is unknown because the information has not been verified recently.
Verified March 2012 by Infoscitex Corporation.
Recruitment status was Recruiting
Recruitment status was Recruiting
Infoscitex Corporation
Liberating Technologies, Inc
Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Kristen Leroy, Infoscitex Corporation
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: March 2, 2012
Last updated: NA
Last verified: March 2012
History: No changes posted
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
No Study Results Posted on ClinicalTrials.gov for this Study
|Study Status:
|This study is currently recruiting participants.
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|December 2012
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|August 2012 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)


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Text Illustration Search Results for Priesthood
Free Text Illustrations for Preaching
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Results: 15 Text Illustrations
ôThe Hound of Heaven!ö Nehemiah 4:1-6 Key verse(s) 6:ôSo we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all th...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: Nehemiah 4:1-4:6
Tags: Endurance, Leadership General
Shared: 4/21/2005
ST. PATRICK, A BRIEF HISTORY The uncontested, if somewhat unspecific, biographical facts about Patrick are as follows: Patrick was born Patriciu...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: none
Shared: 3/10/2003
SAINT PATRICK Historical Background of Patrick: Patrick lived in the fifth century, a time of rapid change and transition. In many ways we migh...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: Ezekiel 13:1-13:16, John 3:16-3:20
Tags: Forgiveness General
Shared: 3/15/2010
WHY DID JESUS NEED TO BE BAPTIZED? So why would Jesus need to be baptized by John? Well... Jesus' baptism by John was the beginning of Jesus' mini...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: Matthew 3:13-3:15
Tags: Baptism, Ministry, High Priest, Water Baptism, Jesus' Ministry
Shared: 3/3/2013
From R. Paul Stevens: Christian priesthood is not a matter of being religious and Mr. Goody two shoes but of serving God and Godĺs purposes in th...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: Romans 15:15-15:16
Tags: Everyday Life, Priestly
Shared: 10/1/2013
ANOINTING AND THE HOLY SPIRIT In Scripture there seems to be a parallel in the operation of the Holy Spirit and anointing oil: 1. Anointing. The...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: none
Tags: Holy Spirit Attributes
Shared: 8/29/2012
The famous Dutch born Catholic priest and Christian philosopher Henri Nouwen ľ author of the book ôThe Wounded Healerö who died in 1996 said this abou...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: none
Tags: Prayer General
Shared: 12/28/2012
PRECIOUS STONE Peter says that Jesus is a living stone rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious. He also says that we are living stones...so...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-2:3
Tags: Atonement, Persecution, Troubles, Trial
Shared: 7/31/2011
G. Campbell Morgan speaks of it like this, ôLuke thus gives us a graphic suggestive picture of the time and conditions, as he introduces His forerunne...
Contributor: SermonCentral
Scripture: none
Tags: none
Shared: 12/9/2006
I remember speaking with a very devoted follower of Jesus that is a Catholic. And a homeless man came and asked to be blessed. This follower of Jesus...
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Scripture: none
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Shared: 8/27/2007


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Nonprofits give so much of their time and resources to others. So it's about time we give our time and resources back. That's the point of our Nonprofit Nuggets.
We bring in some of the smartest people in the nonprofit space to talk about important issues like engagement, fundraising campaign best practices, hummus vs. ranch, etc.
Find more nuggets on our Nonprofit Nuggets page, and let us know if there's a specific topic you'd like us to cover.