“There is a gap in this country of all children being aware of STEM careers,” Wyche said. She wants it to be a diverse group where distinctions such as “first African American woman” are no longer needed.Īnd she wants to make sure every child knows that she or he could work at NASA. Wyche must cultivate a workforce for NASA’s current and future needs. She said NASA can partner with companies, academics and the Houston Spaceport to attract more companies to the Houston area and increase the local talent pool. Her second priority will be working with the emerging commercial space sector. Her top priority will be ensuring safe and successful missions as NASA continues sending astronauts to the International Space Station and plans its return to the moon.
MORE ON GEYER: Mark Geyer steps down as head of NASA's Johnson Space Center She replaced Mark Geyer, who stepped down May 3 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. On June 30, she was named the 13th director of the Johnson Space Center and the first African American woman to lead a NASA center. But her master’s degree in bioengineering led her to the agency, and the excitement she felt that day sparked a 32-year career. Hooked thereafter.”Īs a child in Conway, S.C., Wyche didn’t grow up wanting to work for NASA. We hypothesized X was going to happen and it happened. “See, I’m a science geek so you’ll have to bear with me. “I’m in the control room with the scientist receiving the data, and the excitement of it actually being what we hypothesized,” she said. It was her first experiment in microgravity, and the first time she truly understood the complexity of designing something to work in Earth’s orbit. Vanessa Wyche waited for the data, mesmerized by the fact that it would be beamed down from space. Wyche was named director of the Johnson Space Center on June 30, 2021. Vanessa Wyche is shown speaking at her alma matter, Clemson University. NASA, Photographer Show More Show Less 5 of5 Vanessa Wyche speaks at Space Center Houston. Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 4 of5 Vanessa Wyche was named director of the NASA Johnson Space Center on June 30, 2021, becoming the first African American to hold the position.
Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 3 of5 Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of5
0 kommentar(er)
