Electronic NewsletterVolume 1, Number 1
March 1998
Electronic Newsletter
Welcome to the first issue of the new NAAA electronic newsletter.
The current plans are for this newsletter to be produced monthly, and
distributed electronically via email. Parts or all of the newsletter will
also be copied into HTML format and placed on the NAAA web site.
As the newsletter begins to get going, it will gradually grow in
both size and depth-of-content. This newsletter is for everyone; not
just a means for the officers to report to the association, but for the
member to correspond with each other. The NAAA is for the members, so
take advantage of it.
For those who wish to contribute articles, please send them to me
directly via email. I cannot promise when or if I will add them to a
newsletter, but the goal is to get everyone involved. Please note, I will
create the newsletter in Microsoft Word, so artwork is accepted. However,
when I send it out, I convert the entire document to text only and email
it out. The full word version will be available for those who wish to see
it / place it on the NAAA web.
This issue was compiled on short notice, so it may be it bit
sparse (only 14 pages :), and people may not have had time to prepare
their submissions. I apologize for this, but I felt it would be better to
proceed with the issue than to delay another month. I hope everyone
enjoys this first issue, and will be looking forward to receiving the
monthly issues!!
This week, two interesting events occurred on the small side of
the space world. A Pegasus rocket successfully launched SNOE, a Student
Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI) satellite built by the
University of Colorado at an extremely low cost (under $5M for the
satellite bus). Also this week, NASA decided to cancel the $54M Clark
satellite, being built by Orbital, due to cost overruns. In the space
world, $50 million is seen as rather small. An order of magnitude less,
the funding level of SNOE, is many times seen as too little to accomplish
anything. But the smaller mission, not even directly backed by NASA but
rather by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), brought
success. Small size and small budgets are not always handicaps- they are
sometimes advantages.
The NAAA is tiny, but we have an amazing array of talent and
diversity among us. We're looking at a lot of impressive, challenging
projects this year and in the future. First of all, I'd like to thank
David Kalman for putting together this newsletter. We'll be putting it
out electronically on a monthly basis, along with one or two longer hard
copy versions per year. I'm sure David will be on the constant lookout
for articles, and we welcome contributions from any and all alums. Here's
a chance to see your name in 'print' and spread a little of your unique
knowledge and perspective among the rest of us. We all have a lot to
learn from each other, and this is a good way to 'spread the wealth' by
writing about subjects of interest to each of us.
We also have a number of projects underway this year. Catherine
Venturini is leading our effort to influence change at Marshall Space
Flight Center. The NASA Academy at MSFC, as most of you know, was
'suspended' this year. The letter writing campaign Catherine is
organizing is an important show of support and of the importance of the
Academy to young people and the future. We all understand the value of
the Academy to each of us. Whether or not you went to MSFC, please adapt
the sample letter distributed on email and send it in. Only with a strong
show of support from alumni across the country will we be able to follow
up with behind-the-scenes lobbying and really make a difference. We're
beginning to plan our annual nationwide event- last year's kickoff banquet
at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC was a great success,
and we'll be organizing a working group to plan this year's event very
soon. The NAAA also has the opportunity to fly a payload on the Shuttle
using the Space Experiment Module (SEM), a flight opportunity developed by
the second NASA Academy at Goddard. We're investigating the possibility
of building hardware and flying a payload by coordinating groups of alums
around the country! Jeff Nettles is already running the Kids In Space
(KIS) program, which consists of an essay contest to fly essays on the
Shuttle, and the opportunity for kids to send their names to Mars. This
program is high profile and very exciting, and Jeff's updates on email
contain lots of opportunities to participate.
Finally, we're organizing our financial working group to raise
funds for this year. We would like to provide scholarships to a student
from each Academy. Brian Roberts has begun to organize a group to
approach this challenge, and any volunteers to help would be greatly
appreciated. We'd also like to start having regional events ranging from
talks to tours to social events around the country. If you're interested
in organizing something, let me know and if you hold an informal gathering
of alumni, send out an email telling us all what a great time you had!
I'm really looking forward to what we can do and to the potential
for the group we've got here. The NAAA is not merely a short-term
investment- we have many adventures ahead of us, and having a group of
people like this behind us throughout our careers will be a great
advantage to each of us. Look to the web site at www.nasa-academy.org for
all kinds of news and helpful information. I look forward to getting to
know and working with many of you in the year ahead. Talia Iacta Est!
After raising over $9,000 in fiscal year 1997, including over
$1,600 in donations for alumni and friends of the Academy and over $3,000
in corporate and Space Grant support, the NAAA has big financial plans for
the current fiscal year. I'll cover the plans in greater detail in future
editions of this newsletter and on the NAAA homepage, but I wanted to give
a quick overview:
If you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact me at
broberts@ssl.umd.edu
As the Vice President of Operations and the person responsible for
"NAAA communications," I am really excited to see the start of the *new*
NAAA Newsletter. This newsletter will be a monthly forum for the NAAA
officers to keep all of the alumni informed and involved with the
activities of the NAAA. Through the "where are they now" section it will
make it possible for everyone to eventually introduce themselves to the
growing membership. There will also be special articles and features of
interest to all.
March promises to be a busy month, as Chris Lewicki, Brian
Roberts, and I have been working on several initiatives involving the
online database, email lists, and web pages that should be coming on line
over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I am looking for a couple
volunteers who would like to be more involved with the NAAA over the next
several months.
Have you pointed your browsers to http://www.nasa-academy.org/
lately? If not, you're in for a pleasant surprise -- the NAAA homepage
has been given a facelift! This section of the monthly newsletter will
highlight additions to the web pages.
The new look for the NAAA's home on the web was done to make it
easier for you to find what you're looking for. The major sections are:
To make it easier for you (or visitors to the pages) to stay
informed of any changes or additions to the pages, there is now an
announcement window on the main page. Simply highlight the line in the
announcement window you're interested in and then press the "Go to
selected announcement!" button.
Since April 8th of last year, we have had over 5,000 visits to the
NAAA homepage, an average of 16 hits per day! If you have any comments,
find any errors, or have an idea for something you would like to
contribute or would like to see on the pages, please feel free to use the
online comment form or e-mail us at naaa@nasa-academy.org.
Happy surfing!
(Editors note: This is a reprint of a posting from December. Sorry if it
seems to be a repeat. Jacob asked me to resubmit it in hopes of spurning
better responses. This is exactly the type of activity that I talk about
below in my editorial, and since Jacob is willing to coordinate all of
the work, the least we can do is support him by dropping a quick blurb to
him. I know it took me the two messages to respond; hopefully others of
you will also respond.)
Greetings and Happy Holidays to One and All,
I know a few of you will be filling out graduate applications over
the holiday break and might still have some questions concerning programs,
schools, and just what in the heck you are getting into. Well, the NAAA
has decided to lend a hand on the issue. There is now a preliminary
"graduate information" site on the NAAA home page. It's URL is:
This question about "what grad schools should I apply for" was
brought up in at least the 1996 and 1997 GSFC Academies. And probably
others right? Hopefully, this will help facilitate the process more
readily to the perspective student. Due note, that only 3 disciplines
have been listed so far:
A brief, passing comment that I received while setting up the
newsletter on email was the following comment: "Why should I pay / get
involved with NAAA?" I have heard this comment a lot in the past few
years, and here are my thoughts (editors prerogative, I get a page to use
as my soapbox :) This is not directed at any one individual, but what I
feel is a pervasive feeling not only within this organization, but many
other organization that I belong to, and in society in general.
Therefore, the wording is of the first part is general, as I will submit
this editorial to some of the professional societies that I belong to.
The follow-up questions: "Why not? Why am I not getting benefits
from this organization? After all, it is an organization that is supposed
to support me." Conversely, "Why am I not contributing? Why shouldnt I
give back to this organization? Is there something in particular that I
don't like about this organization?"
Once these questions are answered, the big questions should be
asked: "1. What will it take to make enough meaningful changes that I
want to become an active part of this organization, and make it into an
organization that I will proudly tell people that I belong to? 2. Is it
worth the effort involved to make these changes, or is it better to devote
my limited time, energy, and money to other causes, rather than this one?"
These are the key questions that most people are forced to ask themselves
every day.
A general motto that one should have when belonging to any group
is the following: "I personally am proud to be a member of this
organization. I realize that it is important to have many people
volunteering and doing different jobs. I realize that it does take a lot
of effort, and other peoples time and effort are also valuable. I may not
have a lot to contribute; I may only be able to give a little money, or
only attend meetings every once in a while. But I believe that the goals
of this organization are good, and that this organization does support me,
and that it is my duty to try to give back to this organization, if only
in a limited way. Because if this organization goes away, a piece of the
overall society that I have built, and consequently a piece of my identity
and myself, is missing. And not only do I lose in this, but all of my
friends, and society as a whole, lose out as well."
So what does all this preaching mean to those of you in NAAA? It
means that NAAA is still in its formative period, and it is up to all of
us to shape and mold this organization. Everyones input is appreciated,
and everyone has a chance to make NAAA serve their desires. Simply
announce what you would like to see, and see if others have the same
ideas, and boom, people can start to talk and discuss and accomplish
almost anything. Hopefully, this newsletter will be an excellent conduit
to spur on this discussion.
Personally, I lived in a college fraternity for four years, then
went to grad school. I started two SEDS chapters, and was president of
SEDS USA. I attended NASA Academy. I have belong to the same computer
club for over a dozen years, and served as its newsletter editor. I
belong to numerous professional societies in town, and try to attend the
meetings on a semi-regular basis. But aside for my immediate family (dad,
sister, and mother), the people that I feel that I have the closest
personal bonds to are the NAAA members, particularly the people from my
academy and the people in the Colorado region. And I feel that editing
this newsletter will be a great way to give back to these people some of
the joy and support that they have lent to my life.
What would I like to see from NAAA, and its newsletter? Some of
the ideas are listed below. My main wishes on a personal level are to
maintain contact with NAAA and my academy, maintain a network of
professional contact to help me with technical information when I need it,
possible help in finding a new job if I tire of the one I currently have,
and get a chance to hear about all the neat space projects that are going
on, rather than the few that my work focuses on. I greatly enjoy the
Colorado reunions (I am going to one on March 4th), as it is great to see
old friends and just talk, whether it be technical, general space related
(Star Trek), or just what is going on in our personal lives. What do
others want to see? Please send me ideas, and I will maintain a running
(unedited) list (although the entire list may not be included in the
newsletter).
The simple statement is that yes, this is a call to action.
Become a part of the NAAA, and make it a useful group for you. Get
involved: write articles, raise money, volunteer to lead projects that are
of special interest to you. Let all us work to making the NAAA into a
group we are proud to be members of.
This is the first installment of the "Where are they now" column.
I hope that people enjoy this column, as it is a great way to keep track
of all your friends from the academies and lend a personal touch to the
newsletter. Hopefully, this column will also help people who are
relocating or are looking for jobs or just information points of contact.
Because I did not specify any particular format, this first issue
is not as organized as I would like. For future issues, I would suggest
the following format for the submissions:
Name:
So here they are, GSFC Academy 1 (1993), in their own words:
Jim Brice
(Editor's note: Yes, I know Jim wasnt a student member of NA 1, but he
was
a staff member, and he submitted info. I am thinking of doing a NAAA
staff issue when we get done with the student updates.)
At the beginning of this January I started a new position as an
engineer for my company, Boeing. I am supporting the Earth Science
Systems Program Office (code 170) at Goddard. At present I am working on
two tasks: developing unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a science
platform and development of a survey for tracking emerging satellite
subsystem technology. At the moment I am not being very productive,
spending the majority of my time learning about the various systems of
spacecraft for the one task, and learning the ins and outs of the UAV
business for the other. However, I have been invited to participate this
spring in the selection for the Goddard Academy students, and expect to be
involved in the summer activities to whatever level I can.
Warren Brown
I completed my Master's project last fall and am now submerging
into my thesis work (astronomy, Harvard University). I've found teaching
to be one of the most rewarding things I do, as well as leading outings
(bike trips are my favorite) for the graduate students. Because human
interaction is (personally) more worthwhile than my research, I've applied
to be a Resident Tutor at one of the undergrad Houses. I will also
continue my travels with my U of A professor, this year to Zimbabwe and
South Africa. I still visit U of A every time I'm observing on a
telescope in Arizona, so if you're in either Tucson or Boston, let me know
because I'd like to say "Hi!".
Aprille Joy Ericsson-Jackson
There is an website that has a short blurb about me and the award
I will be receiving next week. I am in the special recognition section of
awards. Check it out :)
http://www.ccgmag.com
Charles (Trey) McDowell
I'm still working Titan Mission Analysis at Astronautics. I
worked a Titan II mission scheduled for launch in May (from Vandenberg)
and I'm currently working the range safety stuff for the next Titan IV/IUS
mission scheduled for launch late this year (from Cape Caneveral). I'm
still hoping that the company will actually send me to Vandenberg or the
Cape to see a launch! I've been thinking about a Master's in Computer
Science but haven't committed yet.
That's pretty much it for the professional stuff.
My personal life has been pretty uneventful. I'm still into
trains, and increasingly into commercial aviation (thought about sending a
resume to Southwest Airlines for a job opening in schedule planning). I'm
designing a model railroad for the train club here at Astronautics. I'm
heading to California and Seattle in mid-March, Seattle to tour Boeing
(and fly Alaska Airlines) and Stockton, California, for a train meet.
Hmm, on the music side, I'm singing in my church choir (they were truly
desperate) and I'm trying to find the time to learn the Dvorak song cycles
to accompany a friend (and great tenor) who wants to perform these in the
Czech Republic.
Troy Savoie
After SAI, I returned to LSU (Geaux Tigers!) for my final year of
undergraduate school. I graduated in mechanical engineering in May, 1994,
then moved to Austin, Texas to work for Applied Materials (semiconductor
equipment manufacturer). In the fall of 1995, I began graduate school at
the University of Texas; I finished my MSME in the summer of 1997. After
finishing the degree, I started working full time for the department which
sponsored my thesis research. I will most likely return to graduate study
within the next year or so to finish my formal education.
Currently, I am working on computer modeling, simulation, control
and optimization of the power distribution system in concept hybrid
electric combat vehicles (tanks). The primary thrust of the organization
for which I work is the research and development of electromagnetic weapon
technology (railguns), so I occasionally delve into this area as well.
Heather Thomas
After spending a year in Florence, Italy, I returned to work at
Goddard. I am now a full-time employee of SSAI and work as an on-site
contractor for code 924, Experimental Instrumentation. I am working in
the miniature-lidar program. During my first six months, I built laser
transmitters which will be used to track aerosols and polar stratospheric
clouds. Although these transmitters were originally slated for an
Antarctic lidar, the instrument is actually going to be going to Greenland
this May.
Currently, I am working on the fiber-coupling of seminconductor
flared amps which are used in the mini-lidar program. I have also
enrolled at the University of Maryland as an advanced special student and
hope to enroll part-time next fall in the Electrical Engineering
department and work on my master's degree while working full-time at GSFC.
Srimal Wangu
I graduated from MIT in spring of 1995 with my Masters in
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and my Bachelors in EE and
Physics. After a relaxing summer home, I started work at Lockheed Martin
in Pittsfield, MA as a participant in the Engineering Leadership
Development Program. I completed the program in summer, 1996. After a
brief visit to India to visit my grandmother, I started work on the X-33
Single Stage to Orbit Launch Vehicle program at Lockheed Martin Sanders in
Nashua, NH (#1 city in the US!). I am currently a systems engineer on the
X-33 program here, working on the Vehicle Health Monitoring System. Last
year I had the chance to visit Lockheed Martin SkunkWorks and NASA/Dryden
in CA, which was quite an adventure (I got to see the X-34, a number of
SR-71s, and even the SCA up close!). Right now I'm keeping busy by taking
a class in Cosmic Evolution (for fun) at Harvard Extension school.
For later issues, I would like to have on tap as filler and for
later focus articles on the following:
Note from the editor
David Kalman, EditorPresidents Report
David Goldstein, PresidentVice President - Finance - report
Brian Roberts, Vice President, Finance
Additional details and up-to-date information on the financial
accomplishments and plans for the NAAA, can be found on the NAAA web page
in the financial section-
Vice President - Operations - report
Mike Moreau, Vice President, Operations Special report - NAAA web site update
Brian Roberts, Co-webmaster
Special Report - Grad Schools Survey
Jacob Yates, GSFC '96
We expect that number to grow. And thus with more input and
suggestions coming in, we can add to the list. The criteria selected for
posting the listed schools were as follows:
The disciplines listed so far are a reflection of the fields that
I and a few others are familiar with. To add to this list, we not only
need suggestions, but people within the NAAA who are familiar with the top
schools in their respective disciplines for guidance and consultation.
Here are the following fields we would like to see added to the graduate
information page:
As you can see, those four fields alone constitute a bulk of the
degrees reflected within the alumni. Other fields are sure to follow,
like biology and computer engineering. If you are interested in consulting
for (dare I say?) this "committee" please send an e-mail to me
(jyates@denali.gsfc.nasa.gov) so we can start the process expeditiously.
I know the timing of this could have been better with the holidays and
such, however most of the school's graduate application deadlines are due
in January. And I wanted to get the ball rolling on this for some of our
colleagues in the alumni who could benefit from this. Thank you for your
time.
Editorial
There are two reasons why people join groups or communities: to
get something from the community, or to give something back. Hopefully,
one joins for a combination of these two reasons. So the first question
one must ask is: "What am I getting out of this organization? What am I
giving back?" These questions involve items such as news, contact with
friends, maintaining a set of professional contacts, donating time or
money, etc. Everyone must answer these questions for themselves.
Where are they now?
email:
Home contact info:
Work company:
Work title:
Work contact info:
Major work project(s):
Discussion (2-3 paragraphs, can be either or both personal and work
related)
Next Issue
Issue deadline: 23 March 5 PM MST
Planned articles:
Ideas for future issues