Online From Jupiter 97

Laura Barnard

Science and Sequencing Technical Engineering Aide

My Field Journals

Hi! My name is Laura Barnard, and I am the Science and Sequencing Technical Engineering Aide for the Galileo Project. I help the engineers, programmers, and personnel get their work done on a daily basis. I think of my job as "Jill- of-all-trades." I am the assistant that helps everyone on the project with graphics, modeling, testing, and anything else they can get me to do!

In a single day, my job is continual multi-tasking that can take its toll if you are not quick and on your toes. I start my morning by checking for work that came in after I was gone. My schedule is from 7:30 AM until 4:15 PM, but there are several members of the team that work long into the evening. After checking my in-box and email for assignments, I prioritize my time so that I can work more efficiently throughout the day. I have several long-term projects, such as World Wide Web home pages that need updating, technical user guides that need to be written, and ad hoc assignments that take longer than a week to complete. I also have my regular assignments such as archiving, schedules and sequencing.

I came to JPL four years ago after graduating from college with a bachelor's degree. A friend needed some help at JPL and I had so much fun, that I stayed. I have now worked at Galileo for two and a half years. I get to interact with a variety of people,including the public and the international science community.

How did I get here? What am I going to be doing in the future? Those are tough questions to answer. I got to where I am by studying and reading in school. I then went to college and learned computers and graphic art. In the future I expect that I will continue doing technical writing, and graphic design on home pages on the World Wide Web. Just think - someday when you are out surfing the net you will see a neat site and it will have my name on it. Wow! That was fast. Here's a neat site, and my name is on it!