Who I Am

I am a hardware engineer/project manager for NASA, Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. I usually work on several projects at a time. My specialty is SIR, which stands for Standard Interface Rack. Besides working at NASA, I tutor at elementary schools helping kids with reading and math. I love sports of any kind, especially tennis, soccer, and biking. I play tennis in local tournaments and help coach a soccer team.

What I Do

For the Neurolab Project, I worked as a hardware engineer for SIR, which is a system for integrating hardware. It is a technology we use to take things to space. The rack contains mechanical parts, called a liner, used to slide drawers in and out, much like a file cabinet. Drawers are used to contain or repackage things and make them flight ready. For example, we can't take computers to space in the same outer packages or cases we use on earth because some pieces may float out or the vibration from launch would destroy them. So, we take all the computer guts, like the central processing unit (its brain), and repackage it in one of these drawers.

On the rack side, the SIR also provides power and data connections for the drawers. Power for a drawer comes from a connector in the rack, just like a wall outlet at your house. Data cables serve many purposes, but the main one is for communication. This is so drawers can "talk" to each other, the Space Station, and Earth. For the computer drawer mentioned above, parts are wired to connectors in the drawer. When you slide the drawer into the rack, it connects to cables already in the rack.

In general, my job was to manage, or oversee, the contractors doing the SIR work for 4 racks in the Spacelab. I did modify some storage drawers, the hardware engineer part of my work. These drawers are like the ones above but are used for storing small hardware in foam. I also had to make sure the liners were designed and built. Once all that was complete, I shipped the liners and drawers to Kennedy Space Center in Florida and made sure the equipment was properly installed in the racks. All of the effort by me and the contractor SIR team resulted in hardware that worked on orbit, so the astronauts could successfully perform the science experiments for Neurolab.

Now that the Neurolab project is over, I am working on several projects for the International Space Station (ISS) . My job for all of these projects is manager. One project is a Ku-band system to be used on the ISS. The second, more complex and time consuming, job is overall management of multiple hardware items for the Human Research Facility (HRF). Both projects have SIR-type drawers which takes advantage of my Neurolab experience. You can read about them in my journals. The HRF project has been a wonderful learning experience. It's a little intimidating though, to be in charge of a project of this magnitude at my age, 28 years old.

Likes/Dislikes About Career

The thing I like best about my job is the interaction with all the people I work with to get the job done. Because I work in integration and hardware development, I work with people from other organizations within JSC, other NASA centers, and other countries. The thing I like least about my job is the pure bureaucracy - the paperwork, forms, and poor communication on project requirements (what we need to know to make sure the rack liners, drawers and other hardware work properly). And now that I have management responsibilities, I get to watch the money side of a project. That has added a new aspect of the bureaucracy with monthly hardware reviews and budget summaries.

Preparation for Career

In junior high school, I wanted to be an architect or work in the field of biology - like swimming with whales or working with dolphins. During summers in high school, I participated in the Summer Science Research Assistantship Program. I worked three summers doing cancer research. We studied the brain (in dogs) and the liver (in rats). I did research, helped with the experiments, and wrote up my results. I knew that I liked science but did not really know what I wanted to do.

When I went to college at Texas A&M University, I got my bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. My dad is an aerospace engineer and my sister is a chemical engineer, so you could say it was in my blood to be an engineer. Plus, I wanted to have a good paying job after graduation without needing another degree. Since I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, I chose mechanical engineering. It has a broad range of applications, so I would have more job choices after graduation.

While I was at Texas A&M, I began co-oping for NASA in the spring of my sophomore year. Co-oping stands for cooperative education and is a program between schools and businesses. I was able to go to school, take a break for a semester and work, go back to school, and so on. I found co-oping very useful, as it gave me a rest from classes and studying, a chance for real work experience, and $$money$$. I started in the Propulsion and Power Division doing thermodynamic calculations and auto-cad drawings. For me, it was too much number crunching and sitting at a computer. I wanted to have more people interaction. Since NASA has many co-ops and group activities, I knew someone who was co-oping in an area that made biomedical hardware used by astronauts to conduct science experiments on orbit. Given my past experience in research and interest in science, I knew this would be a good place for me. So the next fall and two summer tours, I co-oped in the Life Sciences Project Division. This is where I work now, but it is called the Biomedical Hardware Development and Engineering Office. Co-oping, in general, was the most influential experience of my life. I highly recommend participating in any program that lets you take classes and work in a business.

Goals

I am very interested in biomedical engineering. I find it fascinating. For example, some researchers think the material used to make shuttle ceramic tiles can be used as a replacement for human bone. I see myself working on a master's degree someday, although I haven't decided what area. Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree would be most beneficial with my current work as a manager. However, that interest in biomedical engineering nags at me to maybe get a technical master's degree. This indecision is why my master's work will be "someday."

Advice

Do your best in school and find ways to enjoy it. Expand your mind in the subjects you like, and don't make the ones you don't like torture. You don't have to be a math or science wiz, as it takes all kinds of people with different skills to keep NASA going. For example, NASA needs people who like physical education to study how astronaut's muscles work in space or people who like English to write technical or scientific papers. Find out what you like to do and see how you might make that a career. For example, if you like soccer - you can play the game; coach; design cleats, shoe laces, shoes, or uniforms; work at a recreation center; or coordinate community soccer events, even the World Cup. There are all kinds of ways to make something you like into a career. Someone is not just going to hand it to you, so you must be creative and highly motivated to attain your goals.

Personal Information

I was born in Stillwater, Minnesota. My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved a lot. I learned how to adapt and "go with the flow." I learned the value of the people I met over the years and to appreciate the outdoors. Between family and friends, I feel like I have a United States support group. I grew up in North Carolina; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Home is wherever I am, but my heart is in Albuquerque which is where I went to high school. Now I live in the Clear Lake area, a suburb of Houston. I'm not married and have no kids or pets. Actually, I never had any pets growing up. When I was in 4th and 5th grade, we lived in Las Vegas and my dad was overseas in the Philippines for two years. My mom was a tennis teacher at a hotel. My sister and I worked at the tennis Pro Shop - reserving courts, selling tennis balls and clothing, and picking up after lessons. It made me feel so adult at such a young age. We had been given a lot of responsibility and people depended on us. My friends are very important to me and I love hanging out with them. I make sure we all stay in touch, as we all lead very busy lives. As a kid, I hated recreational reading, though I was a good reader at school. When I did read for fun, I read sci-fi and fantasy.

My Family

I have one sister, who is two years older than me. My parents live in Albuquerque. My dad has retired from the Air Force and works as a consultant. When we get together, we enjoy eating dinner together. This is our time to do lots of talking and really communicate with each other. We also love to go hiking, river rafting, or anything outdoors.

Learn More From My Chats

• October 15, 1998
• May 19, l998
• April 2, l998