Q&A Session with Kim Hubbard

Q: How old were you when you became seriously interested in the mathematical
   and scientific fields?

A: At about 15-16 years old.  By this time,  I started to think about 
   going to college and since math, science, and history were my favorite 
   subjects, I realized that I wanted to continue to learn more about 
   them beyond high school.


Q: How many years did it take you to get where you are now at NASA?

A: Well...I graduated from college in 1983 with a BS in Electrical 
   Engineering. From Sept 1983- July 1990. I was an officer in the US Air 
   Force doing project management/system engineering.  Between July 1990 
   and July 1994 I did the following:
   -Took computer science classes at DeAnza Collge and UC Berkeley.
   -Worked part-time as a volunteer/consultant Apple HyperCard programmer 
    at the Rehabilitation R&D center at the VA hospital in Palo Alto.
   -Worked part-time as a subcontractor(independent consultant) at NASA/Ames
   for the then-called Information Sciences Division (now Computational
   Sciences Division).

   In July 1994, I was hired by NASA as a civil servant.  I'm a computer
   engineer still working in the Computational Sciences Division of the
   Information Sciences Directorate.

   So I guess it's taken 11 years since college (1983) .


Q: Can you describe a problem you are working to solve i.e. an example of
   an actual project?

A: I'm one of the engineers working on an experiment that's scheduled to 
   fly on the Space Shuttle this October.  Three computers are going to 
   connected together using RF (radio) links instead of wires and cables.
   This experiment will operate on the Russian Mir Space Station.  Besides
   testing how well RF connections work, the experiment will also 
   demonstrate how well a crew member can use laptop devices in space.  
   For example, how well does a mouse work in a weightless environment?

   I'm currently developing the procedures  that the astronaut will need 
   to use to perform this experiment.  However, before we give these
   procedures to the astronaut to learn and use, we first test them  here 
   in one of our computer labs using equipment that is similar to the 
   computers the astronaut will actually use on-orbit.


Q: How do you balance free time with your work, especially with lab work or
   experiments which may last into late shifts?

A: I'm not requied to perform shifts, but I sometimes I need to work late to 
   meet certain deadline.  Since I have pre-school twin daughters,  I try to 
   limit my working hours to eight or nine hours per day.  If it's really  
   necessary, I log into my computer at work using my computer at home and a 
   very fast modem allowing me to work at home.