On the flight over, Bonnie and I sat next to each other. Even though it was four hours long, it felt remarkably short because we spent the whole time talking. We had only met in person twice before, so there was lots to share. As could be expected, we found that we had a lot in common. We both were interested in science but were not entirely sure what careers we wanted to pursue. Bonnie and I hoped that the conference would help us discover the field of aviation and aeronautics, and help us figure out what we wanted to do.

Because neither one of us had a concrete picture of what awaited us, we both were nervous. Bonnie was afraid that when it came time to interview someone, she would not know which questions to ask. So we brainstormed questions and Bonnie wrote down in her notebook which important people we expected to meet, and included short biographical notes. This helped us to feel a little more comfortable about the situations we would encounter. My greatest fear was that I would be introduced to a woman and reply, "What organization are you with?" or, "What kind of work do you do?" while everyone else averted their eyes as I appeared unqualified and uneducated because I had not recognized this famous and highly accomplished woman. Although I had studied the names of women attending the conference, I still was sure I would make some sort of embarrassing mistake.

The flight arrived at the Memphis airport early, but the time gained in the air was lost shortly after when it took about fifteen minutes to line up the departure ramp with the door of the airplane. Lucky for us, we were in no hurry. We gathered our luggage (all carry-ons), and headed out of the airport and into the warm Memphis air. The temperature was not the only warm part of Memphis; the people were warm and friendly, too. Neither Bonnie, nor Ms. Lee (our NASA chaperone and Project Manager for AeroSpace Team Online,) nor I would fall asleep that night before encountering several kind-hearted conversations. From the hotel clerk, to the rental car agency workers, to the shuttle bus driver, everyone had something to tell us, something to make us laugh over. Needless to say, I went to bed that night exhausted from a long day of travel but hopeful of what lay in store. If my first day was any indicator, the people I would soon be meeting would all be friendly, humorous, and incredibly generous.

When we checked into the conference, Bonnie and I were excited to receive a "Media" ribbon. We also got ribbons for being "First time attendees" and "Students." These we hung from our nametags. In our matching Advisory Council shirts and our colorful nametags, we felt pretty well dressed! Right away, Ms. Lee introduced us to Nancy Bingham,the Director for Systems Management and Planning at NASA Ames. Nancy Bingham is also a Woman of NASA. We arranged to talk to her after the general session.

The room where the general session was held contained a large platform with microphones, two large screens on either side on which a close-up of the speaker could be projected, and a sea of folding chairs. The three of us got seats up front, and waited anxiously for the session to begin. We were especially eager to hear from Eileen Collins, the first woman space shuttle commander. It was her historic launch that the Advisory Council had traveled to Florida to see. Eileen Collins showed up a few minutes early, and there were people clambering all around to get a chance to talk to her. Bonnie and I were lucky enough to get through the crowd. Ms. Lee and some other people from NASA took pictures of us as we talked to Eileen Collins. Although she was going to have to hurry after giving her talk, she promised to take a picture before she left with us and the poster that featured important aviators and several council members.

Eileen Collins' talk was really exciting to listen to. She showed a video about the launch and what they did. I learned that you don't have completely focus on aviation or join the Air Force to become an astronaut. Another important aspect of launches includes the experiments conducted by scientists. On Eileen's launch, they worked on experiments with caterpillars and plants.

Right after her talk, we took pictures and she tried to sign my shirt. It was so dark that no one could see what she was doing, so Eileen stopped before. Now I have half of an "E" on the back of my Advisory Council shirt. I think that is pretty cool.

Bonnie and I hurried downstairs to talk Nancy Bingham. After talking to her, she introduced us to Carol Russo, the Director of Aeronautics at Glenn Research Center in Ohio. Then we headed off to explore the exhibit hall. The exhibit hall was full of booths from different organizations and companies. There were colleges that specialized in aviation trying to recruit women. Students at the college staffed those booths and they were lots of fun to talk to. There was a booth for every major airline, and they were all giving away free decks of cards, peanuts, and other fun stuff. NASA had a big booth with lots of brochures. Famous aviators were there signing autographs. We met Bobbi Trout who was a pioneer aviator. Her pilot's license is signed by Orville Wright. She was very enthusiastic about the future of women in aviation.

After a busy day of meeting and interviewing many women, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for a night a Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. Graceland was pretty wild. One room had the same green carpet on the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. On one side of the room, there was a waterfall. An audiocassette tape guided the tour of the house. Many rooms of the house were boarded off, and Bonnie and I were tempted to leave the tour and explore the rest of the house! Although no Elvis impersonators are allowed at Graceland, Bonnie and I did manage to take a picture with one at the conference. Can you imagine living your life pretending like you are someone else? I wonder if Elvis impersonators impersonate Elvis 24-7?

Needless to say, after such an exciting day, we were spent. As soon as we reached out hotel, we said our goodnights and hit the sack.

Dr. Kathie Olsen was also present at Eileen Collin's launch. She talked about how men and women are actually more alike than different. She also remarked that NASA is becoming more diverse in that every kind of science is pertinent to NASA's research. That means that no matter what kind of scientist you want to be, you might end up working for NASA someday. You don't just have to be an astronaut or pilot.

Bonnie and I spent the rest of our day collecting information on other organizations that we could link to from our Advisory Council site. We were very happy to be greeted with such enthusiasm from the groups who promised to link to our web site. When I ended our final day at the conference, I realized that although I was sad to be leaving such a wonderful group of people, I was also really psyched to be able to add to the web site.