WC Missouri News

A former NASA astronaut and alumna of Missouri S&T will deliver a virtual presentation about her career and experiences that viewers can watch at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, in Room 250 Toomey Hall at S&T.

A Zoom link will also be available for alumni and others who are unable to travel to campus.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Sandra Magnus speak with the S&T community,” says Hailey Collins, a senior aerospace engineering major. “She has accomplished so much throughout her career and is an inspiration for so many women interested in STEM careers.”

Missouri S&T’s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is hosting the event, which will be part of the university’s National Engineers Week 2023 activities. Collins is a member of the group’s executive board and handles public relations duties.

Collins says Magnus was previously a guest speaker in one of her classes, and she knew Magnus would be a compelling speaker for the AIAA chapter to host.

“She has the presence of being a respectable woman with an amazing career,” Collins says. “She is a wonderful person for students to look up to as a role model.” 

Magnus has graduated twice from Missouri S&T. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the university, as well as a master’s degree in electrical engineering. Her Ph.D. in engineering is from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.

On her first NASA mission as an astronaut, Magnus flew to the International Space Station in 2002 on the Atlantis space shuttle. Then, in 2008, she went on another mission to the space station and stayed there for four months as a science officer. Her last mission was in 2011 when she was part of Atlantis’s final crew.

Magnus served as executive director of the AIAA, which is the world’s largest aerospace technical society, from 2012-18. She also previously served as deputy director for engineering with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Her current positions include serving as principal for AstroPlanetview and as a professor of practice at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The event is open to the public, and admission is free. To join the event remotely, visit https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73989114778?pwd=XDyGJDsinQFHyFbk5ApXr4aoc8bQsd.1 

Original source can be found here.