K-12 Outreach Menu
The Society of Women Engineers Boston Professional Section presents "Celebrate Women in STEM" with
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Boston section is celebrating female scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians with the "Celebrate Women in STEM" series.
STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Catherine "Cady" Coleman is a chemist, a former United States Air Force officer, and a current NASA astronaut.
Dr. Coleman is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions - Expedition 26 & 27. In her initial space flight, Dr. Coleman orbited the Earth 256 times, traveled over 6 million miles, and logged a total of 15 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes and 21 seconds in space!
Students in grades 5 thru 9 are invited to hear her amazing story and participate in a fun game show featuring science, engineering, and mathematics questions. There will also be smaller break-out sessions with Dr. Coleman for candid discussions and Q&A. Game show participants will be chosen randomly from those students who volunteer.
Parents/Guardians and younger/older siblings are welcome but not required to attend the presentation and watch the game show as non-participants. All non-participants must be 18 years of age or older OR be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
All attendees MUST register and MUST be US Citizens or Permanent Residents.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory is hosting the event at their site in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Registration is limited, so register today!
Date: Sunday, December 11th, 2011 Agenda: 12:45 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Student Check-In 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Speaker, Game Show, and Break-out Sessions with NASA Astronaut, Dr. Coleman Location: MIT Lincoln Laboratory*244 Wood StreetLexington, Massachusetts 02420-9108 Cost: $5 per Attendee**
Please note:
- A parent/guardian must sign a permission slip and photo release form for each child attending this event. Click here to download the permission form. Each child must bring a signed permission form with him or her on the day of the event.
- All adults attending this event must sign a photo release form. Click here to download the photo release form. Each adult must bring a signed photo release form with him or her on the day of the event.
*At this time, only US Citizens and Permanent Residents are permitted to enter the Lincoln Laboratory facility gate. Photo identification is required for all adults. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but please keep this in mind when registering.
**Financial assistance is available for those with a financial need. Please email swebos@sweboston.org for more information.
To register for this event:
Please send any questions or comments to swebos@sweboston.org.
We greatly appreciate all of the support we get from the community. Thank you to everyone who helps spread the word about our events. To advertise this event with your community, click here to download the event flyer.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
CATHERINE COLEMAN, PH.D. (COLONEL, USAF, RET.)
NASA ASTRONAUT
EDUCATION: Graduated from W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, Virginia, in 1978; received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983, and a doctorate in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts in 1991.
EXPERIENCE: Coleman was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in 1983 and began graduate work at the University of Massachusetts. Her research focused on polymer synthesis using the olefin metathesis reaction, and polymer surface modification. In 1988, Coleman entered active duty and was assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. As a research chemist at the Materials Directorate of the Wright Laboratory, she synthesized model compounds for optical applications such as advanced computers and data storage. Coleman also acted as a surface analysis consultant for the Long Duration Exposure Facility (launched from STS-41C in 1984 and retrieved during STS-32 in 1990). In addition to assigned duties, Coleman was a volunteer test subject for the centrifuge program at the Crew Systems Directorate of the Armstrong Aeromedical Laboratory. She set several endurance and tolerance records during her participation in physiological and new equipment studies. Coleman retired from the Air Force in November 2009.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Coleman was selected by NASA in March 1992 and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. Initially assigned to the Astronaut Office Mission Support Branch and detailed to flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory, Coleman subsequently served as the special assistant to the Center Director, Johnson Space Center. She served in the Astronaut Office Payloads and Habitability Branch, working with experiment designers to ensure that payloads can be operated successfully in the microgravity environment of low earth orbit. As the lead astronaut for long term habitability issues, she led the effort to label the Russian segments of the International Space Station in English and also tracked issues such as acoustics and living accommodations aboard the station. She served as a CAPCOM in mission control for both the space shuttle and space station for a number of years. She represented the astronaut office on the Tile Repair Team for NASA's Return to Flight after the Columbia accident. Coleman also served as the Chief of Robotics for the Astronaut Office, tasked with overseeing astronaut robotics training and the integration of crew interfaces into new robotics systems. A veteran of two space missions, Coleman has logged more than 500 hours in space. She was a mission specialist on STS-73, trained as a backup mission specialist for an injured crew member on STS-83, and was the lead mission specialist on STS-93 for the deploy of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Coleman trained for a long duration flight on the International Space Station, which launched from and and will land in Kazakhstan on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. She acted as the backup U.S. crewmember for Expeditions 19, 20 and 21 and served as a backup crewmember for Expeditions 24 and 25 as part of her training for Expedition 26. Coleman is a member of the Expedition 26 crew that launched to the ISS aboard Soyuz 25 in December 2010 with a planned landing in the spring of 2011.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-73 Columbia (October 20 to November 5, 1995) was the second United States Microgravity Laboratory mission. The mission focused on materials science, biotechnology, combustion science, the physics of fluids, and numerous scientific experiments housed in the pressurized Spacelab module. In completing her first space flight, Coleman orbited the Earth 256 times, traveled over 6 million miles, and logged a total of 15 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes and 21 seconds in space. STS-93 Columbia (July 22-27, 1999) was a 5-day mission during which Coleman was the lead mission specialist for the deployment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Designed to conduct comprehensive studies of the universe, the telescope will enable scientists to study exotic phenomena such as exploding stars, quasars, and black holes. Mission duration was 118 hours and 50 minutes.
Directions:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory 244 Wood Street Lexington, MA 02420-9108 Please enter MIT Lincoln Laboratory parking lot at the 244 Wood Street entrance and park in visitor parking. The Wood Street entrance will not be open until 12:15 p.m., so please plan accordingly. The entrance to the cafeteria is on the lower level, take the outside stairs at the left of the main entrance.
From I-95/128 Exit 31B
- Take Exit 31B onto Routes 4 and 225 toward Bedford. Stay in right lane.
- Use right turning lane (0.3 mile from exit) to access Hartwell Ave. at 1st traffic light (see Ref. Map and Detail 2).
- Follow Hartwell Ave. to Wood St. (~1.3 miles).
- Turn left onto Wood St. and drive for 0.3 mile.
- Turn right at the Lincoln Laboratory Wood Street Gate.
From I-95/128 Exit 30B
- Take Exit 30B onto Route 2A. Stay in right lane (see Ref. Map and Detail 2).
- Turn right onto Mass. Ave. (~0.4mile - opposite Minuteman Tech).
- Follow Mass. Ave. for ~0.4 mile.
- Turn left onto Wood St. and drive for 1 mile.
- Turn left at the Lincoln Laboratory Wood Street Gate.
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