Former astronaut Ellen Ochoa to serve on the National Science Board

Ellen Ochoa, Director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and a
veteran of four space flights, is the National Science Board’s (NSB)
final member of the class of 2022.

“We are thrilled with the
addition of Dr. Ochoa to the National Science Board,” said Maria Zuber,
NSB Chair. “She brings a unique perspective and set of experiences that
promise to be of great service to the National Science Foundation.”

“A
brilliant engineer, former astronaut and a pioneer for women in
science, we are honored to welcome Dr. Ochoa to the National Science
Board,” NSF Director France Córdova said.  “Her many years of leadership
in fearless pursuit of advancement in science and engineering will
prove immensely valuable to NSF’s mission and goals.”

Ochoa is
Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA)
Johnson Space Center based in Houston, Texas. She previously served as
Deputy Director and Director of Flight Crew Operations at the Center.
From 1990 – 2007, Dr. Ochoa was an Astronaut at the Center and first
traveled to space in 1993 when she served on a nine-day mission aboard
the space shuttle Discovery. She flew three additional missions, logging
nearly 1,000 hours in orbit. Previously, Ochoa was Branch Chief and
Group Lead at NASA’s Ames Research Center and began her career as a
research engineer at Sandia National Laboratories after receiving her
Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Ochoa is a co-inventor on three
patents and holds NASA’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal.
She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

“It’s
a tremendous honor to be appointed to the National Science Board,” said
Dr. Ochoa. “I look forward to meeting my fellow members and to
contributing to the discussion on our nation’s science policy.”

In
October 2016, the White House appointed new members W. Kent Fuchs,
President of the University of Florida, Victor R. McCrary, Vice
President for Research and Economic Development at Morgan State
University, Emilio F. Moran, Professor at the Center for Global Change
and Earth Observations at Michigan State University, and Julia M.
Phillips, Executive Emeritus of Sandia National Laboratories.

President
Obama reappointed Arthur Bienenstock, Professor Emeritus of Photon
Science at Stanford University, W. Carl Lineberger, Professor of
Chemistry at the University of Colorado, and Anneila I. Sargent,
Professor of Astronomy at California Institute of Technology to each
serve a second six-year term. Together with Ochoa, these eight members
will serve on the NSB until May of 2022.

About the National Science Board

Jointly,
the NSB and the Director—the ex-officio 25th member—pursue the goals
and function of the Foundation. NSB establishes NSF policies within the
framework of applicable national policies set forth by the President and
Congress. NSB identifies issues critical to NSF’s future, approves the
agency’s strategic budget directions and the annual budget submission to
the Office of Management and Budget, and new major programs and awards.
The NSB also provides the President and Congress with a biennial report
on U.S. progress in science and technology, providing comparisons to
other nations in the areas of research and development, STEM education,
and workforce training.

The President appoints Board members for
six-year terms and may reappoint members for a second term. Members are
drawn primarily from universities and industry and selected for their
eminence in research, education, and records of distinguished service.
Collectively, the Board represents a variety of science and engineering
disciplines and regions across the United States.