Three employees of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.,
were awarded NASA’s Administrator’s Fellowships to conduct research at
minority institutions. Award recipients include Dr. Jonathan Campbell, Dr.
Kenneth Fernandez and Tony Kim. Campbell and Fernandez will conduct their
fellowships at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, while Kim will conduct
his fellowship at Texas A&M University in Kingsville.
Campbell is a NASA research scientist based at the National Space Science
and Technology Center in Huntsville. He will conduct homeland-defense
research; study methods for protecting Earth from asteroids, meteoroids and
comets; and help the university build a research working group for space
applications.
Fernandez is an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Center. He will work with the
Alabama A&M faculty to develop a robotics program within the university’s
engineering department. His first step will be developing a two-semester
course to help students learn the fundamentals of robotic systems and
control methods, demonstrate these principals using simulation software
based on Dr. Fernandez’s research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville,
Tenn., and work in teams to design robotic systems that respond to
challenges posed by representatives from NASA and industry.
Kim is a project manager based at the National Space Science and Technology
Center. As part of his fellowship, he will teach and lead two semesters of a
senior engineering design class of multiple engineering disciplines, giving
students the opportunity to design a tool to aid in NASA’s human exploration
and development of space.
The Administrator’s Fellowship was designed to enhance the professional
development of NASA employees, as well as the science, mathematics and
engineering faculty of minority-serving institutions. The fellowship also
aims to increase the capability of institutions serving minorities to
participate in NASA’s research and development programs.
“The Administrator’s Fellowship Program is a superb example of how NASA is
working to engage minority-serving institutions in the agency’s work, while
also encouraging professional development in disciplines critical to NASA’s
mission,” noted Dr. Adena Williams Loston, NASA’s associate administrator
for education. “The program is an essential element of the agency’s
dedication to engaging minority institutions in the process of advancing our
nation’s science discoveries,” she said.
Campbell has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s in
experimental plasma physics from Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., as well
as a master’s in engineering management, a master’s in theoretical physics
and a doctorate in astrophysics and space science from the University of
Alabama in Huntsville. He recently retired from 30 years in the Air Force
Reserve, which awarded him the Legion of Merit, a medal recognizing members
of the U.S. Armed Forces for outstanding service to their country.
Fernandez has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from
Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., a master’s in computer science
technology from Alabama A&M University, a doctorate in electrical
engineering from Vanderbilt University, and has completed post-doctorate
studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.
Kim has a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in
material science from Auburn University. He also completed a summer session
program at the International Space University hosted by Rice University in
Houston in 1997.
The National Space Science and Technology Center is a partnership with the
Marshall Center, Alabama universities, industry, research institutes and
federal agencies.
The United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation administers the
NASA Administrator’s Fellowship. For more information about the NASA
Administrator’s Felllowship Program, visit:
http://www.uncfsp.org/nasa/nafp/
For more information on other NASA and education programs on the Internet,
visit:
