For Release: Sept. 23, 1996

Michael Finneran
(757) 864-6121/23

RELEASE NO. 96-161

JOPLIN NAMED DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL OPERATIONS AT LANGLEY

Sammie D. Joplin has been appointed director of the Internal Operations Group at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. Joplin had been deputy director of the group since 1994.

Joplin began his NASA career at Langley in 1963. From then until 1970, he was involved in the design of suborbital rocket and balloon payloads, followed by a 2-year assignment as technical project engineer on a study to develop a hypersonic research airplane.

In 1973, he was assigned to the Rotor Systems Research Aircraft Project Office and became deputy project manager and vehicle development manager.

Joplin transferred to the Facilities Engineering Division as head of the Mechanical Engineering Section and in 1981 became head of the Facility Systems Branch.

In 1983, he accepted a 4-month assignment as acting assistant division chief of the Systems Engineering Division at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.

Joplin became assistant chief of the Facilities Engineering Division at Langley in 1988 and was named chief in 1991. For seven months in 1993, he served as head of the Facility Study Office to study future wind tunnel needs.

Joplin has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State University and a master of science degree in administration from George Washington University. He has a master of science degree in management from the Sloan Fellows Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He and his wife, Gayle, live in Hampton.

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