Dr. Colleen Hartman and Dr. Holly Gilbert of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, recently received awards for their contributions to the aerospace community.
Women in Aerospace (WIA) presented the awards at a ceremony on Oct. 13 in Arlington, Virginia.
“Working with the scientists, engineers, and support personnel at NASA and our aerospace partners continues to inspire the world to understand the physics of our Earth, our solar system and our Universe,” Hartman said. “It is such an honor to have participated over the last thirty years and help inspiring the next generation. WIA is committed to partnering with space explorers and I am humbled with this award.”
WIA selected Hartman for the 2016 Leadership Award. Hartman is currently the Director of the Science and Exploration Directorate, leading 2,500 scientists, engineers and support personnel at Goddard. Hartman started her career in 1980 as a Presidential Management Intern and has held a variety of senior positions, including acting Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), Deputy Assistant Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Division Director of Solar System Exploration (SMD), Deputy Director of Technology (SMD), and Deputy Associate Administrator (SMD). She also gained administration and congressional approval for an entirely new class of funded missions that are competitively selected called “New Frontiers,” to explore the planets, asteroids and comets in our solar system.
The Leadership Award is given to those who demonstrate exemplary leadership abilities that enable others to succeed in the aerospace field and show leadership of noteworthy contributions to the aerospace field on a single project over several years or during a career. It also recognizes commitment to professional growth and service as a role model or mentor that shows dedication to the advancement of women in aerospace.
Gilbert received the Aerospace Awareness Award. Gilbert has been the deputy director of the Heliophysics Science Division (HSD) at Goddard since 2015, and she was chief of the Solar Physics Laboratory in HSD from September 2011 until July 2015.
“Getting the public excited about the amazing work we do at Goddard is one of the most rewarding parts of my job, and it is particularly special when I can inspire the next generation of women!” said Gilbert. “It’s an honor to be recognized for that work by WIA.”
Gilbert was selected for this award for her excellence in outreach and building public awareness of aerospace programs and developments. Innovative approaches to increasing public understanding of aerospace development and activities. Commitment to advancing and defining the roles that aerospace plays in all aspects of society. Commitment to professional growth. Service as a role model or mentor that shows dedication to the advancement of women in aerospace.
WIA is dedicated to increasing the leadership capabilities and visibility of women in the aerospace community. They acknowledge and promote innovative individuals who strive to advance the aerospace industry as a whole. Their membership, comprised of both women and men, share a passion for a broad spectrum of aerospace issues. These include human space flight, aviation, remote sensing, satellite communications, robotic space exploration and the policy issues surrounding these fields, among others.
For more information Women in Aerospace, visit:
http://www.womeninaerospace.org/events/awards/criteria.html
For more information about Hartman, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/about/people/hartman.html
For more information about Gilbert, visit:
http://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/holly.r.gilbert
By Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.