Life finds a way, as Jurassic Park’s fictional Dr. Ian Malcolm says. During the past fourth months, the human experience has reinvented life as we know it. We’ve grown accustomed to new procedures and let go of past habits. At NASA’s Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia, Rosemary Smith and Natalie Joseph have become accustomed to the changes at work despite different home lives.
Perfecting a New Routine
Rosemary Smith can’t keep her pre-pandemic schedule. With a husband, two kids, and a new puppy at home, Smith sought out a creative, balanced schedule. Puppy Kuiper, a 16-week-old dog named after the Kuiper belt, is quarantined in the kitchen as he continues with dog training. Unlike the rest of the Smith family, Kuiper’s education and workload remains offline.
Both of Smith’s children, ages ten and five, moved to distanced learning from home for the remainder of the school year. With shelter-in-place orders, the kids couldn’t even participate in traditional social opportunities either.
“My ten-year-old daughter has formed an online community with her classmates,” said Smith. “Chatrooms, Zoom meetings, and Minecraft has helped her stay connected with her peers.”
Smith’s daughter’s initiative in adapting to a new online world has even helped her younger brother’s shyness. The five-year-old plays with his sibling’s friends on the computer, taking “baby steps” with web-based friends and interactions.
Smith is an education specialist working in the Office of STEM Engagement. Traditionally, her position focuses on face-to-face interactions with teachers and students. Since moving to telework, her job has become more virtual in nature. Smith continues to work to “keep students and educators engaged and inspired with NASA’s missions,” she said.
There is more upfront work now, such as preparing materials for activities and creating video presentations. It’s much different from traditional in-person events, but now there is a reusable and valuable product she can use sometime in the future “to share NASA’s story.”
Finding a sustainable balance for the whole family required creativity and problem-solving skills. When taking a step away from the computer, Smith finds herself outside with her kids during recess or on a walk around the neighborhood with Kuiper.
“It can be challenging at times,” Smith shares. “My husband and I have to create separate office spaces yet still keep an eye on the family.”
Smith has quickly adjusted to the new schedule she and her husband created. There were some logistics involved, such as creating a second home office and building a spreadsheet for kid-shifts and work meetings. But overall, she welcomes the changes.
“I miss the routine, but I’ve built a new routine,” Smith said, reflecting on the changes when moving from an office-space to a home-space. “In spite of the situation all of us are facing, we have to remember there will be sunshine again at some point after the rain.”
Keeping the Consistency
Unlike most people, Natalie Joseph’s world hasn’t been completely revolutionized by the new normal. It’s simply a new environment. The biggest aspect of her job as Langley’s social media manager that has changed is being unable to capture moments on center with her camera.
However, a large part of that communications work includes picture-perfect images to share alongside a narrative. That posed a unique challenge.
“We had to figure out how to develop products without being able to show snazzy visuals,” shares Joseph. “No one could test in a wind tunnel. No one could show off hardware.”
What once was a center of bustling scientists and engineers in laboratories and testing centers, became a myriad of computer work. The communications teams across the agency needed to find a way to adapt.
Instead of a camera crew, subject matter experts recorded on their smartphone on their own time to answer the public’s questions. A new NASA at Home initiative was developed to bring fresh content and creations to the millions of community members. Langley’s own virtual tour received a facelift, allowing anyone to tour the facility from the privacy of their home.
Much of Joseph’s job remains the same: same online meetings, same laptop work, same social media updates. However, what’s notable is that Joseph has cut down on her commute time. She can simply log on and remain focused on the work at hand, much like how her office desk was. The atmosphere around working has changed though.
“I miss seeing my officemates,” Joseph recalls. Working with the news team in the Office of Strategic Communications, Analysis, and Business Development (OSACB), Joseph was able to walk over and ask anyone for help in person, giving the chance to take a break from the digital screens of her job. Now, she finds herself working on a puzzle or a coloring book to give herself that much-needed screen time break.
“But I enjoy working from the comfort of my own home,” she said. “The flexibility allows me to focus and get so much done in a day.”
Much of the world has pivoted to working at home, but sometimes that can feel like living at work. With time and adjustment, Joseph’s been able to get used to the change. But it also takes discipline to leave a laptop closed at the end of the workday.
“You have to set boundaries,” Joseph shares. “I work my normal hours that I had before we moved to telework. I strive for the same consistency for myself as if I were in the office.”
Andrea Lloyd
NASA’s Langley Research Center