Vicki Crisp, the director of the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA’s Langley Research Center, and five other female technical professionals helped inspire young women to think about pursuing engineering, science and mathematics careers during a special event this summer.
Crisp (at left, with head turned away from the camera) was part of a “Women in STEAM Leadership Panel” discussion with 100 Virginia Science Technology Engineering and Applied Mathematics (STEAM) Academy girls-only session participants and guests. It was held at Shenandoah University in Winchester.
The discussion was part of Summer STEAM, an immersive academy that exposes rising middle school students, who are selected from across Virginia, to science, engineering and technology content, applied learning and leadership development.
Some of that content included a weeklong course called “Rockets, Ships and the Material Science Behind Them” that was taught by scientists from NASA Langley and Newport News Shipbuilding.
NASA Langley partnered with the Virginia STEAM Academy three years ago in an effort to provide mentorships and hands-on learning opportunities. In that time more than 1,300 students have applied to Summer STEAM and almost 500 have completed the course.
Image Credit: Shenandoah University/Scott Spriggs