March/April 2017

PE Report
Wanted: NASA Mentors to Inspire Women to Pursue Aerospace STEM Careers

NASA’S FIRST SIX WOMEN ASTRONAUTS POSE WITH A MOCKUP OF A PERSONAL RESCUE ENCLOSURE. THE PRE WAS CREATED AS A POSSIBLE MEANS OF TRANSPORTING ASTRONAUTS FROM ONE SHUTTLE TO ANOTHER IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. THE PRE ONLY REACHED THE PROTOTYPE STAGE. THE GROUP INCLUDES MISSION SPECIALISTS, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, MARGARET SEDDON, KATHRYN SULLIVAN, JUDITH RESNIK, SALLY RIDE, ANNA FISHER, AND SHANNON LUCID.

Who will be the next Katherine Johnson, Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, or Bonnie Dunbar? Members of Congress want to encourage more young women to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math careers in the aerospace industry through NASA mentorship and education programs.

The Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act—cosponsored by NSPE member Rep. Bruce Westerman, P.E.—calls for NASA to develop a plan for facilitating and supporting the engagement of retired astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators with K–12 female students who have shown interest in obtaining a STEM degree. The legislation passed in the House in January.

Westerman points to the Department of Commerce statistic that women make up only 25% of the STEM workforce, despite making up half of the total college-qeducated workforce, as a critical reason for the INSPIRE Act. “As an engineer by trade and the father of a daughter who plans a career in the field, I have seen firsthand the under-
representation of women in STEM fields,” he says. Westerman hopes the bill will encourage young women to pursue STEM education and careers.

The bill requires NASA to identify how the agency can best use existing authorities to facilitate and support participation by astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators in outreach efforts and provide a report on current activities. The agency will have to propose and describe a program specific to retired professionals in addition to other authorities needed to institute a program.

NASA has several current outreach programs for female students. A virtual NASA GIRLS, uses video chat programs to pair NASA mentors with young students. The Aspire to Inspire program introduces young girls to the everyday lives and jobs of early career women. The Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research (SISTER) program teaches middle school students about nontraditional careers with women engineers.