Fresh faces and sage advice

Nearly every seat was filled with attendees eager to learn during a recent lecture by Johnson Space Center Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa and JSC Deputy Director Mark Geyer to JSC and Pathway interns. On Nov. 3, the JSC leaders sat down to provide a brief background of their careers before opening the floor up for questions. Interns asked about Ochoa’s JSC 2.0 initiative, as well as Geyer’s time as the program manager of Orion.

When the topic of funding arose, Ochoa’s perspective was valuable.

“Money can be spent or invested,” Ochoa said, noting that funding allocated toward NASA is money invested.

Invested money becomes more valuable over time, especially when invested in NASA programs. The agency, country—and, eventually, the world—will receive long-term benefits as developed technologies become readily available for more than the purpose of spaceflight.

When asked what advice he would pass along to interns, Geyer encouraged the group to not get discouraged, but to perform even the less-exciting tasks of their job to the best of their ability. He shared that as you continue to improve in the performance of small tasks, you become entrusted with harder, “cool” jobs. Ochoa motivated the interns to notice and appreciate how all of the different careers at JSC work together toward a common goal, and to remember those different perspectives as they move into permanent positions.

Other questions included “How do you make big decisions?” and “What is the biggest threat to continuing human spaceflight?” Ochoa and Geyer provided insight to each of these and more, sharing their advice and experiences at NASA to further encourage the interns to work hard as they begin their careers.

If you or your organization is interested in advancing a project, now is the time to request a summer intern. Simply go to intern.nasa.gov and submit a project. Intern coordinators will be in touch to help you find a great student.

JSC Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa and Deputy Director Mark Geyer, center, pose for a photo with JSC interns.
 

Leah Cheshier

NASA Johnson Space Center