25
July
2014
|
13:00 PM
America/New_York

NASA recognizes USRA Personnel

USRA is proud to announce recognition from several NASA Centers this week. These awards represent a workforce dedicated to the advancement of space science and technology in support of NASA's mission and purpose.


In a ceremony at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. on July 23, 2014, the following SOFIA teams were recognized:

  • SOFIA Ground, Mission, and Science Operations Team (all 41 recipients are employees of USRA)
  • SOFIA Mirror Coating System Relocation Team (9 of the 28 recipients are employees of USRA)
  • SOFIA Pipeline Development Team (all 10 recipients are employees of USRA)


SOFIA is the largest airborne observatory in the world, capable of making observations that are impossible for even the largest and highest ground-based telescopes. NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. manages SOFIA's science and mission operations in cooperation with USRA and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI; University of Stuttgart)



At NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, USRA supports applied research in Glenn's core competencies — understanding the effects of the space environment and materials and structures for aerospace applications. At Glenn, USRA's William (Bill) Meyer was awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal for exceptional technical leadership in the field of soft-condensed matter physics. This is one of the highest awards in the Agency and represents acknowledgement of significant contributions to NASA's mission and purpose. The medal will be presented at the GRC Awards Ceremony on September 12, 2014.



NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) announced award winners on July 21, 2014 during the inaugural Exploration Science Forum (ESF), which took place this week at NASA's Ames Research Center.



This year SSERVI established the Susan Mahan Niebur Early Career Award , which is an annual award given to an early career scientist who has made significant contributions to the science or exploration communities. This year the prize was presented to two individuals, Simone Marchi of the Southwest Research Institute and the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Katherine Joy , also from the LPI.



Paul Spudis , a Senior Staff Scientist at USRA's Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, is the recipient of the 2014 Shoemaker Distinguished Scientist Medal . The Medal, named after American geologist and one of the founders of planetary science, Eugene Shoemaker, was awarded to Spudis for his significant scientific contributions to the field of lunar science throughout the course of his scientific career.



At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, USRA supports the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology where researchers are focused on the study of neutron stars, black holes, and extremely hot gas throughout the universe. Yang Soong , USRA-CRESST Research Scientist, received a Group Achievement Award for his participation on The Astro-H Soft X-Ray Telescope Team. The team was awarded for the development and timely delivery of the Astro-H Soft X-ray Telescopes, with performance exceeding mission goals.



Congratulations to all of the recipients.




About USRA

Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is an independent, nonprofit research corporation where the combined efforts of in-house talent and university-based expertise merge to advance space science and technology. USRA works across disciplines including biomedicine, astrophysics, and engineering and integrates those competencies into applications ranging from fundamental research to facility management and operations. USRA engages the creativity and authoritative expertise of the research community to develop and deliver sophisticated, forward-looking solutions to Federal agencies and other customers - on schedule and within budget.