Transcript Commencement Summer 2007 - Texas Southern University

Texas Southern University
Commencement
Pamela Denkins, Ph.D.
Alumnus 1973, 1995, 2001
August 11, 2007
Introduction
Introduction
• Good morning to the President, General Boddie; the
Provost, Dr. Wilson; the Trustees, honored guests on
the dais, faculty, audience, and, most importantly, the
graduating class, Summer 2007.
• Thank you so much for this honor.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
• Please know that today I represent myself and I shall also
share with you things that are near and dear to my heart.
• However, as a graduate in the sciences, when asked to speak, I
was requested to share with you notable things going on in the
scientific community. While I have worked for Southwestern
Bell, TRW, Ford Aerospace, the City of Houston, and lived
abroad in the Middle East and worked for Saudi Aramco, I am
currently an employee of NASA. As such, I will highlight
NASA programs and activities and the TSU – NASA
relationship. Much of what I will discuss will be reflective of
what is happening throughout the Federal Gov’t and much of
industry.
Introduction
• As I prepared my talk, I reflected on the fact, this week – today
– STS-118 is orbiting above the earth with the first educator to
fly in space since the tragic Challenger accident 22 years ago
and an astronaut Alvin Drew, who is a relative of Dr. Charles
R. Drew, the inventor and pioneer of the blood transfusion
process .
• I’ve had a long history with TSU and NASA.
• Both have been involved in every stage and phase of my
undergraduate and graduate pursuits. In fact, it was through
TSU that I was given the opportunity to work for NASA.
The
TSU = NASA
Introduction
(con’t)Relationship
• In 1968 I was selected, along with 12 other
graduating high school seniors, to participate in a
Summer internship program at JSC. This program
was designed to introduce and encourage students,
with an interest in the sciences and engineering, to
consider the space industry.
• Dr. B. A. Turner, the Dean of the School of
Technology at TSU, headed the program.
• As a Co-op and Civil Servant, I was able to fund my
college education (salary, fellowship, and other
education benefits from NASA)
The TSU-NASA Relationship
And Where We Are Today (con’t)
• The NASA-TSU URC in Environmental Science and
Biotechnology was awarded in 2002. The URC, a $6M
program for research and to train researchers, is housed in the
new Science BG and is a model for all NASA URCs.
• Dr. Jean Hampton, Dr. Shirlette Milton, Dr. Fisayo Jejelowo,
and Dr. Alameida Sundaresean – selected to participate in the
NASA Admin Fellows program
• Three students have become Pre-doctoral Fellows – Dr. Felicia
Conley, Dr. Kimberly Wise, and Kevin Anthony
• TSU is a part of the NASA University Research and
Technology Institute (URETI) with a focus on nanotechnology
The TSU-NASA Relationship
And Where We Are Today (con’t)
• The Radiation Science and Engineering Program
(RaISE), headed by Dr. Victor Obot, was established
in 2004.
• TSU participates in the NASA ARC Research Park –
a consortium of universities involved in research at
ARC. Dr. Fisayo Jejelowo and her students have
received outstanding commendations for their work
in genomics.
The TSU-NASA Relationship
And Where We Are Today (con’t)
• Malika lane, TSU graduate student in Env.
Toxicology, was selected to participate in the
NSBRI summer internship program. Malika is
the first TSU student and first AA to
participate in the NSBRI program. She was 1
of 12 students selected.
• We continue to strategize to enhance/optimize
TSU’s access to opportunities with NASA.
About NASA…
• NASA has been voted the best place to work in the
Federal Government.
• While it is a great place to work, it is faced with the
reality that 60% of its workforce will retire within
the next 5 years.
• Aware of the increasing future workforce needs, the
Agency has aggressively and actively developed and
continues to develop its educational STEM pipeline.
…Its Goals…..
• Prepare the next generation of engineers, scientists,
entrepreneurs, business management persons, lawyers, and
educators to develop and manage the business of space
• Communicate the Enterprise’s unique space research
• Inspire achievement of academic excellence
• Influence the choice of science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics careers
• Increase the scientific literacy of our nation’s citizenry
To accomplish the goals…
(1) Education Partnership Opportunities
STUDENTS
• Co-Operative Education Programs
• Predoctoral Fellowship Program
• Graduate Student Research Program
• Two Undergraduate Student Research Program
• Post-Doctoral Programs
• NASA program run by Oak Ridge National Labs (formerly run by
the NRC) ~$50+M
• NSBRI ($25M annually – includes operational costs)
• USRA ($5M annually includes operational costs) (Universities
Space Research Association)
•
Pre – Service Teacher Institute (PSTI)
FACULTY
• NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program
• Faculty Awards for Research
INFRASTRUCTURE Building
• University Research Center ($6M in funding)
Challenges…
• Student Programs
– USRP and GSRP
• We must encourage our students to apply and assure that their
proposed research is competitive
• Very few AA’s apply and even fewer are selected
– Post Docs
• With the dwindling numbers of US students applying, these
programs have turned to non-US citizens
• We must encourage our students to apply and assure that they
possess competitive research skills and abilities
• Few to no AA’s apply and / or selected
• Stipulate/target the use of US tax dollars for US citizens for
graduate training opportunities
(2) Other NASA Partnership Opportunities
•
•
•
SBIR/STTR ; Technology Transfer and Commercialization(Small
Business Innovation Research; Small Businesss Technology Transfer)
• For University and students with business initiatives relative to
Agency needs
Contracts
• Headed by TSU graduate, Debra Johnson; JSC Procurement
Officer; responsible for 15B procurement budget
•
Minorities and HBCUs are strongly encouraged to get involved
•
Success story: Joe Fuller, TSU graduate, Physics, and retired
NASA started Futron- now a $12M company
•
Hampton University has a $98M contract
Research
• 100’s of million available in Earth and Life Sciences – highly
specialized areas of research
• One HBCU Professor, Dr. Theodore Bates (at TSU), currently has
‘mainstream’ funding from JSC
Johnson
Space Center
The Agency Needs
Engineers
and Researchers
and Minority Institutions can help fill the needs…
• At JSC, there are
– Civil Servants - 3400
– Approximately 800 are minorities
– African American Civil Servants – 300
• Ph.D.s – 11 (3 TSU grads)
• Masters – 60
– Hispanic Civil Servants – 295 (7 Ph.D.s and 74 MS)
– Asian Civil Servants – 200 (24 Ph.D.s and 60 MS)
Now…..
• Per the National Science Foundation…
Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing
America for a Brighter Economic Future
National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine
“It
is easy to be complacent about US competitiveness and
pre-eminence in science and technology. We have led
the world for decades, and we continue to do so in many
research fields today. But the world is changing rapidly,
and our advantages are no longer unique.
Houston…TSU…NASA…Nation…World…
We have a problem…….
• National Academies are saying that the US is losing
its technological and intellectual edge. Relative to
other countries, we have a shortage of students
graduating in the STEM fields and we have even
fewer graduates with advanced degrees.
• Agencies, like NASA, and industry are vying for this
talent.
Houston…TSU…NASA…Nation…World…
We have a problem…….(con’t)
• We must convince the powers-that-be that it is critical
that graduate programs be retained in our HBCUs and
that their infrastructures be further developed especially since these programs can help assure the
US intellectual edge and graduate students with
advanced degrees!!!!
• As an HBCU, TSU is always ranked 1 or 2 for
student enrollment. We should strive to make TSU a
Harvard, Hampton, or Howard of the ‘true’ south.
Houston…TSU…NASA…Nation…World…
We have a problem…….(con’t)
• We should be building and developing the
infrastructure to accommodate this demand…not
looking to stifle the progress that has occurred.
• And we should be encouraging entrepreneurship;
developing the talent to teach our kids – K -12 and
beyond; and graduating persons with advanced
degrees to teach in our universities, lead corporations,
and direct innovative research and technology
initiatives.
We have a duty to our own…
•
Per the National Science Foundation…
Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for
a Brighter Economic Future
National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine
We owe our current prosperity, security, and good health to the
investments of past generations, and we are obliged to renew those
commitments in education, research, and innovation policies to
ensure that the American people continue to benefit from the
remarkable opportunities provided by the rapid development of the
global economy …
(National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine)
And…..To the Graduate
• Persevere in spite adversity
• Believe in yourself
– Know that you have a legacy of greatness
– Our ancestors were the all-knowing and people of strength and
character; they were the engineers, doctors, architects, inventors,
developed systems of writing, languages, governments,….
• Develop all of your talents
• Visualize a successful ‘you’
– Focus, ‘order your steps’, be a good steward of all that you’re given; be
blessed so that you may be a blessing
– For years, I visualized myself delivering the TSU Commencement
Address and today it is happening
• Support TSU (advocacy and financially)
– Numerous degree-granting programs, a healthy endowment, grow
beyond the boundaries of this state and this nation
• And decide – “How do you want to be remembered????”