USU Alumna and Former NASA Astronaut Returns to USU
A former NASA astronaut and USU alumna, Mary Cleave, was on campus in early April to visit with students and faculty.
During her visit, Cleave toured several areas including USU Research Foundation’s Space Dynamics Laboratory, where she met with engineers and scientists and learned about the calibration and CubeSat facilities at the lab. She also toured the USU Water Lab, where she once worked as a researcher.
While visiting USU, Cleave gave the keynote address at USU’s Intermountain Graduate Research Symposium. She also made a presentation at SDL, during which Cleave gave USU College of Engineering Dean Scott Hinton and Associate Dean Christine Hailey a shirt she wore while on the space shuttle. She also presented the duo with an ascent checklist from her first flight.
“I am looking forward to giving my shirt to the USU College of Engineering,” Cleave said before her visit. “The shirt will be accompanied by my picture in orbit and my ascent checklist from my first flight when I was the flight engineer. Glad to hear it will find a home in the USU Engineering building.”
Another important stop came at a luncheon Cleave attended with USU students from the Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and the Get Away Special.
Cleave also met with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department on space-related research projects.
Cleave earned a master’s in microbial ecology from USU in 1975 and a doctorate in civil environmental engineering from USU in 1980. She became a NASA astronaut in May 1980, at the age of 33. She worked in several other posts as an engineer for NASA on the ground before becoming a veteran of two space flights.
Cleave now sits on a variety of corporate boards and does some teaching at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.
Related Links
College of Engineering
Space Dynamics Laboratory
Utah Water Research Lab
Contact: Val Potter, (435) 797-8012, val.potter@usu.edu
USU alumna and former astronaut Mary Cleave (center) gave Engineering Dean Scott Hinton (left), and Associated Dean Christine Hailey, a shirt she wore while on the space shuttle.
Mary Cleave (upper center) poses for a picture with USU's student Society of Women Engineers during her visit on campus.
Mary Cleave presents to a group about her experiences as a NASA astronaut. Cleave earned master's and doctorate degrees from USU.
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