NASA astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa is the special guest at the "Expanding Your Horizons" conference on Saturday, March 18 at Sonoma State University.
Ochoa will be available for media coverage according to the following schedule:
Noon -1 p.m.
Salazar Courtyard
NASA booth during lunch hour signing autographs with students.
1-2 p.m.
Evert B. Person Theater
After opening remarks by faculty leaders, Ochoa will give her 45-minute presentation (with video) and answer questions from students.
2 p.m.
Evert B. Person Theater
Ochoa will be available to talk to media
Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Ochoa became an astronaut in July 1991. She is currently Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations, helping to manage and direct the Astronaut Office and Aircraft Operations. A veteran of four space flights, Dr. Ochoa has logged over 978 hours in space. She was a mission specialist in a 1993 mission, was the Payload Commander in 1994, and was a mission specialist and flight engineer in 1999 and 2002. She has visited the International Space Station several times on these missions.
The conference fosters an awareness of career opportunities in math, engineering, science, and technology-related fields, as well as provides opportunities for young women to meet and interact with positive role models who are active in math and science-related careers.
This year's workshop topics range from constructing lemon flashlights, exploring veterinary careers to learning more about NASA's "scale universe." Participants will include seventh and eighth grade students, adult educators and parents from Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.
Full details, including Ochoa's biography, can be found online at http://eyh-soco.org/.
