Jump to content
Join the Alien Search, login or register FREE on Aliens and Space Forum
Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site

Lynn Bondurant

NASA

By NASA
in NASA

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
NASA Mentor

NASA

Posted
  • Publishers
Posted
Hall of Fame Plaque with Portrait.

Citation

Dr. R. Lynn Bondurant began his career at the NASA Lewis Research Center in 1981 to direct the newly established Office of Educational Programs. His creative leadership and passion for science education laid the foundation for our continuing excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach and inspired a whole generation of youth to pursue careers in science. He was a tireless educator who wrote numerous articles and books on STEM education topics, presented over 70 NASA television programs, and brought a clear vision of a successful STEM outreach program to the Center.

Biography

Bondurant earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Park College in Missouri, a Master of Arts degree in zoology from Indiana University and a doctorate in curriculum and secondary education from Michigan State University. Before coming to the center he held a number of positions that helped him bring a unique perspective and broad experience in STEM education. He had been a curriculum coordinator, planetarium director, high school biology teacher, education officer at the Smithsonian Institution and a junior high school principal.

In February 1981 Dr. Bondurant became the new chief of the Office of Educational Programs. Until that point, the center’s educational outreach was spread out across varying organizations and lacked focus. Under his leadership, the educational department was revitalized and creative programming was developed that paved the way for the robust outreach programs that we have today.

In his role he was responsible for the visitor’s center, speaker’s bureau, Educator Resource Center and student internship programs, but his enthusiasm and dedication to the outreach mission went well beyond simply managing the program. He personally presented talks, designed and led workshops for students and educators, and developed innovative programs and learning experiences.

One of these was the “Sky as Your Classroom” workshop—which included a simulated “shuttle mission” that immersed two classrooms of students in months of mission planning and then an actual 4-hour, 60-mile journey in a bus outfitted like a shuttle, where the students executed their mission plan.

Dr. Bondurant also collaborated with WVIZ to create and host a television program called, “Touching Tomorrow.” This was a four-part series with the aim to spark student interest in math and science. It was unique in its interactive format where teachers could call in with questions. He said of the show, “A fascination with space today may lead to a career or life-long interest in math or science tomorrow.”

What we know today as the “Journey To Tomorrow” traveling exhibits trailer began as his brainchild—the Mobile Aeronautics Education Laboratory (MAEL). The trailer was completed in 1996 in partnership with Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) to support aero education programs for high school students enrolled in the Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Aerospace Academy (SEMMA) sponsored by the center and Tri-C.

Dr. Bondurant met constantly with local officials and educational partners on how the center could best serve the area’s and region’s students. In addition, he was a strong ally of special needs students in STEM. He was a key player in advocating for the first group of special needs students to attend Space Camp (a story that was turned into a made-for-TV movie on the Hallmark Channel in 2012). He was also behind the first captioning of a NASA film for the hearing impaired and the translation of several NASA publications into braille.

He has been awarded numerous times for his many contributions to leadership and creativity in educational outreach. In 1984 he was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal—for outstanding initiative and service that have made the center a recognized leader in creative, dynamic cooperation with the educational community and produced a strong positive impact on science education in primary and secondary schools. Then in 1995, he was awarded the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for exceptional leadership in creating educational programs that had significantly impacted the educational community while enhancing the visibility and prestige of the center.

After over 20 years of government service, Dr. Bondurant retired in December 1999. In retirement he continued to be involved in many educational initiatives, including serving as the director of education for the X Prize Foundation.

Related Documents

Photographs

Man with space shuttle model.
Lynn Bondurant in February 1981, shortly after joining NASA Lewis.
NASA
Group of people in lobby.
Bondurant and others at the National History Museum (10/2/1981).
NASA
Man holding up book.
Lynn Bondurant discusses the Student Space Shuttle Involvement Project (3/28/1983).
NASA
Group of teachers standing in hallway.
Bondurant helps dedicate NASA Teacher’s Resource Room at St. Cloud University (1984).
NASA
Man sitting in office.
Lynn Bondurant in his office (1990).
NASA
Two men standing outside educational trailer.
Lynn Bondurant with John Hairston, Director of External Programs, in front of the Mobile Aerospace Education Lab (1996).
NASA
Woman presenting award to man.
Deputy Director Marla Perez-Davis congratulates Lynn Bondurant on his induction (9/14/2016).
NASA

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Similar Topics

    • NASA
      Lynn Bassford Prioritizes Learning as a Hubble Mission Manager
      By NASA
      6 min read
      Lynn Bassford Prioritizes Learning as a Hubble Mission Manager
      Name: Lynn Bassford
      Title: Hubble Space Telescope Mission Flight Operations Manager
      Formal Job Classification: Multifunctional Engineering and Science Manager
      Organization: Astrophysics Project Division, Hubble Space Telescope Operations Project, Code 441
      Lynn Bassford’s long career enables her to keep learning. “It’s just a fact of my life to learn something new every day until the day I die,” she says. “I’m not happy being stagnant.”NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Tim Childers What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
      I help Goddard’s Hubble Space Telescope Mission Operations Team to make sure that we’re taking care of the health and safety of the spacecraft. This includes commanding and playing back data from Hubble and working with the ground system and subsystems engineering teams to coordinate procedures, train people, schedule everyone, and manage resources.
      How did you find your path to Goddard?
      I graduated and wasn’t quite sure where a physics major would go for a position. So, I picked up a copy of Physics Today, went through every company in there, and sent out my résumé. After sending approximately 200, an application came back from Lockheed. It said to fill it out and send it to the Lockheed closest to you. There were 10 different locations, so I sent it to all 10. One day, there was a message on the answering machine that said, “Hey, Lynn, just wondering if you would like to work on a telescope in space for NASA.” The person who called, his name sounded like “Mr. Adventure,” and I gave him a call back and found out his name was Mr. Ed Venter. I can’t help but think it’s pretty cool, actually, because it has indeed been a great adventure!
      What is your favorite part of working at Goddard?
      Working with the spacecraft! Physically sending a command up and seeing it come back is just utterly amazing.
      Over the years, I’ve had the luck of being able to meet several astronauts that have gone up in our servicing missions. In a couple cases, we had them visit us in the middle of the night on our long shifts. Meeting them is like meeting a rock star.
      What first sparked your interest in space? Space was a combination of sci-fi and reality. The Apollo 11 Moon landing took place a couple of months after I was born, so my dad and I like to say that I was in front of the TV watching and it just got absorbed into my persona. One day, I saw Sally Ride up working in space and the TV said she had a background in physics, so I did physics.
      Lynn Bassford says her favorite part of working at Goddard has always been working directly with the Hubble Space Telescope. “Physically sending a command up and seeing it come back is just utterly amazing,” she says.Courtesy of Lynn Bassford What is your educational background?
      I was always very good at science and math and absolutely loved them. In middle school, I wanted to do astrogeology, but everyone I talked to said I kind of made that up. Now it’s all around the place! I went to University of Lowell for physics, which became UMass at Lowell. I ended up working for a physics professor who was also the head of the astronomy department.
      You’ve held many roles over your years at Goddard. How do you feel that they’ve contributed to your current role as a manager?
      Everything I’ve done aligns. I learn from everyone at all levels that I interact with. I did eight-and-a-half years of rotating shift work with flight operations, and I made sure that I moved across the room from console to console learning the different areas. Then I went into science instruments system engineering for over five years, where I became the lead. Then I moved into this role in mission operations, which combines those but also brings in employee performance, career growth, safety, diversity and inclusion, and engagement. Understanding what each area does and how they work together helps you optimize everything. It’s just a fact of my life to learn something new every day until the day I die. I’m not happy being stagnant.
      How do you manage stressful situations when working with the telescope?
      I don’t even think about how stressful it is because of the training I had in those early days: working with and learning from the experts about what you look at, who you call, what you do, and how to keep the telescope in a safe condition. Even during issues or service missions, we’re actually a very calm team.
      What is your proudest accomplishment at Goddard?
      When I was a Flight Operations Team shift supervisor in charge of my own crew for Hubble, on Jan. 6, 1996, we got hit with a three-foot snowstorm. Back in those days, we were on rotating shift work. When I left work that day, there was a light layer of snow, so I went home and collected whatever I could in the house for food, knowing there were at least five people on-site that might not go home. I drove back to work with half-a-foot of snow. Seven people stayed for two-and-a-half days straight. We pulled the foam coverings off the walls, piled them up in layers, and made a mattress out of it. We put it in one of the warmer inner offices so we could take turns sleeping eight hours and splitting 16 hours between working real-time operations and moving our vehicles from lot to lot for the Goddard snowplows. NASA gave us a small award afterwards.
      Lynn Bassford and the 1996 Hubble flight operations team received an award for keeping Hubble running during a three-foot snowstorm. “Seven people stayed for two-and-a-half days straight,” Lynn recalls.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center What is the coolest part of your job?
      Hubble’s mission is just generally the coolest. It’s helping to discover, and to rewrite science books. Helping humanity discover what’s out there and move forward into the universe is groundbreaking.
      What advice would you give to people looking to have jobs at Goddard?
      For students, make sure you work hard even though college can be quite a challenge. That’s the intention – to get you thinking in all different ways and broaden your mind. Don’t give up, even when it’s challenging.
      For workers, diversifying your interests and not specializing in one area will make you open to a lot of different opportunities that you might not know about. You need to keep learning in order to be the best asset to an employer.
      Do you have a favorite space or Hubble fact?
      Hubble is a green telescope! We had solar panels before houses did.
      Lynn Bassford frequently helps out with Hubble outreach. “Hubble’s mission is just generally the coolest,” she says. “Helping humanity discover what’s out there and move forward into the universe is groundbreaking.” Courtesy of Jim Jeletic How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
      My dedication to work and family takes up most of my time, admittedly. If I can fit it in, I like to walk outside, do artwork that involves Hubble, and do challenging sports like white water rafting and bungee jumping.
      In the ’90s, I played on the men’s softball team at Goddard. I was a pitcher for the Hubble team.
      What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words. We’re all made of stardust, IDIC. IDIC stands for infinite diversity in infinite combinations – it comes from Star Trek’s Spock.
      Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
      By Hannah Richter
      NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Oct 17, 2023 Related Terms
      Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope People of Goddard Explore More
      6 min read Webb Detects Tiny Quartz Crystals in the Clouds of a Hot Gas Giant
      Article 1 day ago 3 min read NASA’s Webb Captures an Ethereal View of NGC 346
      Article 1 week ago 5 min read NASA’s Roman Mission Gears Up for a Torrent of Future Data
      Article 1 week ago View the full article

  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...