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STScI Director Steven Beckwith Inducted as 2004 American Academy Fellow
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By NASA
NASA has selected Mary Beth Schwartz as director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Center Operations directorate. Schwartz previously served as the directorate’s deputy director.
“I’m excited to embark on my new role as director for Johnson’s Center Operations directorate,” Schwartz said. “It is an honor to lead an organization that is foundational to the center’s mission success.”
Ms. Schwartz began her NASA career as a NASA intern and has since held a variety of key roles. These include serving as a space shuttle flight controller, chair of the PSRP (Payload Safety Review Panel) for both the International Space Station and Space Shuttle programs, where she led establishment of PSRP franchises with international partners. She also served as the manager of the Safety and Mission Assurance business office, leading efforts in consolidation and budget integration, and as the associate director of Johnson engineering responsible for budget and facility functions.
Throughout her career, Schwartz has been recognized for her contributions to NASA, receiving the NASA Exceptional Service medal, as well as the NASA Honor and Silver Snoopy awards.
“Mary Beth has a unique perspective of Center Operations, not only as a mission and customer-focused organization, but as an organization that is key to employee experience,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “I appreciate her vision for the organization, commitment to the mission, and overall genuine respect of the workforce. I am extremely pleased to announce her selection for this position.”
Ms. Schwartz earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston.
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By NASA
Learn Home First NASA Neurodiversity… Heliophysics Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 2 min read
First NASA Neurodiversity Network Intern to Present at the American Geophysical Union Annual Conference
The NASA Science Activation Program’s NASA’s Neurodiversity Network (N3) project sponsors a summer internship program for high school students, in which learners on the autism spectrum are matched with NASA Subject Matter Experts. N3 intern Lillian Hall and mentor Dr. Juan Carlos Martinez Oliveros presented Lilly’s summer research project on December 9 at the 2024 American Geophysical Union conference in Washington, D.C. Their poster, entitled “Eclipse Megamovie: Image Processing”, represents the first time an N3 intern has co-authored a presentation at the prestigious AGU conference.
The NASA Citizen Science project, Eclipse Megamovie, is leveraging the power of citizen science to construct a high-resolution time-lapse of the Sun’s corona during the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. By coordinating the work of hundreds of participants along the path of totality, a substantial dataset of images was obtained. The goal of the project is to unveil dynamic transformations in the Sun’s atmosphere that are only visible during a total solar eclipse.
To process the vast quantity of imaging data collected, Lilly assisted Dr. Martinez Oliveros and other researchers in implementing a robust pipeline involving image calibration, registration, and co-location. Image registration techniques aligned the solar features across different frames, compensating for Earth’s rotation and camera movement. Finally, they used imaging techniques to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, revealing subtle coronal structures and possible dynamics. This comprehensive data processing methodology has enabled the extraction of meaningful scientific information from the Eclipse Megamovie dataset.
Here’s what Lilly had to say: “Working with N3 has given me a chance to use my neurodiverse perspective to make an impact on NASA research. Through the processes of my project and the opportunity to share it at the American Geophysical Union conference, I am so grateful to have found my spot in the planetary science field I dream to continue researching in the future.”
Learn more about NASA Citizen Science and how you can participate (participation does not require citizenship in any particular country): https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/
The N3 project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC21M0004 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
https://www.agu.org/annual-meeting/schedule
Lilly Hall with her Eclipse Megamovie Image Processing poster. Kristen Hall Share
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Last Updated Jan 10, 2025 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms
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By NASA
6 min read
NASA Research To Be Featured at American Astronomical Society Meeting
In this mosaic image stretching 340 light-years across, Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) displays the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region in a new light, including tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars that were previously shrouded in cosmic dust. The most active region appears to sparkle with massive young stars, appearing pale blue. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team From new perspectives on the early universe to illuminating the extreme environment near a black hole, discoveries from NASA missions will be highlighted at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The meeting will take place Jan. 12-16 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Press conferences highlighting results enabled by NASA missions will stream live on the AAS Press Office YouTube channel. Additional agency highlights for registered attendees include:
NASA Town Hall: Monday, Jan. 13, 12:45 p.m. EST Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Town Hall: Tuesday, Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m. EST James Webb Space Telescope Town Hall: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m. EST Throughout the week, experts at the NASA Exhibit Booth will deliver science talks about missions including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (also called “Webb” or “JWST”), Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), and NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station that will be repaired in a spacewalk Jan. 16. Talks will also highlight future missions such as Pandora, Roman, LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), the Habitable Worlds Observatory, and SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), which is targeted to launch in late February; as well as mission concepts for NASA’s new Probe Explorers mission class in astrophysics, open science, heliophysics, and NASA Science Activation.
Members of the media can request interviews with NASA experts on any of these topics by contacting Alise Fisher at alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov.
Schedule of Highlights (EST)
Monday, Jan. 13
10 a.m.: Special Session – “SPHEREx: The Upcoming All-Sky Infrared Spectroscopic Survey”
Chesapeake 4-5
10 a.m.: Special Session – “Early Science Results from XRISM [X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission]”
National Harbor 10
10:15 a.m.: AAS News Conference – “A Feast of Feasting Black Holes”
Maryland Ballroom 5/6
News based on data from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, NICER, NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array), and Hubble, as well as XMM-Newton, an ESA (European Space Agency) mission with NASA contributions, will be featured:
“Witnessing the Birth of a New Plasma Jet from a Supermassive Black Hole” “Rapidly Evolving X-Ray Oscillations in the Active Galaxy 1ES 1927+654” “Uncovering the Dining Habits of Supermassive Black Holes in Our Cosmic Backyard with NuLANDS” “The Discovery of a Newborn Quasar Jet Triggered by a Cosmic Dance” 12:45 p.m.: NASA Town Hall
Mark Clampin, acting deputy associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters
Potomac Ballroom AB
2:15 p.m.: AAS News Conference – “Supernovae and Massive Stars”
Maryland Ballroom 5/6
News from NASA’s Webb and Hubble space telescopes will be highlighted:
“JWST Discovery of a Distant Supernova Linked to a Massive Progenitor in the Early Universe” “Core-Collapse Supernovae as Key Dust Producers: New Insights from JWST” “JWST Tracks the Expanding Dusty Fingerprints of a Massive Binary” “Stellar Pyrotechnics on Display in Super Star Cluster” “A Blue Lurker Emerges from a Triple-System Merger” Tuesday, Jan. 14
10:15 a.m.: AAS News Conference – “Black Holes & New Outcomes from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey”
Maryland Ballroom 5/6
News based on data from NASA’s NuSTAR, Chandra, and Webb missions will be highlighted:
“A Variable X-Ray Monster at the Epoch of Reionization” “JWST’s Little Red Dots and the Rise of Obscured Active Galactic Nuclei in the Early Universe” “Revealing the Mid-Infrared Properties of the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole” 2 p.m.: Special Session – “Open Science: NASA Astrophysics in the Roman Era”
Chesapeake 4-5
2:15 p.m.: AAS News Conference – “New Information from Milky Way Highlights”
Maryland Ballroom 5/6
News from NASA’s Webb and Chandra missions will be highlighted:
“Infrared Echoes of Cassiopeia A Reveal the Dynamic Interstellar Medium” “A Path-Breaking Observation of the Cold Neutral Medium of the Milky Way Through Thermal Light Echoes” “X-Ray Echoes from Sgr A* Provide Insight on the 3D Structure of Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center” 3:40 p.m.: Plenary – “A Detector Backstory: How Silicon Detectors Came to Enable Space Missions”
Shouleh Nikzad, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Potomac Ballroom AB
6:30 p.m.: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Town Hall
National Harbor 11
Wednesday, Jan. 15
8 a.m.: Plenary – “HEAD Bruno Rossi Prize Lecture: The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)”
Martin Weisskopf, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (emeritus), and Paolo Soffitta, INAF-IAPS (National Institute for Astrophysics-Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology)
Potomac Ballroom AB
10 a.m.: Special Session – Habitable Worlds Observatory
Potomac Ballroom C
10:15 a.m.: AAS News Conference – “Discovering the Universe Beyond Our Galaxy”
Maryland Ballroom 5/6
News from NASA’s Hubble and Webb will be highlighted:
“The Hubble Tension in Our Own Backyard” “JWST Reveals the Early Universe in Our Backyard” “Growing in the Wind: Watching a Galaxy Seed Its Environment” 11:40 a.m.: Plenary – “Are We Alone? The Search for Life on Habitable Worlds”
Giada Arney, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Potomac Ballroom AB
2:15 p.m.: AAS News Conference – “New Findings About Stars”
Maryland Ballroom 5/6
News based on data from NASA’s Webb and Solar Dynamics Observatory will be highlighted:
“A Super Star Cluster Is Born: JWST Reveals Dust and Ice in a Stellar Nursery” “The Discovery of Ancient Relics in a Distant Evolved Galaxy” “Exploring the Sun’s Active Regions in the Moments Before Flares” 6:30 p.m.: James Webb Space Telescope Town Hall
Potomac Ballroom C
Thursday, Jan. 16
10:15 a.m.: AAS News Conference – “Exoplanets: From Formation to Disintegration”
Maryland Ballroom 5/6
News from NASA’s Pandora, Chandra, TESS, and Webb missions, as well as XMM-Newton, will be highlighted:
“A New NASA Mission to Characterize Exoplanets and Their Host Stars” “X-Rays in the Prime of Life: Irradiating Vulnerable Planets” “Bright Star, Fading World: Dusty Debris of a Dying Planet” “JWST Exposes Hot Rock Entrails from a Planet’s Demise” 2:15 p.m.: AAS News Conference – “Galactic Histories and Policy Futures”
Maryland Ballroom 5/6
News from NASA’s Webb and Hubble will be highlighted:
“The Boundary of Galaxy Formation: Constraints from the Ancient Star Formation of the Isolated, Extremely Low-Mass Galaxy Leo P” “Resolving 90 Million Stars in the Southern Half of Andromeda” For more information on the meeting, including press registration and the complete meeting schedule, visit:
https://aas.org/meetings/aas245
Media Contacts
Alise Fisher / Liz Landau
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546 / 202-358-0845
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov / elizabeth.r.landau@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jan 10, 2025 Related Terms
Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Chandra X-Ray Observatory Hubble Space Telescope IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) The Universe Explore More
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Video: 01:22:54 Watch the replay of ESA's start-of-the-year press briefing looking ahead to 2025.
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“When I transitioned from Spelman to Georgia Tech, it was probably the first time in my life that I had a professor that made me question if I belonged or had what it takes. Previously, I was always used as an example of how students should study, and now, in my first chemical engineering class, I would raise my hand for a question and wouldn’t get recognized, or my question would be followed by, ‘I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, Miss Plummer.’
“I was struggling with imposter syndrome before I knew what that was, wondering, ‘Have I just been in some dream world up until now? Am I not as smart as I thought I was?’ I would be in my room just knocking out homework problems, no problem, but I would get in class, and it was almost like I’d freeze up. [My professor] would be walking around the room, and I could not make my brain work. I really struggled through that and did not pass that class – the first time I had ever not passed a class – and this was supposed to be my major!
“…Sometimes you look around and wonder why you don’t see a lot of [people of color] in some positions, and it’s probably because of situations like this where we have such high standards but feel we cannot meet them. We don’t give ourselves grace. We assume, ‘This obviously isn’t for me.’
“…But I knew I could do it. I had to, number one, get out of my head and, two, realize not everyone will be a fan or in your corner cheering for you… As a young college student, it was the first time I ever faced [this situation], and it buckled me. It set me back until I realized that I could do it and that my worth wasn’t based on what someone else thought of me or my abilities…I went back that next semester with a new mindset and determination, and I passed that class with an A and moved on through the rest of my engineering classes.
“That [experience] really informed the type of leader I am and taught me how to make sure that everybody has a voice and feels like they belong. Looking back, I thought it was the worst thing in the world when I was going through it, but now I see it was exactly what I needed at that point in my life to understand that I’m meant to be here doing what I am doing. I learned to give myself grace. If I had pulled myself out of that STEM major, I would never have been managing a technology demonstration program for NASA that launched ten technologies into space.”
– Tawnya Plummer Laughinghouse, Director of the Materials and Processes Laboratory, Engineering Directorate, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Image Credit: NASA/Charles Beason
Interviewer: NASA/Tahira Allen
Check out some of our other Faces of NASA.
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