Jump to content

Exobiology Deputy Branch Chief Melissa Kirven-Brooks


NASA

Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
A woman with shoulder-length flowing brown hair smiles gently at the camera. She is wearing earrings, a gold necklace, and a white blouse with blue patterned spots. The blue sky, green trees and grass, and a building are blurred but visible behind her.

“One of my proudest, happiest moments was watching an early-career researcher, who I met first when she was a graduate student conducting research and working on some new, innovative equipment. She was going to give a demonstration to a group of visitors, and as happened with me many times, everything works perfectly until the people show up – and the equipment wouldn’t do anything. So she took a few deep breaths and explained what we would have seen.

“And then she actually became a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow. And I watched her scientific growth and her confidence increase, and I watched her research transition through different areas until … she finished her postdoc and she got a fellowship to do some additional work in another institution.

“And then we were both at a conference one time, and she pulled me over and she said, ‘Melissa, I just got a call,’ and she got this enormous grant … and I realized, ‘She has launched!’ … It was cool to watch the positive things. It was important for people to be there for her, to help her through the difficult times and tell her she could do it and [say], you know, ‘Just give it some more time.’

“She has become just like a force. She’s become one of the leaders in the astrobiology community, and I got to participate in all of that. And I’m so happy, and I know that there are going to be a ton more people who will follow in her footsteps, and I hope that I can interact with them also.

“… I’ve just seen such tremendous things happen since I’ve been part of the Astrobiology Program, and that’s why I’m pretty confident we’re going to find life elsewhere, because there are just so many brilliant people working on this.”

— Melissa Kirven-Brooks, Exobiology Deputy Branch Chief and Future Workforce Lead of the NASA Astrobiology Program, NASA’s Ames Research Center

Image Credit: NASA / Brandon Torres
Interviewer: NASA / Michelle Zajac

Check out some of our other Faces of NASA.

View the full article

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy (left) and Center Director at NASA’s Ames Research Center Eugene Tu (right) hear from Ames employees Sept. 16, 2024.NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy spent time at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, on Sept. 16, 2024, engaging with center leaders and employees to discuss strategies that could drive meaningful changes to ensure NASA remains the preeminent institution for research, technology, and engineering, and to lead science, aeronautics, and space exploration for humanity. Melroy’s visit also provided an opportunity to meet with early- and mid-career employees, who shared their perspectives and feedback.

      View the full article
    • By Space Force
      Bentivegna began his visit with a tour of the child development center, youth center, Hawk’s Cove and the 30th Medical Group.

      View the full article
    • By NASA
      Christine Powell, Stennis Space Center Deputy DirectorNASA/Stennis NASA’s Stennis Space Center Director John Bailey announced Aug. 2 that longtime propulsion engineer/manager Christine Powell has been selected as deputy director of the south Mississippi propulsion site, effective Aug. 12.
      “I am excited for Christine to join the NASA Stennis executive team,” Bailey said. “She has deep and proven experience and expertise in propulsion testing and management. She also has served in a range of leadership positions here at NASA Stennis, making her uniquely qualified to help us innovate and grow into the future.”
      Powell currently serves as manager of NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office located at NASA Stennis near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. In that role, she oversees propulsion assets valued at more than $3.5 billion across the agency, management of the program’s operations and annual $48 million budget, and strategic planning for NASA’s key objectives.
      Powell is the first woman to be selected as NASA Stennis deputy director. She will be responsible, with the center director, for coordinating all of NASA Stennis’ rocket propulsion test capabilities, as well as managing the overall site. NASA Stennis is the nation’s largest – and premier – propulsion test site, supporting test operations for both the government and commercial aerospace companies. It also serves as a regional aerospace and technology hub, home to more than 50 resident agencies, companies, organizations, and institutions.
      A native of Biloxi, Mississippi, Powell began her 33-year agency career at NASA Stennis, arriving at the south Mississippi center as an intern in 1991. Following her internship, she served as an instrumentation engineer and systems integration engineer before moving into leadership positions beginning in 2004. Powell subsequently served in various roles, including as site representative to the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, lead of the NASA Stennis Systems and Test Integration Branch, chief of the NASA Stennis Systems Engineering Branch, and assistant director of the Engineering and Test Directorate. She also led the NASA Stennis Systems Engineering and Project Management Leadership Development Program and was the NASA Stennis Advocate for the Agency’s Systems and Engineering Leadership Program. Powell assumed leadership of the Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office in May 2021.
      Powell has received numerous recognitions during her career, including two NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University and the University of New Orleans. Powell and husband Ben, also a NASA Stennis engineer, reside in Carriere, Mississippi.
      For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:
      Stennis Space Center – NASA
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Aug 05, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms
      Stennis Space Center Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Stennis
      About NASA Stennis
      Stennis People
      Stennis News
      Visit NASA Stennis
      View the full article
    • By Space Force
      This is Bentivegna’s first visit to the United Kingdom since assuming responsibilities as the CMSSF Sept. 15, 2023.

      View the full article
    • By Space Force
      Saltzman’s address began with a discussion on the current model of nuclear strategic deterrence using a historical anecdote referencing an early military use of the concept in western civilization: Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War.

      View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...