We loved seeing NASA feature Al Bowers on the space organization’s website recently. Bowers, who is the chief scientist at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, was also the 2018 Vision in Education honoree for iLEAD Lancaster and Antelope Valley.
From the article:
“For decades he has been a strong supporter of education and seeding young minds. He often volunteers his time to give presentations to students of all ages, or mentoring a new group of students who could be the next great innovators.”
“‘Al brought Prandtl to my class prior to me joining the iLEAD team, and he has been one of my biggest cheerleaders, welcoming me into the aero community without reserve,’ said Kathleen Fredette, director of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics initiatives for iLEAD.”
“The greatest challenge with a student workforce is schedules are very real and the work has to be in a condensed timetable that coincides with the 10 weeks or so before the internships end, Bowers said. To meet some of those challenges, Bowers and center staff work to prepare for when the students arrive so students can get right to work.”
“Bowers is seen as a great mentor and also as an inspiration for the presentations he gives students at all levels of education and the knowledge he imparts. It’s the way he allows students to use their critical thinking skills to solve challenges and to discover for themselves the answers to their questions that makes Bowers special.”
“’I love talking to kids,’ he said. ‘Their enthusiasm is contagious. They ask questions I never imagined and they have incredibly curious minds.'”
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