Alumni Update: An Astronaut's Viewpoint; Chemical Engineering to Celebrate 100 Years
Bonnie Dunbar, engineering grad and astronaut, visits campus as the 2004 Alumna Summa Laude Dignata
- Bonnie Dunbar, UW engineering alumna and one of the world’s most experienced women astronauts, speaks to graduates in her home Department of Material Science and Engineering during spring ceremonies. Dunbar attended commencement last month as the UW’s 2004 Distinguished Alumna
Read an article featuring Dunbar in Columns, the UW’s alumni magazine.
When Bonnie Dunbar began studies in ceramic engineering at the University of Washington in the 1970s, one of the first things she noticed was there was no women’s bathroom for students in Roberts Hall.
She laughed at the memory as she walked her old haunts during a visit to campus last month to be honored as the UW's 2004 Distinguished Alumna. It’s not as bad as it might sound, she stressed. She was recruited by Professor James I. Mueller to the ceramic engineering program, where she helped develop the heat-resistant tiles that blanket the Space Shuttle -- a craft she later traveled in as an astronaut. With few exceptions, the professors were supportive and helpful.
And she was quickly given a key to the secretaries’ restroom upstairs.
“It was mostly male -- there were just a few of us women, but I didn’t focus on that,” Dunbar said. “What I can say is that I got a wonderful foundation at the University of Washington at the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Ceramic Engineering. Everything else comes from that.”
During a brief interview while on campus, Dunbar, one of the world's most experienced women astronauts, shared her thoughts on a variety of topics.
- On the Space Shuttle: “The fact that we haven’t been able to replicate it and that no other nation is flying a space shuttle shows what a marvelous machine it is, even after 30 years. You might say it is 1970s technology, but it is also 2004 technology. And it’s the only vehicle in the world that brings back things from orbit.”
- On the Hubble telescope: “I think it’s a wonderful instrument. Here’s another study in history -- we were thorougly roasted in the press because of the initial optics, but now the media love it. I think that teaches us something about patience and understanding technology that’s on the cutting edge.
“I know decisions have been made by my management that we are going to look at a robotic mission to retreive it. I think we ought to do whatever is possible to preserve it because the James Webb telescope isn’t going up until 2008 or 2009. And what a lot of people don’t realize is that that telescope is not going to be humanly accessible. It will be located somewhere between us and the sun. So we should keep what we have up and running as long as we can.” - On a moon base and human mission to Mars: “I think that’s all part of human evolution. If you read history, you’ll see there have always been the naysayers: ‘You don't want to cross that ocean because you'll fall off the edge.’ ‘There are no riches out there.’ ‘There are no markets.’ ‘There is no knowledge.’ You just have to disregard that because those things always will be out there. It’s a very big universe.”
- Would she volunteer for a Mars mission? “In a moment. I always tell people I’d even take a one-way trip. And I don’t mean that in a depressing way. I remember my grandfather who, like many immigrants coming to this country to a new life that was unknown, bought a one-way ticket. There were opportunities and new knowledge. That’s a powerful attraction.”
- On how engineering has changed: “What has really changed is our ability to manipulate at a smaller and smaller level. The core of that understanding -- what a metal is, what a polymer is, what a ceramic is -- is still there. We are just putting layers on top of that.”
- On the declining popularity of engineering among students: “I find it alarming. Our quality of life is dependent upon entrepreneurship in the technical arena and on manufacturing new products. If we are not producing people who can create new things that we can produce in this country, our quality of life will gradually decline. We won’t produce anything. We also need engineers to solve our pressing problems, including environmental problems. Scientists determine what the problems are. Engineers find the solutions.”
- And how to fix it? “In today’s environment, many young people don’t even know what an engineer is. Their perception is, I believe, sometimes colored by stereotypes and negative images. Even in cartoons. I wasn’t convinced of this until my sister, who is an eighth-grade teacher, told me I should watch for myself. I did, and on the program I watched the young girl who was portrayed as gifted in math was also portrayed as a social misfit. There is a perception there that I think is hurting our nation. And adults, not just children, have created that perception.
“Engineers need to be portrayed for what they are: people who solve our problems, contribute to society, exemplify leadership and are normal human beings. We have had presidents who were engineers, but not in a long time. I would like to see more of our national leadership come from engineering.” - To current students: “I hope that students understand that engineers not only create our physical world, they help create civilization. They give us transportation, communication, innovation, health, clean water, the ability to explore -- engineers transform the world around us and continue to do so. So, first of all, students can be proud about what they’ve decided to do, then they should realize that they now have a responsibility to help make it a better world in the future.”
Dunbar is currently a NASA assistant director for university research and affairs.
Fall lecture series promises inside scoop on big-screen animation, the Mars Rover missions and VR therapy
Alumni and friends of the College of Engineering and residents in the Seattle area will have a chance this fall to hear from several of the UW’s world-class researchers and their guests on some of today’s hot technology topics during the 2004 Engineering Lecture Series.
All lectures will be in Kane Hall and will be followed by an informal meet-the-speakers coffee and cookies reception. Reservations will open Aug. 25 online through the UW Alumni Association, or call (206) 543-0540.
Lecture dates and topics for this year are:
-
Oct. 5: Nemo, Gollum and the Science of Digital Filmmaking
Oct. 26: Exploring the Red Planet: The Mars Rover Landings
Nov. 9: Virtual Healing: Virtual Reality as More Than Fun and Games
For more detailed lecture descriptions, read Coming Up in this issue. The series is co-sponsored by the College of Engineering and the UWAA.
Behind the scenes at Safeco Field
Alumni and friends who are Mariners fans or who have an interest in engineering and architecture will have a chance to go behind the scenes at Seattle’s Safeco Field this summer.
The UW Alumni Association and the College of Engineering are sponsoring an Aug. 21 tour of the Mariner’s home field, focusing on the story behind what it took to build Safeco’s retractable roof. In addition to getting the lowdown on the roof, participants will visit the press box, the visitors’ clubhouse, the dugouts and hear about artwork in the ball park.
Admission for the tour is $20 for UWAA members, $25 for others and $10 for children 12 and under, and includes lunch at the Pyramid Alehouse. Tour capacity is 90 and spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registration opened online June 30 on the UWAA Web site. For more information, call UWAA at (206) 543-0540.
Chemical Engineering celebrates 100 years
The Department of Chemical Engineering will mark 100 years with a two-day Centennial Celebration for alumni, faculty -- both present and past -- and friends.
The event, scheduled for Sept. 17-18, will begin with a morning panel discussion led by Weyerhaeuser CEO Steve Rogel and featuring alumni from across the decades sharing stories, insight and advice about the future direction of chemical engineering education.
Lunch will feature a keynote speech by Robert Armstrong, chair of MIT Chemical Engineering, followed by an afternoon of lab tours and an opportunity to meet with current professors and students and discuss the latest projects.
In the evening, participants will gather at the Shilshole Bay Beach Club for an awards dinner. Saturday is a Huskies game -- UW vs. UCLA -- complete with an indoor tailgate party.
For more information or to register, visit the Chemical Engineering Centennial Web site.