Ellen Ochoa—inventor, astronaut, and space center director—is a pioneer like no other. She made history as the first Latina to go to space, blazing a trail for other marginalized kids who dream of the stars. There were few minorities in leadership when she joined NASA—so she changed that, becoming the first Latina and second female director of the Johnson Space Center.
Â
Dr. Ochoa earned a bachelor's degree in physics from San Diego State University and a master's degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Prior to her selection as an astronaut in 1990, she was a research engineer at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center, where she investigated optical systems for performing information processing. She is a co-inventor on three patents and author of several technical papers. She flew in space four times aboard the Space Shuttle, logging nearly 1,000 hours in orbit.
The lecture will be in person at the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, Missouri. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the lecture begins at 6:30 p.m.
Â
The main entrance to the Library grounds is on Cherry Street. Parking is free in Library parking lots and along the west side of Holmes Street between 51st and 52nd streets. The Linda Hall Library is not affiliated with UMKC. Parking in all UMKC lots is by permit or meter.
Virtual attendance optionÂ
This program will be presented in-person at the Linda Hall Library. If you'd prefer to watch this program virtually, please follow this link to register:
