Dr. Ming Leu’s Ph.D. student Niloofar Zendehdel, was among the S&T scholars who met with former NASA astronaut.
Niloofar Zendehdel (left) and Heath St. Denis (right) were among the S&T scholars who met with former NASA astronaut and S&T alumna Dr. Sandra Magnus during her recent visit to campus. Photo by Michael Pierce, Missouri S&T.
When Heath St. Denis applied for a Chancellor’s Scholarship at Missouri S&T, his essay was about former NASA astronaut and S&T alumna Dr. Sandra Magnus, a two-time S&T graduate who served aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and flew on the final space shuttle mission.
Astronauts are the finest scientists out there, according to St. Denis, a freshman double majoring in biology and psychology with minors in chemistry and biomedical engineering. Further distinguishing herself by serving as the science officer on that final mission is a big part of his admiration for Magnus, but he also admires her tenacity. “Being in space is difficult and very dangerous,” he says, “but her drive is out of this world. She is awesome.”
Niloofar Zendehdel is a doctoral student in mechanical engineering. A self-described robotics obsessive since age 12, Zendehdel’s dream is to land a job at NASA. “I want to work with challenges that come with working in space,” she says.
Zendehdel feels as strongly as St. Denis about Magnus : “She is an icon of women in engineering.”
Both met Magnus during a small gathering she attended during her recent visit to campus. Magnus earned a bachelor of science degree in physics at S&T in 1986, followed by a master of science degree in electrical engineering in 1990. She met with Kummer Vanguard Scholars and Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellows. Designed to support students as they pursue degrees in STEM-related fields, the two programs are among the many supported through funds from a gift of $300 million June and Fred Kummer made in 2020.
Posted by Patrick Collins
Space pioneer Sandra Magnus goes off script with S&T scholars