Texas Southern University Commencement

1. Texas Southern University Commencement Pamela Denkins, Ph.D. Alumnus 1973, 1995, 2001 August 11, 2007

2. Good morning to the President, General Boddie; the Provost, Dr. Wilson; the Trustees, honored guests on the dais, faculty, audience, and, most importantly, the graduating class, Summer 2007. Thank you so much for this honor. Introduction Introduction

3. Please know that today I represent myself and I shall also share with you things that are near and dear to my heart. However, as a graduate in the sciences, when asked to speak, I was requested to share with you notable things going on in the scientific community. While I have worked for Southwestern Bell, TRW, Ford Aerospace, the City of Houston, and lived abroad in the Middle East and worked for Saudi Aramco, I am currently an employee of NASA. As such, I will highlight NASA programs and activities and the TSU – NASA relationship. Much of what I will discuss will be reflective of what is happening throughout the Federal Gov’t and much of industry. Disclaimer Disclaimer

4. As I prepared my talk, I reflected on the fact, this week – today – STS-118 is orbiting above the earth with the first educator to fly in space since the tragic Challenger accident 22 years ago and an astronaut Alvin Drew, who is a relative of Dr. Charles R. Drew, the inventor and pioneer of the blood transfusion process . I’ve had a long history with TSU and NASA. Both have been involved in every stage and phase of my undergraduate and graduate pursuits. In fact, it was through TSU that I was given the opportunity to work for NASA. Introduction

5. In 1968 I was selected, along with 12 other graduating high school seniors, to participate in a Summer internship program at JSC. This program was designed to introduce and encourage students, with an interest in the sciences and engineering, to consider the space industry. Dr. B. A. Turner, the Dean of the School of Technology at TSU, headed the program. As a Co-op and Civil Servant, I was able to fund my college education (salary, fellowship, and other education benefits from NASA) Introduction (con’t) The TSU = NASA Relationship

6. The NASA-TSU URC in Environmental Science and Biotechnology was awarded in 2002. The URC, a $6M program for research and to train researchers, is housed in the new Science BG and is a model for all NASA URCs. Dr. Jean Hampton, Dr. Shirlette Milton, Dr. Fisayo Jejelowo, and Dr. Alameida Sundaresean – selected to participate in the NASA Admin Fellows program Three students have become Pre-doctoral Fellows – Dr. Felicia Conley, Dr. Kimberly Wise, and Kevin Anthony TSU is a part of the NASA University Research and Technology Institute (URETI) with a focus on nanotechnology The TSU-NASA Relationship And Where We Are Today (con’t)

7. The Radiation Science and Engineering Program (RaISE), headed by Dr. Victor Obot, was established in 2004. TSU participates in the NASA ARC Research Park – a consortium of universities involved in research at ARC. Dr. Fisayo Jejelowo and her students have received outstanding commendations for their work in genomics. The TSU-NASA RelationshipAnd Where We Are Today (con’t)

8. Malika lane, TSU graduate student in Env. Toxicology, was selected to participate in the NSBRI summer internship program. Malika is the first TSU student and first AA to participate in the NSBRI program. She was 1 of 12 students selected. We continue to strategize to enhance/optimize TSU’s access to opportunities with NASA. The TSU-NASA RelationshipAnd Where We Are Today (con’t)

9. NASA has been voted the best place to work in the Federal Government. While it is a great place to work, it is faced with the reality that 60% of its workforce will retire within the next 5 years. Aware of the increasing future workforce needs, the Agency has aggressively and actively developed and continues to develop its educational STEM pipeline. About NASA…

10. …Its Goals….. • Prepare the next generation of engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, business management persons, lawyers, and educators to develop and manage the business of space • Communicate the Enterprise’s unique space research • Inspire achievement of academic excellence • Influence the choice of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers • Increase the scientific literacy of our nation’s citizenry

11. To accomplish the goals… (1) Education Partnership Opportunities • STUDENTS • Co-Operative Education Programs • Predoctoral Fellowship Program • Graduate Student Research Program • Two Undergraduate Student Research Program • Post-Doctoral Programs • NASA program run by Oak Ridge National Labs (formerly run by the NRC) ~$50+M • NSBRI ($25M annually – includes operational costs) • USRA ($5M annually includes operational costs) (Universities Space Research Association) • Pre – Service Teacher Institute (PSTI) • FACULTY • NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program • Faculty Awards for Research • INFRASTRUCTURE Building • University Research Center ($6M in funding)

12. Student Programs USRP and GSRP We must encourage our students to apply and assure that their proposed research is competitive Very few AA’s apply and even fewer are selected Post Docs With the dwindling numbers of US students applying, these programs have turned to non-US citizens We must encourage our students to apply and assure that they possess competitive research skills and abilities Few to no AA’s apply and / or selected Stipulate/target the use of US tax dollars for US citizens for graduate training opportunities Challenges…

13. (2) Other NASA Partnership Opportunities • SBIR/STTR ; Technology Transfer and Commercialization(Small Business Innovation Research; Small Businesss Technology Transfer) • For University and students with business initiatives relative to Agency needs • Contracts • Headed by TSU graduate, Debra Johnson; JSC Procurement Officer; responsible for 15B procurement budget • Minorities and HBCUs are strongly encouraged to get involved • Success story: Joe Fuller, TSU graduate, Physics, and retired NASA started Futron- now a $12M company • Hampton University has a $98M contract • Research • 100’s of million available in Earth and Life Sciences – highly specialized areas of research • One HBCU Professor, Dr. Theodore Bates (at TSU), currently has ‘mainstream’ funding from JSC

14. At JSC, there are Civil Servants - 3400 Approximately 800 are minorities African American Civil Servants – 300 Ph.D.s – 11 (3 TSU grads) Masters – 60 Hispanic Civil Servants – 295 (7 Ph.D.s and 74 MS) Asian Civil Servants – 200 (24 Ph.D.s and 60 MS) Johnson Space Center The Agency Needs Engineers and Researchers and Minority Institutions can help fill the needs…

15. Per the National Science Foundation… Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine “It is easy to be complacent about US competitiveness and pre-eminence in science and technology. We have led the world for decades, and we continue to do so in many research fields today. But the world is changing rapidly, and our advantages are no longer unique. Now…..

16. National Academies are saying that the US is losing its technological and intellectual edge. Relative to other countries, we have a shortage of students graduating in the STEM fields and we have even fewer graduates with advanced degrees. Agencies, like NASA, and industry are vying for this talent. Houston…TSU…NASA…Nation…World…We have a problem…….

17. We must convince the powers-that-be that it is critical that graduate programs be retained in our HBCUs and that their infrastructures be further developed -especially since these programs can help assure the US intellectual edge and graduate students with advanced degrees!!!! As an HBCU, TSU is always ranked 1 or 2 for student enrollment. We should strive to make TSU a Harvard, Hampton, or Howard of the ‘true’ south. Houston…TSU…NASA…Nation…World…We have a problem…….(con’t)

18. We should be building and developing the infrastructure to accommodate this demand…not looking to stifle the progress that has occurred. And we should be encouraging entrepreneurship; developing the talent to teach our kids – K -12 and beyond; and graduating persons with advanced degrees to teach in our universities, lead corporations, and direct innovative research and technology initiatives. Houston…TSU…NASA…Nation…World…We have a problem…….(con’t)

19. Per the National Science Foundation… Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine We owe our current prosperity, security, and good health to the investments of past generations, and we are obliged to renew those commitments in education, research, and innovation policies to ensure that the American people continue to benefit from the remarkable opportunities provided by the rapid development of the global economy … (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine) We have a duty to our own…

20. Persevere in spite adversity Believe in yourself Know that you have a legacy of greatness Our ancestors were the all-knowing and people of strength and character; they were the engineers, doctors, architects, inventors, developed systems of writing, languages, governments,…. Develop all of your talents Visualize a successful ‘you’ Focus, ‘order your steps’, be a good steward of all that you’re given; be blessed so that you may be a blessing For years, I visualized myself delivering the TSU Commencement Address and today it is happening Support TSU (advocacy and financially) Numerous degree-granting programs, a healthy endowment, grow beyond the boundaries of this state and this nation And decide – “How do you want to be remembered????” And…..To the Graduate