Catherine “Cady” Coleman, Ph.D., former astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, will speak as part of the Pioneer Valley STEM Network’s Massachusetts STEM Week on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Registration is required.
Coleman joined the NASA astronaut corps in 1992 and has spent a total 180 days in space, accumulated during two space shuttle missions and a six-month expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), where she acted as the lead robotics and lead science officer. Coleman is a vocal advocate for inclusion in STEM/STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) fields and a sought-after speaker on a range of topics.
Currently a research affiliate at the MIT Media Lab and Global Explorer in Residence at Arizona State University, she consults on space-related work, including microgravity research. Coleman also coached actress Sandra Bullock from the ISS in preparation for Bullock’s astronaut role in the 2013 Hollywood film “Gravity.”