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Alumni Spotlight
Patricia (Flood) Palazzolo '75
Patricia Flood Palazzolo '75 (French/history major) has for more than 29 years motivated her students to shoot for the stars. It's a trajectory with which the Upper St. Clair, PA, middle and high school teacher is very familiar. The former Hamlin resident, Brockport Central High School valedictorian and SUNY Brockport honor student was chosen among 11,400 applicants for the first Teacher-in-Space training program, and she was one of 112 finalists (two from each state and territory) vying to fly as part of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. (More than 45,000 teachers requested applications.)
A gifted education coordinator, Palazzolo is deeply involved in all academic disciplines and teaches international baccalaureate French. Until recently, Palazzolo also was planetarium director and astronomy teacher. One of her 7th grade classes designed an experiment that flew on the John Glenn mission in October 1998. Palazzolo has been a NASA Space Ambassador, speaking to school and community groups about space flight and space research and developments. She's also the Pittsburgh-area media source, fielding questions from newspaper, radio and TV reporters about all things NASA.
She was honored in 2002 with the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Aerospace Educator Award, presented by the Women In Aerospace organization.
She recently took some time to talk with Kaleidoscope, the College's magazine, about NASA, the future for the US space program and science education…
Kaleidoscope: Are you seeing more of your
students interested in science?
Palazzolo: Yes, and more students think about science as a career
option. Seeing women succeeding - such as first female shuttle commander,
Eileen Collins - provides role models that female students in particular
are responding to.
Kaleidoscope: What is your wish for today's students?
Palazzolo: I hope they take away a sense of wonder and possibility
about space exploration. I encourage them to do their best. I let them
know that they can make a valuable contribution to a variety of fields,
not just math and science but in the arts and communication. The technology
developed in the space program is for everyone. I also encourage them
to become and stay informed because they are going to be the citizens
and voters who will decide which programs will continue in the future.
Kaleidoscope: How does astronaut training today differ from
the Teacher-In-Space Program in 1986 when you first began working with
NASA?
Palazzolo: Today's astronauts are preparing for extended
periods on the International Space Station, rather than just for 10-day
shuttle missions. In addition, the astronauts now need to add Russian
to all they must learn! As NASA works to return to launching shuttles,
there's a big push to make the exterior repairable by astronauts in orbit
- a huge task requiring much training.
Kaleidoscope: How has NASA changed after the Challenger
and Columbia disasters?
Palazzolo: There is an even greater focus on safety. The
space shuttle is a very complex piece of technology with thousands of
parts. Most vital systems have multiple back-ups, but there are many that
do not. They are referred to as "criticality one" items, and their failure
can result in the loss of the crew. NASA reduced the number of "criticality
one" items after Challenger and is attempting to reduce the number even
further in the wake of Columbia. Although the astronauts themselves became
actively involved in the flight-safety decision-making ladder after Challenger,
the Columbia disaster has underscored the need for clear communication
of safety concerns at each step of that ladder.
Kaleidoscope: When you're not teaching you devote a lot
of time speaking on space as a NASA Space ambassador. What other kinds
of activities do you do as a Space Ambassador?
Palazzolo: I travel a lot and talk to a variety of students
and educators about the space program. Subjects cover a wide range…from
questions about how to become an astronaut, to the ever popular "how do
you go to the bathroom in space" question.
Kaleidoscope: What's on the horizon for NASA, especially
in light of the recent successes on Mars?
Palazzolo: Beyond the science, the Mars mission has the
public interested in space exploration again. It would be great to have
both manned and unmanned missions, but there has to be a commitment of
resources to do it, and these are tough budget times. One of the important
things NASA has to do is to communicate to the American public the technical
and knowledge benefits of the space program. We need to get the average
American excited about space exploration. It's also important to remember
that the NASA budget amounts to only one percent of the total federal
budget.
Other Alumni Spotlight Honorees
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