Lin Chambers
Deputy Director, Science Activation - NASA
East Lansing High School, Michigan
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, New York
Aerospace Engineering
North Carolina State University
Aeronautical Engineering
My father, a physicist, regularly brought scientific principles into everyday life. While we were still in elementary school, he brought my brother and me along to some of the early seminars on the discovery of quarks. One year, when our area was in a serious drought, he taught us how to siphon water out of the bathtub through the window for use in the garden. Maple tree seeds flying about every fall were an endless source of discussion. He was also a private pilot, so I was at the controls of a small plane before I was 10 years old.
I serve on the management team to integrate the Science Activation projects into a larger whole. Science Activation began in 2016 to bring NASA science to learners of all ages in a more efficient and effective way. I coordinate across the 50 or so teams to make sure we leverage opportunities to increase our impact, and to reach more learners.
I make connections and collect information to learn how we are doing and where we can improve. For example, our Science Activation Reach Map shows where we are reaching learners. Our annual report summarizes the past year’s impacts, and our publication list captures knowledge produced by SciAct teams.
I also work to make connections across other NASA programs, like Citizen Science and the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Open Source Science Initiative.
Science is all around us. Pick something you are interested in and learn more about it. Maybe find a citizen science project related to that topic and get actively involved.
It’s an image showing simulated clouds and aerosols. This shows the dynamic nature of clouds, as well as the interconnectedness of the Earth system. And it's beautiful!
Many people inspire me, but mostly, I’m inspired by students I've met who are following their passion to learn, and have an impact on the future.
I am bilingual. I speak English and French, and I love it when I get the chance to speak French.