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Keynote
Time:10:30 a.m. Location: Carlson Theater A native of the small, south-central Washington rural community of Outlook, Dunbar earned bachelor's and master's degrees in ceramic engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle and a doctorate in mechanical/biomedical engineering from the University of Houston. She held research and engineering positions with the Boeing Co., Harwell Laboratories and Rockwell International until 1978, when she joined NASA as a flight controller. Two years later, in 1980, she was selected as a NASA mission specialist astronaut. A veteran of five space missions, Dunbar has logged 1,208 hours — more than 50 days — in orbit aboard the shuttles Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia and Endeavour. Her most recent spaceflight was the STS-89 mission aboard Endeavour, January 22–31, 1998. As payload commander on this mission, Dunbar was responsible for more than four tons of scientific equipment, supplies and water for delivery to the Russian space station Mir, as well as twenty-three scientific experiments aboard the shuttle. Dunbar’s final NASA assignment has been as Associate Director of Technology Integration and Risk Management at the Johnson Space Center's Space and Life Science Directorate. She will retire from the space agency effective September 30, 2005. From 1998 to 2003, Dunbar served as the Assistant Director for University Research and Affairs at Johnson Space Center. In this position, she was the focal point for the center's educational and grant programs, as well as its extensive collaborative efforts with colleges, universities and scientific and engineering organizations. The coincidence between Dunbar's long-time professional interest in science, math, engineering and technology education and The Museum of Flight's mission commitment in these areas was the major reason she applied for the museum presidency. Dr. Dunbar has been honored by numerous professional societies and universities, as well as by NASA. She is also a recipient of The Museum of Flight's own Pathfinder Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to aviation or aerospace by individuals from the Northwest. In addition to her scientific accomplishments and space experience, Dunbar has been a licensed private pilot since the 1970s, and has logged more than 1,000 hours as co-pilot in NASA's T-38 jets. She owns and is restoring a 1946 Ercoupe light plane. (Biography from the Museum of Flight www.museumofflight.org) |
Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar
