NASA庆祝国家工程师周：来自詹姆斯·斯托克斯的观点
Jamesa Stokes’ path to being an engineer at NASA started out on a completely different road.
While she loved and excelled at math and science, she was also passionate about studio art, her first major in college. But knowing that science can also be a creative pursuit, she switched to physics and embarked on a journey to NASA when she reached grad school.
Stokes, who received her bachelor’s degree in Physics from Auburn University and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, was awarded a graduate fellowship to conduct research at NASA Glenn. She later became a NASA intern and converted to a full-time Materials Research Engineer when she finished her Ph.D.
“Working at NASA means tackling the bigger problems we face for the benefit of society,” said Stokes. “My job is to develop and understand how advanced materials behave in the extreme environments of space. It will help protect not only the lives of astronauts but also flight vehicles.”
Are you considering a STEM career? Stokes says there are many ways to reach your goal.
“There is no required path to becoming a scientist or engineer nor is there one way a scientist or engineer is supposed to act or look,” she said. “Never let anyone discourage you from pursuing what you like and remember that you can always be more than whatever societal conventions envision your future to be. Participate in STEM clubs and activities to figure out what makes you passionate about science and engineering.”
Image Description: Engineer Jamesa Stokes works in a special laboratory testing advanced materials to see how they behave in extreme space environments.
Image Credit: NASA/Jef Janis
詹姆萨·斯托克斯成为NASA工程师的始于一条完全不同的道路。
虽然她热爱并擅长数学和科学，但她也对室内艺术充满热情，这是她在大学的第一个专业。但是她知道科学也可以是一种创造性的追求，所以她转到了物理专业，并在读研究生时开始了NASA的旅程。
斯托克斯在奥本大学获得了物理学学士学位，在宾夕法尼亚州立大学获得了材料科学和工程博士学位，并获得了研究生奖学金，在NASA格伦进行研究。她后来成为NASA的实习生，并在完成博士学位后转为全职材料研究工程师。
“在NASA工作意味着为了社会的利益解决我们面临的更大问题。”斯托克斯说。“我的工作是开发和理解先进材料在太空极端环境中的表现。它不仅有助于保护宇航员的生命，也有助于保护飞行器。”
你在考虑STEM职业吗？斯托克斯说，有许多方法可以达到你的目标。
“成为一名科学家或工程师没有必经之路，科学家或工程师也没有一种行为或外表的方式。”她说。“永远不要让任何人阻止你追求自己喜欢的东西，记住你永远可以超越任何社会习俗对你未来的设想。参加STEM俱乐部和活动，搞清楚是什么让你对科学和工程充满热情。”
图片说明：工程师詹姆萨·斯托克斯在一个特殊实验室工作，测试先进材料，观察它们在极端空间环境中的表现。
影像来源：NASA/Jef Janis