UHCL PRESIDENT VISITS NASA

By Trishna Buch
Doctor, teacher, politician, astronaut, writer, singer,
actor. When one attends the University Of Houston-
Clear Lake, or any college/university for that matter,
they are introduced to a plethora of courses
and degrees they can take, all of which bring them
closer to the career they desire. And the great thing
about UHCL, is that it is located in close proximity to
Houston, which is filed with interesting organizations,
individuals and museums; all of which are available
to UHCL students, to provide them with real world
experience, which is related to the career they desire
to eventually end up in.
UHCL students who hope to eventually end up
in space exploration are at an extreme advantage,
considering that the NASA Space Center is located
approximately 10 minutes from the university. NASA
is heavily involved in the education of UHCL students.
I know this firsthand because, as someone earning a
Master’s in Early Childhood Education, I had a classmate
who did an internship at the Space Center.
Not only does the proximity of the space center
to the college result in opportunities for educational
development, it could also lead to collaboration
between the university and the Space Center. As a
result, UHCL president Ira Blake visited NASA earlier
this month to discuss these collaborative opportunities.
While at the Space Center, Blake learned about
the movements of the International Space Station,
learned about the concept and use of the safety
mechanism that is used to protect astronauts during
shuttle flight and met UHCL alumni who now work
for the center facilities. Although the professional
relationship between the center and the university
is already excellent, Blake’s visit is bound to provide
more opportunities for all UHCL students.