NASA engineer offers new perspective for students, teachers
By Sarah Steele Wilson
Jan 28, 2012, 18:16
NASA engineer Donner Grigsby, left, speaks with an L.C. Bird student during Grigsby's recent visit to Chesterfield County. | photo by Sarah Steele Wilson
Lloyd C. Bird High School students received expert advice from guest speaker Donner Grigsby, a rocket engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center, on Friday, Jan. 27. According to Grigsby, his chosen profession is "really taking science and applying it to stuff."
Grigsby has been involved in a number of projects, including serving as the assistant chief engineer working on the Ares 1-X rocket, the first new rocket design to emerge from the agency in 30 years. He explained that an educational experience on the first day of his 7th grade science class sparked his engineering career.
"We're shuffling in to [the] seventh grade class, and Mr. Bennett [teacher] took a cattle prod and touched off a hydrogen bomb on the ceiling, and it exploded and threw fire everywhere," he shared. "We hadn't even gotten to our seats yet. And he said, 'THAT is physics. Let's have some more fun with science.'"
He said that showing students what science can do is a much more effective way to educate students than trying to teach the academic knowledge needed to make science happen. It is also the technique engineers use at NASA.
"If we try to do it backwards, where we try to give them the academic end of it without ever seeing why, I think it's much more difficult because they don't have the vision to see forward," he said, "Playing with our toys, playing in our sandbox, is how we learn."
In a way, that analysis is similar to what Grigsby was doing on Friday at the Chesterfield-based school, which also is designated as a Governor's Academy for Engineering Studies. He was talking about what he knows and explaining it to the students. Grigsby's visit to the school division, which places a strong emphasis on Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, was the result of a partnership between the schools and the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber had invited Donner to be the keynote speaker at their annual banquet that was held Friday evening. Visit a brief clip of Grigsby's speech from the evening
Chamber President Lenita Gilreath said that sharing a keynote speaker with the schools fit well with the mission of the chamber's newest committee, Chamber Helping Achieve Meaningful Partnerships in Schools.
"We knew that STEM education is so important to our students," Gilreath explained. "In today's world, they'll never do business the same way [that] they've done business before."
Tim Bullis, Director of Community Relations for the Chesterfield County Public Schools agreed. "This is a wonderful opportunity for our students because we stress frequently to them the relevance of what they're learning.
"And to be able to bring in somebody of his stature, and show them what happens when you learn all of this, and how you can apply and use it in a career is going to be really motivating to our students," Bullis said.
Grigsby, who received his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University in 1995 and his Master of Science degree in Applied Physics and Computer Science in 2005 at Christopher Newport University, said that passionate teachers make an effective impact in educating students. That is what Grigsby said he saw during his visit at Bird.
"An effective teacher can make a big difference, even for me. [Mr. Bennett] knew I didn't like math, but he said, 'You don't have to like math. It's just a tool, learn it' ... It shook me up," Grigsby said.
He explained that math is a tool engineers use to characterize and communicate their understanding. Although he still doesn't like math, he said, he's learned it because he had to in order to do the stuff he genuinely likes.
But it wasn't all about academic rigors that spelled out success. "I thought I'd talk to you about what it is that engineers do, and, more importantly, what you need to do if you want to become an engineer," he told the students.
He emphasized the social nature of engineering in practice, something people don't always think of when they picture cement heads toiling away with computers and experiments. Learning how to work with people who have different perspectives, respecting those people's ideas, and expressing concerns or doubts in a polite and constructive way is a significant part of what it takes to be an effective engineer, which is creating products and concepts that are appealing to the widest possible audience.
The ability to recognize the value of what is different was the key to Microsoft's success, he said adding, that ability is also what is keeping the United States ahead of other countries, as where a more uniform and regimented approach to education may lead to higher test scores, but a less diverse approach to problem solving.
He said that when an engineer hears an idea from a colleague that seems stupid, rather than insulting the colleague, the engineer should be courteous and ask questions to start a dialogue to understand where the colleague is coming from.
An engineer also has to have a heart.
"Heart will take you places talent will never go," he said. "Heart will outwork pure talent."
Bravery and creativity are also qualities an engineer must possess, Grigsby said, because it takes courage to ask questions to help unravel a problem, and imagination to see answers.
"You need to be respectful. You need to be brave. You need to be nice. You've got to have heart. You need to be creative," he said summing up his primer on how to be an engineer.
The students reacted positively to the speech. Afterward, some asked Grigsby questions about education, different areas of engineering, opportunities for women and minorities in the engineering field, and how one could use engineering knowledge to do relief work in Third World nations.
Dr. Nancy Hoover, specialty center coordinator of the Governor's Academy for Engineering Studies at the school, said that he touched on issues that ambitious students in the program may struggle with to master. Learning to work collaboratively is one of the main hurdles, she said.
"Our kids are very highly motivated, and typically very grade conscious. And when they get in these team projects, they have a very difficult time respecting each other's opinions," she said.
Identifying the strengths of the group's individual members and assigning tasks accordingly takes time, she explained.
"He touched on the very ideals that we're trying to incorporate into our curriculum," she said, "It affirmed for me that we're on the right track."
Watching their confidence grow as they become adept at working together and overcoming challenges is what Hoover considers being the most rewarding aspect of shepherding students through the engineering programs the school offers.
"You've gotta have a heart for doing this," Hoover said, echoing Grigsby's words about passionate teachers making the difference in education. Hoover was recognized as Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce Teacher of the Year at the chamber's annual banquet later that evening.
Hoover added that having willing learners who do want more, is an incentive to put in extra hours. It is something she sees in the school's entire faculty, not just the engineering teachers.
"There is a general, collective feeling that we are in this for the kids and that we need to see the kids get every opportunity that they can." she said.
