Douglas Terrier, NASA’s chief technologist, spoke with Engineering.com at the USA Science and Engineering Festival about engaging students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields—and what NASA anticipates for our rapidly changing technological future.
Terrier discussed his job and how important STEM is going to be for the workforce of tomorrow. “We need a workforce that can be competitive, and one that can not only respond to those changes, but also create those changes and invent that future,” he said.
He also spoke about the teacher in his rural Jamaican school who inspired him to pursue a STEM career.
Terrier talked about how NASA’s work could inspire STEM students.
The agency is building the first spacecraft designed for interplanetary travel. NASA also continues to help develop the commercial aerospace industry through partnerships, mentoring and investment. Terrier said that NASA has a responsibility to foster and grow the private-sector aerospace industry.
The agency’s initiatives also include robotic missions to search for life outside our planet and the future deployment of the James Webb telescope.
Terrier was asked how citizens can get involved in NASA’s work. He said that the space agency aims to be the architect and integrator of a global enterprise in space exploration—which will rely increasingly on commercial partners, academia, citizen scientists and international collaboration.
As an example, amateur astronomers with backyard telescopes have helped NASA find near-earth objects like comets and asteroids.
On a more personal note, Terrier spoke about what inspires him about his work. “The fundamental questions that motivate NASA are the ones that have driven humanity’s exploration over millennia,” he said. “We’re at the point now … where we have the technology, the knowledge and the ability to begin to answer those questions.”
Find out more about NASA’s programs, opportunities to get involved and plans for the future at www.nasa.gov.