CAC Board Member Bios – Fall 2011
Michael Hernandez – Project Lead
Center: Johnson Space Center
School: University of Houston
Major: Accounting
Co-op Since: Fall 2011
Hobbies: Softball, volleyball, composing and performing classical music, dogs
Area Currently Working In: Travel Accounting, Strategic Architecture Integration Team
Favorite Co-op Memory: Watching Apollo 13 in Historic Mission Control with the ACTUAL flight director present
Why is CAC important to you?: Integrating the future generations of the space program is important for the development of human spaceflight.
Jeff Chin – Glenn Center Director
Center: Glenn Research Center
School: Case Western Reserve University
Major: Aerospace Engineering & Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Economics
Co-op Since: Summer 2010
Hobbies: Rowing, Cycling, Robotics
Area Currently Working In: Supersonics, Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis and Optimization
Favorite Co-op Memory: Meeting the STS-135 crew
Why is CAC important to you?: Working at NASA gives me the opportunity to interact with the leading experts from multiple generations . CAC is one of the best opportunities to network with peers of the next generation.
Samantha Shine – Marshall Center Director
Center: Marshall Space Flight Center
School: University of Alabama in Huntsville
Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering
Co-op Since: August 2009
Hobbies: Traveling, Reading, Yoga, Cooking and Baking
Area Currently Working in: Ground Operations and Logistics
Favorite Co-op Memory: Definitely meeting astronauts. Also, the opportunities to reach out to local kids interested in STEM fields.
Why is CAC important to you?: It is such an amazing opportunity to see what other co-ops are working on at other NASA centers and to interact with co-ops across the country.
Kyle Yawn – Johnson Center Director
Center: Johnson Space Center
School: Georgia Institute of Technology
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Co-op Since: Fall 2010
Hobbies: Traveling, Reading, Hiking, High Powered Rocketry, Sports, Writing, Exploring, Pondering
Area Currently Working In: International Space Station Mechanisms and Maintenance Group (OSO)
Favorite Co-op Memory: I had the privilege during my first co-op tour to work on two different flight projects for the ISS. I was able to conduct all the certification testing and inspections for both pieces of hardware and they flew to the space station before my tour ended. It is pretty awesome to know that hardware I had a hand in designing is now on the ISS.
Why is CAC important to you? I have been able to work at multiple centers and know that we each do something different and can learn from each other. CAC is teaching the next generation of NASA employees about the value of communication between centers and the sharing of information and ideas among our fellow co-ops.
