May - FY 2021 Issue 7
"Hillbilly Elegy" Book Recommendation
A book recommendation by Zaheer Ali, Technical Area Lead for NASA Academic Mission Services and Member of the USRA Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

J. D. Vance’s memoir of his childhood and coming of age, Hillbilly Elegy, is a journey through a time and place that many in America and the world may not realize still exists. This book takes us through Vance’s Scottish-Irish family history and his journey from rural Kentucky, to Ohio, and eventually to the wider world, through the lens of Appalachian values. This is a challenging book because it requires us to find empathy for people who many would dismiss as rednecks, white trash, or bigots. Indeed, the author leaves out many of those aspects of the people whom he almost eulogizes in this elegant tribute to a group of people who are at their core not very different from other marginalized communities in the U.S. What one finds in this book is the fundamental sameness of repression, poverty, and discrimination that it is experienced by white people in some parts of rural America.

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Internal News
Changes to ULearn Launching Soon
The USRA ULearn learning partner, Skillsoft, will be changing due to a merger and will become Skillsoft by Precipio ™. Human Resources is working on the migration with a Precipio team with the launch planned in July. This change will result in more content and an updated look and feel. More information will be coming soon.
 
USRA Career Story
Learning About USRA’s Information Technology Team, Bit by Bit
In this USRA Career Story, we talked to three people who have been with USRA for one year, three years and six years. Eric Waskiewicz, Justin Young, and Andy Sakal work within USRA’s Information Technology organization. The next time you submit a ticket for IT Help Desk, you’ll know a bit more about one of the people who might reply to your email. Also, Eric, Justin and Andy have each shared their favorite IT tip.

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In the News
USRA Announces Election of 2021 Members to Board Positions
USRA, an association of 114 universities, announced the election of new members to its Board of Trustees -- the governing body of USRA.

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USRA Names Rochelle Ford Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance
USRA announced the appointment of Rochelle Ford as Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance on 17 May 2021.

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Predicting the Health of the Ozone Layer to ensure Its Protection
USRA’s Susan Strahan and Dan Smale from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NWA) in New Zealand, were interviewed by the Editor-in-Chief on the topic “Predicting the Health of the Ozone Layer to Ensure Its Protection.”

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NPR Interviews USRA's Dr. Margaret Meixner on SOFIA's Instruments

SOFIA’s Instrument upgrade was a topic of interest to NPR and resulted in an interview request from the station. Dr. Margaret Meixner, Director, SOFIA Mission Operations, talked with NPR’s Brendan Byrne and the interview was aired on 11 May 2021.


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USRA's Margaret Meixner Interviewed by Federal News Network
Federal News Network Radio recently interviewed Dr. Margaret Meixner, Director, SOFIA Science Mission Operations at USRA.

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USRA Members Elect University of Texas at El Paso to the Association
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a top-tier doctoral research university, located in one of the largest binational communities in the world, has joined the ranks of USRA, bringing the membership of the Association to a total of 114 universities. UTEP was elected by USRA’s current university members and was formally included in the Association on May 17, 2021.

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Coming Soon
June
Pride Month
June
National Safety Month
1 June
Exploration Science Summer Intern Program begins
7 June
LPI Summer Intern Program in Planetary Science begins
7 June
CSNR Summer Fellowship Program begins
7-9 June
238th Meeting of the AAS
19 June
Juneteenth
22 - 25 June
June Adiabatic Quantum Computing Conference
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