{"502911":{"#nid":"502911","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GT-AE Says Good-bye to GSGC Manager Wanda Pierson","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA crowd of faculty, staff, alumni and friends gathered at GT-AE January 11 to pay homage and bid good-bye to longtime Georgia Space Grant Consortium (GSGC) program manager\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EWanda Pierson\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPierson officially ended her 26-year tenure at Georgia Tech on December 31, while the campus was empty. But her colleagues were not about to let her leave so anonymously. The standing-room only crowd at her tribute included two former Space Grant directors, several former students, and countless friends -- all of whom had something to say.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The Georgia Space Grant Consortium would not be nearly as successful if Wanda had not been here, behind the scenes, making things happen,\u0022 said Professor Stephen Ruffin, the current GSGC director. \u0022It\u0027s hard to imagine our work without her. She will be sorely missed.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJoining Ruffin were\u0026nbsp; former Space Grant directors Dr.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EDavid Peters\u003C\/strong\u003E, and Dr.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EErian Armanios\u003C\/strong\u003E, both of whom flew to Atlanta solely to wish Pierson well.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We had narrowed it down to two candidates when Wanda walked in for her interview,\u0022 said Peters, now the McDonnell Douglas Professor of Engineering at Washington University. \u0022But the minute I saw Wanda, I knew we had the right person.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose sentiments were echoed by Dr.\u003Cstrong\u003ECarmen Sidbury\u003C\/strong\u003E, Spelman College\u0027s associate provost for research, who met Pierson when she was a student at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022She was there for students in ways that counted,\u0022\u0026nbsp;Sidbury remarked.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022She was committed to helping us get over the rough spots so we would succeed. Now, the best way for us to thank her is to do the same.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPierson remained composed but was clearly moved by the presence of so many admirers. Dabbing tears away from the corners of her eyes, she greeted each person as though they were the most important person in the room.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I can\u0027t believe you are here,\u0022 she said to\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ERoland Barnes\u003C\/strong\u003E, a former Space Grant student who graduated from Georgia Tech and is now an engineering manager at Pratt \u0026amp; Whitney. \u0022It is sooo good to see you.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENASA\u0027s Space Grant Consortium seeks to expand opportunities for up and coming students to understand\u0026nbsp; and participate in NASA\u0027s aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research and public outreach efforts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOfficially established in 1990, the Georgia chapter of NASA\u0027s National Space Grant consortium originally consisted of just four other colleges\/universities. It has since grown to include 17 colleges, two non-profit organizations, and two industrial affiliates. Throughout that time, it has had three directors, but only one program manager:\u0026nbsp;Wanda Pierson.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022No less than any of our faculty, Wanda has devoted herself to the success of aerospace engineering - as an interest, a major, and a career,\u0022\u0026nbsp;said GT-AE school chair\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EVigor Yang.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0022Our gratitude is limitless.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Space Grant Consortium has programs in five key areas\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EK-12STEM education - Enhancing teacher training, and direct student programs;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWorking with Informal Education Providers (Science Centers, museums, after school programs, etc.);\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHigher Education - Providing internships and authentic technical experiences for College students;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFaculty Research - Developing or collaborating on cutting edge scientific and engineering research with private industry, academic institutions, the military, and other government agencies;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFellowships - providing funding for students to pursue degrees in STEM.\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A crowd of faculty, staff, alumni and friends gathered at GT-AE January 11 to pay homage and bid good-bye to longtime Georgia Space Grant Consortium (GSGC) program manager Wanda Pierson."}],"uid":"30502","created_gmt":"2016-02-18 12:41:28","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:49","author":"Sapna Mistry","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-01-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-01-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"502901":{"id":"502901","type":"image","title":"Wanda  Pierson going away party","body":null,"created":"1456167600","gmt_created":"2016-02-22 19:00:00","changed":"1475895263","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:23","alt":"Wanda  Pierson going away party","file":{"fid":"204765","name":"pierson-and-yang.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pierson-and-yang_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pierson-and-yang_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":76926,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/pierson-and-yang_0.jpg?itok=oTrU5it3"}}},"media_ids":["502901"],"groups":[{"id":"1239","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"171753","name":"GSGC"},{"id":"126111","name":"GT-AE"},{"id":"136441","name":"Wanda Pierson"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["kathleen.moore@ae.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}