FORMER
ASTRONAUT TERRY HART NAMED 2010
SCIENCE HALL OF FAME CHAIRMAN
The Da Vinci Science Center announced today that former NASA Astronaut Terry J. Hart will be the community chairman of the Center's 2010 Science Hall of Fame Awards and Keynote.
A former Air Force lieutenant colonel and fighter pilot, Hart is a professor of practice in Lehigh University's P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Hart served with NASA from 1978-1984, working closely with pioneering Astronaut Sally Ride and flying aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. Video footage captured by Hart during that mission was used in the groundbreaking IMAX film "The Dream Is Alive."
The Da Vinci Science Center will hold its 12th annual Science Hall of Fame Awards program - its signature annual fundraiser - on Saturday, April 24, 2010, the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Along with honoring the Center's 2010 award winners, the event will salute the U.S. space program and the Hubble.
Since its inception in 1999, the Da Vinci Science Center's Science Hall of Fame has honored outstanding science teachers, high school students, and community champions throughout the greater Lehigh Valley. These individuals are celebrated for their accomplishments and/or their support of the Da Vinci Science Center's mission to inspire the exploration, understanding, and appreciation of science through curiosity, creativity, and imagination.
As the Science Hall of Fame's 2010 community chairman, Hart will work with Da Vinci Science Center staff members in shaping the evening and building support throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Hart, who also is a Lehigh University alumnus, has been an active Da Vinci Science Center supporter, participating in its 2007 Summer Space Spectacular, Seniors Monday Workshops, and Explorer and Inventor club programs for member children.
"Lt. Colonel Hart's presence adds greater prestige to the Science Hall of Fame event," said Troy A. Thrash, the Da Vinci Science Center's executive director and chief executive officer. "As a NASA astronaut, he is an American hero in the highest regard, and his Lehigh University training proves that our community's young minds can achieve anything when they embrace math and science."
A Pennsylvania native, Hart also is an accomplished engineer, telecommunications executive, and educator. In the private sector, he worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he earned two patents for innovative designs of power equipment, held several engineering management positions in the Government Data Systems Division of AT&T, and served as president of Loral Skynet, a satellite communications company, before retiring in 2004 to join the faculty at Lehigh.
Along with his bachelor's
degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University, Hart holds a master's
degree in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University and a master's degree
in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.).
Hart lives in Bethlehem with his wife, Mary Jane, and their son. He also has
two adult daughters. His hobbies include golf and woodworking.
ABOUT THE
DA VINCI SCIENCE CENTER
The Da Vinci Science Center is an independent nonprofit organization operating
in Allentown, Pa., approximately 65 miles from Philadelphia and 95 miles from
Manhattan. The Center was organized in 1992 at Lehigh University in Bethlehem,
Pa. It has operated independently since 1999 and in its current location since
2005. The Center inspires hands-on science fun for nearly 75,000 people of
all ages each year through exciting informal experiences. Along with making
science accessible and playful, it promotes the Lehigh Valley region's scientific
activity, encourages development of a science-centered workforce, and highlights
science's connections with the arts and other disciplines. The Da Vinci Science
Center also is a vital resource for the region's educational infrastructure,
providing field trips, student workshops, and teacher professional development
programs aligned with state standards. Da Vinci Science Center exhibits and
programs stress the inquiry process practiced by scientists and personified
by Leonardo da Vinci. Recognized as the most effective learning process, inquiry
encourages insatiable curiosity, creativity, and imagination along with experimenting,
observing, communicating, and linking knowledge. The Da Vinci Science Center's
8,000-square-foot exhibit floor welcomes visitors, groups, and school trips
seven days a week. The Center provides camps for young people and programs
for scout groups, older adults, home-schooled students, and families with
preschoolers. It also performs school and community outreach and hosts birthday
parties and private functions. Additional information can be found on the
web at www.davinci-center.org.
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