NASA Astronaut Christopher Ferguson visits ݮƵscholars
Contact: Mary Pollitz
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Christopher Ferguson, retired U.S. Navy captain and former NASA astronaut, celebrated three Mississippi State Astronaut Scholars on campus Monday [Oct. 28].
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was founded in 1984 by six of the surviving Mercury 7 astronauts to ensure the U.S. maintained its stronghold in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. NASA astronauts continue to support the foundation’s mission of STEM education and networking—awarding more than $9 million in scholarships to more than 850 students since its inception. The scholarships provide up to $15,000 each in addition to a lifelong affiliation with ASF.
This year’s 40th cohort awarded 71 scholarships to students from 48 different universities across the nation, including three ݮƵrecipients. David C. Heson of Guntown, Annamarie L. Thompson of Trussville, Alabama, and Alyssa Williams of Franklin, Tennessee, who were announced as MSU’s newest Astronaut Scholars earlier this year, joined Ferguson during an awards ceremony to celebrate joining the newest class of Astronaut Scholars.
Video by Sarah Kirk
Heson is majoring in physics, mathematics and computer science with minors in statistics and German. Thompson is a biomedical engineering major minoring in mathematics. Williams is a biochemistry and psychology double major with a minor in cognitive science.
During the recognition program, Ferguson, who commanded NASA’s final shuttle mission aboard the STS-135 Atlantis, expressed the importance of STEM education, detailed his career and the expansion of commercial space exploration and travel. He congratulated and awarded each ݮƵastronaut scholar with a framed certificate and lifelong membership to ASF.
“Thank you for being you, it is a very competitive world we’re in right now,” he said. “Geopolitical relationships are sort of interesting right now and it’s going to take all the resources that our country can bring to make sure we can maintain the freedom that we do and make sure we do stay No. 1 in STEM. There’s a lot of [people] counting on you.”
Ferguson, an ASF board member, expressed the responsibility each recipient has to encourage, support and mentor others throughout their academic and professional careers.
“Thanks to our wonderful [ASF] leadership, we provide lifelong relationships,” Ferguson said. “If you go on, we hope you come back and continue to plow the field and reseed for future scholars that are coming behind you. In exchange, we provide you with mentors, guidance and professional relationships.”
The three students—all members of MSU’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College—also are the university’s 23rd, 24th and 25th national Barry Goldwater Scholars. They are among only 438 Goldwater Scholars chosen this year from 1,353 natural science, engineering and mathematics students nominated by 446 colleges and universities.
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