Commencement Speaker

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER & HONORARY DOCTORAL DEGREE JULIE ANN ROBINSON

What do humans need to survive? Air, water, nutrients, shelter, sleep? At first glance, it’s a short and seemingly simple list. Yet, ensuring all of these needs are met becomes increasingly complex at closer observation – and, beyond the familiar confines of our planet.

Utah State University alumna Julie A. Robinson, as Chief Scientist for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters, grapples with these questions on a daily basis. She has been a leader throughout her career and is known for her perseverance and curiosity.

In 1985, as a senior at Pocatello, Idaho’s Highland High School, Robinson persisted in her plans to attend college despite financial hardships at home. She remained hopeful as she planned to pursue full-time work to fund her delayed educational plans. A call from Utah State University came, with an offer for a four-year, full tuition Presidential Scholarship.

In Logan the Honors student chose chemistry and biology as majors and immersed herself in undergraduate research. As an undergraduate, she participated in research before undergraduate research was formalized and as common as it is today, which provided a critical foundation for her career path and professional success. Key mentors, including the late Joseph K.-K. Li, along with Karen and Joseph Morse, encouraged her to pursue graduate study. She earned a doctoral degree in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1996.

Beginning her career with Lockheed Martin in the Image Science Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center, Robinson would go on to lead major NASA-sponsored scientific projects and facilitate a distribution network for global maps of coral reefs in the developing world.

Within two years of joining NASA as a civil servant at Houston’s Johnson Space Center in 2004, Robinson was named deputy ISS program scientist. As a leader in the space agency’s interdisciplinary process, she has grabbed the reins to prioritize countless research ideas and distill an integrated approach from concept to design, assembly, and use.. Her professional experience is highly interdisciplinary and has included virology, analytical chemistry, genetics, statistics, animal behavior, field biology, Earth science and remote sensing.

In 2007, Robinson became the International Space Station Program Chief Scientist and is now at NASA Headquarters as the Chief Scientist for Human Exploration and Operations. She provides science advice at the highest levels of the agency, promoting exploration research and demonstration strategies onboard the ISS and other human spaceflight platforms. She founded the ISS Program Science Forum, made up of her counterparts from each ISS partner agency, increasing international collaboration and effective use of ISS by scientists from more than 100 countries. In 2011, Robinson was awarded the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.

Robinson stands side by side with scientists and engineers at NASA who work synergistically and are driven by a passion for understanding the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of the universe. Her passion will drive advancements in human space travel, and allow people to explore and thrive beyond the Earth.

For her courage and willingness to take risks, her leadership, and for her work in the advancement of women in science, Utah State University is proud to bestow on Julie A. Robinson the honorary degree of Doctor of Science.