UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Moogega Cooper, trailblazing engineer of the famed Mars rover Perseverance mission for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will present “Diversity in STEAM from a Real-Life Guardian of the Galaxy” at 5 p.m. on Feb. 23 in Berg Auditorium, 100 Huck Life Sciences Building, Penn State University Park.
Cooper is the planetary protection lead of the famed NASA 2020 Mars mission — with its highly viewed landing on Feb. 18, 2021. Her work with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is integral to the ongoing mission to discern whether Mars could be habitable for humans and that we don’t harm what’s already there — a job she has been working up to for most of her life.
Cooper inspires others with her love of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics), her personal journey and the obstacles she overcame, and her fascinating tales of what it’s like to be a real-life guardian of the galaxy — holding the awesome responsibility of keeping the red planet safe from Earth’s contaminants. She also shares how important it is for people from diverse backgrounds to become the next generation of leaders in the fields of science and technology.
A moderated Q and A session will accompany the lecture, followed by a reception at 6 p.m.
Cooper’s lecture is cosponsored by the Penn State Eberly College of Science, the Colleges of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, and Agricultural Sciences, the Office of Educational Equity, and the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium, and supported by the John M. Chemerda Lectures in Science.
More about Moogega Cooper
Cooper studied physics as an undergraduate, received a master's degree and went on to earn her doctorate in mechanical engineering at the age of 24 with her dissertation on spacecraft materials.
Cooper is passionate about empowering organizations and others to achieve their dreams and overcome obstacles that she articulately conveys through her life story and love of her work. A role model for women in science and technology, she is also passionate about introducing more people to the wonders of the STEAM world, including by talking about her work to boys and girls from underrepresented communities and appearing on shows like “Because Space” and “Bill Nye Saves the World”.
Cooper is a recipient of several awards, including the NASA Early Career Public Achievement Medal, the Charles Elachi Award for Exceptional Early Career Achievement, and JPL Voyager Awards for Technical Leadership.
About the John M. Chemerda Lectures
This lecture is hosted by the Penn State Eberly College of Science Office of Diversity and Inclusion and is funded largely by the John M. Chemerda Lectures in Science, named in honor of John M. Chemerda, a developmental chemist who earned his bachelor's degree at Penn State in 1935. Chemerda was honored with Penn State's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1978 for his "inspired research techniques and laboratory wizardry." The lectures are supported by a grant from Chemerda's former employer, Merck & Co. Inc., and made in connection with an award conferred on Chemerda by Merck's board of directors.