HOUSTON– 13 June 11
Dr. Wood Honored as Spring 11 Outstanding JSC Mentor
By: Heather L. Ogletree
Dr. Scott Wood, Senior Scientist for the Division of Space and Life Sciences, has served as a USRP Mentor for the past three years at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Over the years, Dr. Wood has helped to develop and inspire interns Mayra Cordova (Fall 2009), Meghan Appelbaum (Summer 2010), and most recently, Aisha Moinuddin (Spring 2011). This April, JSC honored his contributions to STEM education by selecting him as a Spring 11 Outstanding JSC Mentor.
Although this is his first JSC Mentor award, his interns have consistently sung his praises through their exit surveys. Cordova wrote, “I received great support. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.” Appelbaum added, “Scott is awesome! He helped me with general grad school and pointed me in the right direction for my career goals.” However, this year, Moinuddin took her praise to the next level by submitting a thoughtful recommendation to the JSC Education Office, nominating Dr. Wood for Outstanding Mentor Recognition.
Dr. Wood worked with USRP intern Moinuddin on a project entitled, “Sub-threshold Stochastic Resonance Galvanic Stimulation during Off-Vertical Axis Rotation,” where he guided her through biomedical research which directly impacts astronaut health. In her submission, Moinuddin noted the many ways that Dr. Wood enhanced her internship experience. She wrote, “I have so many memories of his support and investment of time in me. With each draft of my abstract or paper, he has been there with feedback. When I had a minor accident with a bicycle on-site, he made sure I saw the doctor, and took time to check on me daily. When astronauts came for testing to the lab he knew how excited I was and found a role for me to perform in the tests so I could feel I participated. When I was looking at grad schools he gave me guidance. When I wanted to learn more about clinical research he took me to the UTMB Clinic in Galveston to tour the facility there.”
Through his time as a USRP mentor, Dr. Wood has gone above and beyond to provide quality instruction and to help shape his interns’ futures. Cordova, Appelbaum, and Moinuddin all agreed, Dr. Wood was an outstanding mentor, and now he has the recognition he deserves.
Moinuddin concluded, “I did not realize that the greatest gift I would be given would be a relationship with a person who I would call my mentor. Dr. Wood made my time at NASA extraordinary, and I am glad beyond words to have his mentorship.”