2023 AIAA Commencement Address: Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances 27 April 2023 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) Online
Congratulations to the Class of 2023! We’re excited to announce former NASA astronaut and NFL player, Leland Melvin, as our 2023 Commencement Speaker. Join us for a discussion and Q&A as he shares his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars, examining the intersecting roles of community, perseverance, and grace that align to create opportunities for success.
2023 AIAA Commencement Speaker
Leland Melvin
Former NASA Astronaut and NFL Wide Receiver
Melvin has a B.S. degree in chemistry and a M.S. degree in materials science engineering. He worked at NASA Langley Research Center in nondestructive testing, creating optical fiber sensors for measuring damage in aerospace vehicles, resulting in being published in numerous scientific journals. After hanging up his space boots, he was appointed head of NASA Education, and served as the co-chair of the White House’s Federal Coordination in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM.) Education Task Force, developing the nation’s five-year STEM education plan. Melvin was the United States representative and chair of the International Space Education Board (ISEB), a global collaboration on learning about space. He uses his life story as an athlete, astronaut, scientist, engineer, photographer, and musician to help inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) careers. For more information about Melvin, please visit his website.