Tue, Dec 22, 2009
Lauri Leshin Will Take New Post In January
Laurie Leshin has been named the new deputy associate
administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at
NASA Headquarters, effective in January.
Leshin previously served as the deputy center director for
science and technology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, MD. She has led the formulation of strategy and the
start of new missions since 2008 as Goddard's senior scientist,
while providing extensive scientific guidance to lunar architecture
and other human spaceflight planning activities.
"I am delighted that Laurie will be joining us as my deputy, and
I look forward to working closely with her," said Doug Cooke,
associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate. "She has worked with Exploration in the past and has a
great track record. I think her experience and skills will be
invaluable as we move forward."
Leshin (pictured right) joined NASA in August 2005
as the director of Goddard's Sciences and Exploration Directorate.
She came to the agency from Arizona State University, where she was
The Dee and John Whiteman Dean Distinguished Professor of
Geological Sciences and director of the Center for Meteorite
Studies.
Through her research, Leshin sought to decipher the record of
water in objects in our solar system. A primary part of the
research involved using meteorites from Mars to assess the history
of water and the potential for life on the Red Planet. She has been
on science teams for several NASA missions, including the Mars
Polar Lander and the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory.
Earlier this year, Leshin also led the NASA Innovation and
Technology Study Group, a team of 15 that made recommendations on
how NASA could increase focus on innovative activities and
technologies needed to advance the agency's mission. She earned a
bachelor of science degree in chemistry at Arizona State University
in 1987 and a doctorate in geochemistry from the California
Institute of Technology in 1994.
Prior to coming to NASA, Leshin received the agency's
Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award for non-NASA
personnel. The International Astronomical Union has recognized her
contributions to planetary science with the naming of asteroid 4922
Leshin.
FMI: www.nasa.gov/exploration
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