Dana Bolles is an American spaceflight engineer and advocate for those with disabilities in STEM. She has worked at NASA since 1995 in a variety of fields. She is also an ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science's If/then initiative.[1]
Dana Bolles | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | disability rights advocacy |
| Awards | 2014 NASA Equal Employment Opportunity Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Rehabilitation engineering |
| Institutions | NASA |
Early life and education
editBolles was born without arms or legs.[2] She has stated that she became interested in visiting space at an early age since it would allow her to move without the assistance of her wheelchair.[3][4]
She credited teachers who accepted her in mainstream classrooms as very important to setting her on a path for success in her chosen career.[5] [6]
Bolles earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, Long Beach in 1993,[4] and has a master's degree in rehabilitation engineering and technology from San Francisco State University.[7]
Career
editBolles started working at NASA in 1995 as an engineer in regulatory compliance, including work on environmental regulations.[8] This later expanded to work in protecting humans in outer space and scientific communications.[3]
She also volunteers as an advocate for women,[9] people with disabilities, and members of the LGBT community. Her advocacy has a particular focus on the challenges that people with disabilities encounter in their lives,[4] and has spoken about the stereotypes they often face, mentioning that people tend to respond the most to disability compared to other intersectionalities.[8]
In 2021 Bolles joined a group of people with physical disabilities in a zero gravity parabolic flight.[10][11]
Bolles was one of the women depicted in the Smithsonian Institution's 2022 exhibit spotlighting women in STEM.[12]
Awards and recognition
editReferences
edit- ^ Whelan/ABC7, Eileen (2020-10-08). "Of 29% of women in STEM careers only 4% are Latinas; How 2 women are changing that". WJLA. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Congenital amputee learns to walk on her new legs". La Mirada Review. 1977-08-14. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ a b Newby, Kara. "Dana Bolles". The Works Museum. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ^ a b c "| IF/THEN® Collection". www.ifthencollection.org. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ^ ""I love the fact that we're serving the public." An interview with Dana Bolles". StoryCorps Archive. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "Thank You, Teachers! - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "National Disability Employment Awareness Month". ASEE Prism; Washington. Vol. 26, no. 2. October 2016. p. 47 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b "New Science: Dana Bolles". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ^ "Supreme Court abortion ruling touches off second day of raucous protests nationwide". NBC News. June 25, 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ Morris, Amanda (26 October 2021). "Floating the Possibility Of Disabled Astronauts". New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. pp. D.1 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Richardson, Brandon (2021-10-25). "The future of space will be ADA accessible thanks to Mission: AstroAccess • Long Beach Business Journal". Long Beach Business Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ Tran, David (2022-03-21). "Meet Five DC-Area Women Depicted by Those Bright Orange Smithsonian Statues - Washingtonian". Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ Kovo, Yael (2018-03-23). "Awards received by Space Biosciences staff since 2008". NASA. Retrieved 2021-09-24.