Archive of Joyce Dever's chat on
Tuesday, October 6, 1998

[ Tish/NASAChatHost - 2 - 08:58:37 ]
RE: [MrsMock-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Good morning. My 3rd and 4th grade computer students are preparing to chat.
Good morning Mrs. Mock's class - We'll begin in just a few minutes. I'm sure you've prepared some great questions for Ms. Dever.

[ MissSharpe - 5 - 09:02:00 ]
Good Morning!! My 5th graders are very excited to begin this chat.

[ JoyceDever - 6 - 09:02:44 ]
Good morning everyone! I'm looking forward to chatting with you!

[ JoyceDever - 7 - 09:03:49 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/HillsboroSchools] How many women engineers work at your office?
While I don't know how many women there are total working here at NASA Lewis (few thousand employees), my office has 3 women in a Branch of 14 people.

[ JoyceDever - 12 - 09:05:50 ]
RE: [LESLIE] How do you fit all those things in by 7:30 a.m.?
Leslie, I'm quick, and I get up by 6:30 a.m.

[ JoyceDever - 14 - 09:07:40 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/HillsboroSchools] How did you become interested in this business
Mrs. Groesbeck, When I was in high school, I felt I was inclined toward math and science, so I looked for opportunities in these areas. At Cleveland State University, there was a posting for a student position at NASA, so I applied. When I graduated, they hired me full time and I have been here ever since.

[ JoyceDever - 15 - 09:09:44 ]
RE: [Mrsgroesbeck/Hillsboroschools] Are you always treated as an equal to men?
I don't feel I have ever been treated as a subordinate to men because of being female. However, when I was very early in my career, I did feel intimidated by the many men (because the field is mostly men) who had been there for a long time. They in turn, however, treated me very professionally.

[ JoyceDever - 16 - 09:10:03 ]
RE: [yoji] hello, i'm from Mrs. Coats-Haan's physics class from liberty township, OH.
Welcome yoji!

[ JoyceDever - 21 - 09:11:13 ]
RE: [Miss.Sharpe/AdamsElementarySchool] How many years of college did you take?
Miss Sharp, I spent 4 years as an undergraduate and got my Bachelor's degree in Chemistry. I then spent 4 1/2 years (Part time) getting a Master's in Materials Science and Engineering

[ JoyceDever - 22 - 09:12:44 ]
RE: [Miss.Sharpe/AdamsElementarySchool] We are curious. If you don't mimd we would like to know how competitive your salary is.
Miss Sharp, My salary is quite competetive, I think - I make over $60,000 having been in this field more than 11 years.

[ JoyceDever - 25 - 09:13:33 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/HillsboroSchools] Where were you born?
I was born here in Cleveland, OH and have stayed in the area

[ JoyceDever - 26 - 09:15:26 ]
RE: [Miss.Sharpe/AdamsElementarySchool] Is your job difficult?
Miss Sharpe, My job is more fun than difficult, but I deal with very complex problems that require research in literature and in the laboratory. Often there is more than one way to solve a problem - such as recommending a material for use on the Space Station that will provide durability and high solar reflectance.

[ JoyceDever - 30 - 09:16:38 ]
RE: [yoji] Ms.Dever, I am interested in majoring in aerospace engineering. How should I prepare myself in college?
Hi yoji, Take as much math and science as you can. Also, English and communication skills are important! Look for opportunities for shadowing while you are in high school to get a feel for what you like.

[ JoyceDever - 31 - 09:17:23 ]
RE: [Leslie] How many girl engineers are there in your office,and how many boys are there?
Leslie, There are 3 women engineers and 11 men.

[ JoyceDever - 34 - 09:19:05 ]
RE: [LakotaEast] When did you realize you wanted to work for NASA?
Welcome Lakota East! I didn't know for sure that I wanted to work for NASA until I accepted a student position in my 3rd year of college. I never dreamed of working for NASA as a kid or anything, but it was quite an exciting thought when the opportunity came up. I haven't been disappointed!

[ JoyceDever - 35 - 09:20:45 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/Hillsboroschools] What were you like in sixth grade?
Mrs. Groesbeck, In sixth grade I was an A student that most teachers liked, but I wasn't in with the popular crowd for sure. (I was a rather quiet type.) I really enjoyed school, though!

[ JoyceDever - 36 - 09:21:08 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/HillsboroSchools] Do you know Sue Helms? She's an astronaut that our teacher went to school with.
I wish I knew Sue Helms! Sorry

[ JoyceDever - 37 - 09:22:09 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/Hillsboroschools] Why did you decde to be an engineer?
I decided on engineering, because I felt I had an aptitude toward math and science, and because the salary looked good. I really decided this my senior year of high school.

[ JoyceDever - 44 - 09:27:47 ]
RE: [Jaclyn] WHAT would happen to a plastic bag with air in it in space?
Hi Jaclyn, If the bag was not completely sealed, or had defects, the air would leak out. If it was a good seal, and typical of a "baggie" it would very likely explode due to the high pressure inside the bag compared to the vacuum environment of space.

[ JoyceDever - 45 - 09:31:09 ]
RE: [Kelly] What daily tasks are required by your job, what exactly do you do?
Hi Kelly, My daily tasks include conducting experiments on the durability of materials in the space environment, maintaining certain equipment used to simulate the space environment, analyzing materials, writing reports. Periodically I give presentations on research results and attend meetings to solve new problems with durability of materials in space.

[ JoyceDever - 46 - 09:32:18 ]
RE: [Miss.Sharpe/AdamsElementarySchool] How long did it take to build the Hubble space telescope?
I don't know how long it took from design to launch, but I have seen pictures of hardware taken as much as 5 years before launch.

[ JoyceDever - 47 - 09:35:08 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/HillsboroSchools] Does your job require you to travel? If so where have you traveled?
I do travel on occasion - sometimes to do work at other facilities. Most often, I travel a few times a year to give presentations. Last year was unique - 3 weeks away from home to do testing and meetings at least once a month, often more. The most interesting and fun places I have visited for conferences or meetings include Kennedy Space Center (Florida), Southampton (UK), Hawaii, and several trips to the Los Angeles (CA) area.

[ JoyceDever - 51 - 09:36:35 ]
RE: [Miss.Sharpe/AdamsElementarySchool] How fast does the space shuttle go when it is launched?
Sorry, I'm not sure how fast the shuttle goes when launched. A NASA website may have educational info on the shuttle. I could probably guess if I had a few minutes with my physics book...

[ JoyceDever - 52 - 09:39:03 ]
RE: [Alexis] What do you want your daughter to be?
Hi Alexis, I now have 2 daughters (Megan, 3 years and Sarah, 3 months!), and I want them to be whatever they want (within reason, of course!) I would like to help show them the many career opportunities and let them decide. I already have a "doctor" set for my three year old, and she loves to take things apart! We'll see...

[ JoyceDever - 53 - 09:41:33 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/Hillsboroschools] Why did you deside to become an enigeneer and what did you want to be in 6th grade?
I don't remember what I wanted to be in 6th grade. I don't remember thinking about that until high school, actually. But when I was in high school and really enjoying chemistry, and doing well in math, I thought I would try engineering as a career choice.

[ Michael/LakotaEastHigh - 56 - 09:42:31 ]
Will we ever be able to use black holes or some other form of extreme gravity to travel more effeciently?

[ JoyceDever - 58 - 09:46:45 ]
RE: [LakotaEast] at what speed can something hit a space suit in space and spill be able to keep the person in side be not effected?
I'm not sure about the actual speed, but I'm sure the space suit designers worry about this problem all the time! I would guess that there are many layers of the astronaut suit, so that if one layer were punctured, there would be underlying layers to avoid leaking of air from the suits. I have seen "micrometeoroid" impact sites in materials brought back from space such as the Long Duration Exposure Facility and from the Russian Mir solar array. Impacts from these small particles can often go right through a solar cell or a plastic layer or even thin metal layers. Very good question!

[ Miss.Sharpe/AdamsElementarySchool - 59 - 09:47:12 ]
We have to go to lunch now. Thank you Ms. Dever for talking to us. Bye :)

[ JoyceDever - 60 - 09:49:56 ]
RE: [Miss.Sharpe/AdamsElementarySchool] When you were in Jr. High or High school were you ever asked to do drugs?
I was probably in Jr. High when I knew people who smoked marijuana and was approached to try. I just said NO, becuase I was way too scared. And I'm glad I did! :)

[ JoyceDever - 66 - 09:54:41 ]
RE: [yoji/LakotaEastHigh] Are the new "More for Less" programs really more effective than the old multi-billion dollar programs?
yoji, I think that a lot can be accomplished with much smaller programs than the billion-dollar ones. The "smaller, faster, cheaper" concept, when done properly, can give us a lot of information with low risk. Although I'm not familiar witha lot of NASA programs, I know that a possible approach to exploration missions has been planetary and lunar exploration with MANY small robots that are simply designed and that you don't have to worry about if some of them fail.

[ JoyceDever - 68 - 09:55:44 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/Hillsboroschools] Do you like being an eneigeer? And would you like to be somthing else?
I really enjoy engineering, and have no wishes to be anything else!

[ JoyceDever - 69 - 09:57:10 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/HillsboroSchools] In highschool, did you have any other interests for jobs?
In high school, I thought of medical technology or biomedical engineering as possible career choices. I even considered music and psychology, but I thought that I'd make more money in engineering!

[ JoyceDever - 70 - 09:58:25 ]
RE: [MrsGroesbeck/Hillsboroschools] How big will the space station in space be and what planet will it be on?
The Space Station will orbit the earth, so it will not be on a planet, rather it will be very close to Earth. I don't know the exact size - pretty big!

[ JoyceDever - 72 - 10:00:26 ]
RE: [yoji/LakotaEastHigh] Will we ever be able to live on Mars or another planet?
Maybe - lunar and martian bases have not just been thoughts in the minds of sci fi authors. Many years down the road, it may be possible. It's probably also very dependent on politics.

[ Tish/NASAChatHost - 73 - 10:01:29 ]
We're getting close to 10:00 a.m PT and closing the chat. We will not post any more questions, but will give Joyce a chance to answer these last few. This chat will be archived and linked from the schedule page and Joyce profile later today. If you would take a minute at the end of the chat and fill out our brief feedback survey, it would help us improve our chats. It is at: quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/qchat-surveys

[ JoyceDever - 74 - 10:01:38 ]
RE: [Julie] What exactly happends to the human body when it is exposed in space?...It explodes or implodes...what?..I'm just a little curious.
Julie, The body would explode due to it's higher pressure compared to that in space (very low pressure in comparison.) A frightening thought...

[ JoyceDever - 75 - 10:02:50 ]
RE: [Jaclyn] Do you think your job is easy or hard?
Hi Jaclyn, There are parts to my job that are quite easy and fun and others that are quite difficult requiring many months of thinking and working with others. We're very team-oriented, so we rarely face difficult problems alone!

[ JoyceDever - 76 - 10:04:45 ]
RE: [yoji/LakotaEastHigh] How does the pay for working at NASA compare to working for a private company?
yoji, I think our pay is pretty competetive with private industry.

[ Kimber - 77 - 10:05:28 ]
Thanks for your time we have to go now!

[ Tish/NASAChatHost - 78 - 10:05:28 ]
Okay - I think Joyce has gotten all our your questions and it is now time to stop. Thank you all for your thoughtful questions. Please answer the survey if you have a moment. Thank you Joyce for another wonderfully insightful hour.

[ MrsMock - 79 - 10:05:53 ]
Thank you Joyce and Tish. My students have to go now. They will be looking for their answers in the archive.

[ JoyceDever - 80 - 10:07:17 ]
I enjoyed all your questions! Good luck to all of you! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to chat!