![Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106035526im_/http://nsf.gov/nsb/images/members/sullivan.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106035526im_/http://nsf.gov/nsb/images/x.gif) |
Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan
Geology
B.S., University of California, Santa Cruz, 1973
Ph.D., Dalhousie University, 1978 |
Kathryn D. Sullivan was named Director, Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science
Education Policy at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, Ohio State University, Columbus,
Ohio, in October 2006. The center addresses the nation's global competitiveness by developing
policies and practices to increase the number of students in the science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics fields.
Sullivan had served as Science Advisor of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), a
dynamic center of hands-on science learning, and as President and Chief Executive Officer
of COSI from 1996 to 2006. As President of COSI, Sullivan managed all activities and programs
at the center's facility in Columbus. From 1996 to 2003, she also served as President of
the COSI Building Development and Financial Resources Corporation. In this capacity, she
oversaw the successful design, construction, and opening of COSI's new $125 million
state-of-the-art home on the riverfront of downtown Columbus.
Prior to joining COSI, Sullivan was the Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). At NOAA, she oversaw a broad portfolio of research and
technology programs in such diverse areas as fisheries biology, climate and global change,
satellite instrumentation and marine biodiversity.
Sullivan is a former astronaut and veteran of three space shuttle missions. She joined the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1978 as a member of the first Space
Shuttle astronaut class. On her first spaceflight, in October 1984, she became the first
American woman to perform a space walk. In 1990, she flew on the Hubble Space Telescope
Deployment mission, and in 1992 was the Payload Commander for the ATLAS-1 Spacelab mission.
Education has been a major theme of Sullivan's volunteer activities for many years.
She led the design of the original Challenger Center program model, which is now in service
at over 33 Challenger Learning Centers in the U.S. and Canada. She has also served as an
advisor for numerous exhibit and multimedia projects under the auspices of the National
Geographic, the Smithsonian Institution, WGBH, and others.
Sullivan is a Captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Her professional affiliations include
the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she is a Fellow and director,
and the Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she is a member of the Corporation.
She has received numerous national honors and awards, including induction into the Astronaut
Hall of Fame, NASA medals for Exceptional Service and Outstanding Leadership, the Lone
Sailor Award from the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, the National Air and Space Trophy
from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, and the U.S. Jaycees' Ten Outstanding
Young Americans Award.
Sullivan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Sciences from University of
California at Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in Geology from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia.
She received honorary degrees from a number of institutions, including the Steven's Institute
of Technology.
She was appointed to the National Science Board in 2004, and elected Vice Chairman in
2006.
June 2007
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