{"424701":{"#nid":"424701","#data":{"type":"news","title":"AE\u0027s Dr. Stephen Ruffin named Chair of the National Space Grant Consortium Directors","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENASA\u0027s National Council of Space Grant Directors (NCSGD) announced March 1 that it has elected AE Associate Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/community\/staff\/bio\/ruffin-s\u0022\u003EDr. Stephen Ruffin\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;as its new chair.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERuffin will continue to serve as the director of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gasgc.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Space Grant Consortium\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;when he officially begins his two-year term as national chair in July.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is another opportunity to further coordinate and promote the role of STEM [science technology, engineering and math] disciplines in our country\u2019s future,\u201d said Ruffin of his new role working with the directors of 52 Space Grant Consortia across the country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf we want to continue being competitive, the United States needs to more effectively teach students from a diversity of backgrounds \u2013 from rural areas where they might not have any access to aerospace as an industry to all of the traditionally underrepresented groups, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and women. We can\u2019t leave anyone behind.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe NCSGD seeks to promote and expand the national impact of the NASA-supported Space Grant Consortia, a national network of organizations dedicated to promoting STEM disciplines, from grade school through graduate school. As the chair, Ruffin will help member consortia to maximize and enhance collaborations with NASA and external national and international organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the past year, the National Space Grant Consortium has helped train more than 10,000 K-12 STEM teachers and has conducted STEM-related educational programs for more than 100,000 students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech, the Consortium has funded fellowships, trained mentors, done outreach, and even supported the work of the Ramblin Rockets Club.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Georgia Space Grant Consortium, under Dr. Ruffin, has been a tremendous asset for our students, and for the many collaborations that are needed to further the field of aerospace engineering,\u201d said School Chair Dr. Vigor Yang.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are pleased that he will be taking more leadership in the national program.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHeading up the NCSGD is a role that was tailor-made for Ruffin, the son of two science professors who grew up \u201cfascinated by the space program.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn my house, I didn\u2019t feel like there were any subjects that were off-limits,\u201d said the Louisiana native. \u201cSo I was encouraged to pursue my interests.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot everyone felt that way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I was in high school a guidance counselor asked me where I was going to apply for college. I was doing well, so I said Princeton, MIT, and Georgia Tech,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThe counselor said \u2018You need to be more realistic.\u2019 Well, I ended up getting degrees from two of those schools [MIT and Princeton] and teaching at the third. For me that was realistic.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERuffin knows that not every aspiring scientist has the support that enabled him to ignore other people\u2019s short-sightedness. That\u2019s what makes him passionate about the work of the Consortia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNASA has a way of engaging students\u2019 imaginations, to get them thinking and dreaming. The Consortia are providing programs that are building on those interests and giving them the confidence they\u2019ll need when things get tough. And they will get tough,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I look back, I realize that my own engagement in STEM when I was in middle and high school made a big difference. The Consortia are providing those same programs to middle and high school students. And we are developing mentors along the way.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFind out more about the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gasgc.org\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGeorgia Space Grant Consortium\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022rtecenter\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022rtecenter\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDr. Stephen Ruffin in his office at Georgia Tech\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NASA\u0027s National Council of Space Grant Directors (NCSGD) announced March 1 that it has elected AE Associate Professor Dr. Stephen Ruffin as its new chair."}],"uid":"27456","created_gmt":"2015-07-14 15:31:50","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:04","author":"Britanny Grace","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-03-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-03-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1239","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"2082","name":"aerospace engineering"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"},{"id":"169894","name":"Stephen Ruffin"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["communications@ae.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}