On Sat, Feb 25 at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC, ARCS-MWC held a successful and very inspiring Winter Membership Meeting and Luncheon. The event drew 37 attendees, including several guests and five scholars:
- Micaila D.E. Curtis, Danaher Corporation Scholar, 1st year scholar, PhD Candidate in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Georgetown University
- Mark Iskarous, Forster Family Foundation Scholar, 1st year scholar, PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University
- Patrick M. Keating, Dr. Jean K. Boek Memorial Scholar, 1st year scholar, PhD Candidate in Biochemistry from University of Maryland
- Ryan O'Hara, McNichols Family Foundation Scholar, 1st year scholar, PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University
- Martin Ritter, ARCS-MWC Endowment Scholar, 1st Year Scholar, PhD Candidate in Physics from University of Maryland
The event began with a business meeting and delicious lunch, followed by our keynote speaker, Dr. June Scobee Rodgers. She is the widow of Challenger Space Shuttle Commander Richard “Dick” Scobee and the founding chair of Challenger Center. Dr. Rodgers is also the 1993 recipient of our ARCS-MWC Eagle Award.
She spoke about "Boldness in Spaceflight and in Education," combining two topics of intense interest to both the Challenger Center and our chapter. She spoke of her journey through life, especially after the Challenger tragedy. Dr. Rodgers and Dr. Lance Bush, the President and CEO of the Challenger Center, then answered questions from the audience about the center.
As noted on the Challenger Center's website: "Founded in 1986, Challenger Center is a STEM education organization created to honor the crew of shuttle flight STS-51L: Dick Scobee, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, and Michael J. Smith. Challenger Center has a network of more than 40 Challenger Learning Centers around the globe that educate students using space-themed simulated learning environments. Challenger Center is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization."
