CU alumnus Jim Voss has become the second astronaut to join the aerospace engineering sciences department following his NASA career. Voss, whose career has included five spaceflights, four spacewalks, and 202 total days in space, joins fellow astronaut Joe Tanner, who came to CU-Boulder as a senior instructor last year.
“I hope to help inspire the next generation of space explorers,” said Voss, who earned his master's degree in aerospace engineering at CU-Boulder in 1974 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2000. He holds the Roubos Endowed Chair in Engineering, which is supported by a gift from CU-Boulder alumni Gary and Terie Roubos. He also will serve as an ambassador for CU, speaking at local events and promoting the college and campus.
“Jim brings a wealth of hands-on experience that will benefit both the educational and research missions of our university,” said Dean Robert Davis. “It is a privilege to have him on our faculty.”
Voss was a U.S. Army flight test engineer before he went to work at NASA's Johnson Space Center in 1984. He was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1987, after which he trained for Space Shuttle flights and as a back-up crew member to the Russian space station Mir. His first spaceflight came in 1991, and he flew again in 1992, 1995, 2000, and 2001. During 2001, Voss lived on board the International Space Station for 163 days as a member of the Expedition2 crew.
At CU Voss will teach a new undergraduate course, “Introduction to Human Space Flight,” mentor graduate student projects in the area of human space flight, and help to develop the department's graduate program in bioastronautics.
Civil engineering graduate student Abby Watrous is on her second year-long visit to China, tracking a contributing factor to one of the world’s worst environmental problems.
JoAnn Joselyn (ApMath’65, MS Astro’67, PhD‘78) was honored as one of five outstanding “Women Who Light the Community” by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. She is the first woman to earn a doctoral degree at CU in astro-geophysics, and she co-founded in 1972 the Boulder-based Share-a-Gift program, which has helped thousands of children each year to have a gift-filled Christmas.
Glenn Wilson (ElecEngr’77) was appointed director of Front Range Community College’s new Clean Energy Technology program. He is a former plant manager at Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Fort Collins.
Robert Refvem (ArchEngr’77) was elected president of the board of directors of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado. He has been a principal at Felsburg Holt & Ullevig for 15 years, and has served as project manager for many roadway and bridge projects throughout Colorado.
Paul Westerhoff (PhD CivEngr’95) was appointed to a three-year term on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board. He is the interim director of the School of Sustainability and the Built Environment at Arizona State University.
Jean-Francois Debroux (MS CivEngr’96, PhD’98) was named director of Kennedy/Jenks Consultants’ advanced technologies group. He has been with the firm for nine years.
Rachel Friedman (CivEngr’99) was hired as the first-ever engineer on staff at the Town of Buena Vista, Colorado. She previously worked for the Santa Fe Public Works Department.
The campus is bustling this time of year. The leaves are changing, there’s a cool breeze in the air, and students are everywhere ― skateboarding, bike riding, having lunch outside the UMC, and soaking in every last bit of sun before winter comes our way.
