Stem Up

Stem Up is an initiative designed to integrate Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) career pathways into schools and local communities, to increase and expand America’s home-grown technical talent.

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stem up awareness campaign

A message from the STEM-Up Artist Alliance Chair:

“A solid education has long been recognized as the surest way to secure our community’s future prosperity. But in this new global economy, simply staying in school, or going to college, are no longer enough. The careers of tomorrow will require strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills, and the foundation for those skills must be laid at the community and family levels. That’s why I’ve teamed with STEM-Up to united Artists to spread this message.” Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas

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Vanessa Aponte, Ph.D.
Systems Engineer Senior
Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
Lockheed Martin Corporation

At a very young age, Dr. Vanessa Aponte tried to figure out how different objects worked. She would often disassemble electronics to find out how they functioned and never got discouraged if she had extra pieces left over once she put them back together. She credits her high school chemistry teacher, Mrs. Zaida Alameda, for inspiring her to do her best and work hard no matter the task. Her cousin, who was the first engineer in the family, introduced her to the world of Chemical Engineering, which led her to the University
of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez where she obtained both her B.S. and
M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering.

After earning her Master’s degree, Vanessa was hired by the NASA Kennedy Space Center
in Florida to work in the area of Advanced Life Support as a chemical engineer. Her work
with NASA took her to several places in the United States. She developed a test platform for
a hydrogen sensor and modeled the dynamics of a ground support vehicle for an unmanned
combat air vehicle at NASA Dryden Flight Center in California. After two years, she transferred
to Houston, Texas to work at the NASA Johnson Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Branch.
There, she performed some of her research developing a platform for a biochemical sensor
to monitor astronaut immune system response. During her work with NASA, she was also
working on her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Bioastronautics, which she earned
in 2006, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. That same year, she joined the Lockheed
Martin Corporation as a Systems Engineer.

Dr. Aponte currently works as a Senior Systems Engineer as a member of the Lockheed
Martin building the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle for NASA’s next generation Constellation
Program. The Constellation Program will soon return America to regular manned space flight
and by 2020 astronauts aboard the Orion Crew Vehicle will be back on their way to the moon.
Orion will eventually be able to also take humans to Mars.

In January of 2009, she was selected as a finalist to go through the astronaut selection interview
process at NASA Johnson Space Center. While she plans to further pursue her goal of being an
astronaut, she is continues to evolve her role within Lockheed Martin where she was selected to
the Advanced Leadership Program a very prestigious honor within the corporation. She is the
recipient of the 2011 HENAAC Most Promising Engineer Award.

During her spare time, Dr. Aponte volunteers and mentors first generation college
undergraduates in aerospace engineering for the Ronald McNair Scholars program. When not
working or volunteering she enjoys sailing with her husband and plans to sail in memory of her
chemistry teacher Mrs. Alameda in the 2012 Leukemia Cup, a sailing race in Colorado.