Planetary Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Bonnie Buratti began her career in space science studying the data sent back on icy moons by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft. She's worked on the Clementine mission to the Moon, the Deep Space 1 mission to an asteroid and a comet and on the Cassini mission to Saturn. She is also a team member on the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.
Her career path wasn't easy. Here's the story of her career in her own words:
I became interested in science when I was in the third grade. When I was home sick one day, I read a book about the planets and the possibility of life on them. I was fascinated by the subject and began to read other books. I asked my parents to buy me a small telescope which I used to observe the Moon and the planets.
I loved to build things and experiment, and I didn't care about what others thought about my activities, which were considered unacceptable for a girl at that time (I grew up in the 60's, before the women's movement). I took the hardest math and science courses in high school. I was an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I worked at various jobs (short-order cook, desk clerk, janitor and librarian) to help pay the tuition.
In the summer of 1973 I worked at Maria Mitchell Observatory on Nantucket Island. At that time this observatory, which was named after America's first woman astronomer, was staffed entirely by women. Until recently, women were not able to hold jobs at observatories, so the all-female program at Maria Mitchell Observatory was set up to give young women practical experience in astronomy.
After working for two years in an engineering firm and at a planetarium, I entered graduate school at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. I realized from my work experience that unless I had a Ph.D. I would never be able to conduct my own research.
I had a great mentor in graduate school, Professor Joseph Veverka. He worked closely with a small group of graduate students. Professor Veverka mentored by demonstration. Those axioms of life (and the work world) that we all know but can't seem to live up to were all before us in living flesh and blood: start what you finish; if it's worth doing at all it's worth doing well; cut the fat; avoid distractions; and so on. I received a Ph.D. in Astronomy and Space Sciences in 1983. I was the first woman student in the Department to have a child in graduate school.
I came to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1983 on a fellowship funded by the National Research Council. This fellowship offered me the opportunity to conduct my own research in planetary sciences, to observe at large telescopes and to become known in my field.
I liked working at JPL and accepted an offer of permanent employment in 1985. I also became interested in spacecraft development. I applied to NASA Headquarters for the position of a science team member on the Mars Observer spacecraft, and was accepted.
I faced disappointment when the instrument I was working on was deleted from the spacecraft due to budgetary problems. Another disappointment closely followed when a Comet Rendezvous Mission of which I was a science team member was canceled by Congress.
I just applied what my mentor Joe Veverka taught me: press on regardless.
I am applying what I learned in the "failed" missions. JPL offers great freedom to creative and responsible workers. It is a place to put innovative ideas to work. Most of the problems I encounter have no cut-and-dried solutions. One just needs to figure things out, by applying knowledge and expertise from a wide range of fields. I find that type of challenge enjoyable. Teamwork is also a big part of working at JPL, and I have found that many women are especially good at working on a team.
I am most proud of my position as a principal Investigator for various research programs at NASA. I have conducted original research on the nature of the surfaces of planets, with my own funding. I have published dozens of papers.
I also love to teach: I have taught courses in astronomy at local colleges and I also run a week-long teacher's workshop here at JPL. My greatest difficulty has been to raise a family while I have been a scientist: I have three children, and few of my competitors (yes, this field is competitive) have the same exhausting demands of small children.
For women, the most important things are: have faith in yourself, and be persistent. If I had listened to the teachers and classmates who made fun of my non-traditional interests, I would never had been able to pursue my dreams and goals of being a part of the great tradition of scientific knowledge and discovery.
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