İTÜ students host retired NASA astronauts

ISTANBUL

Hundreds of students from Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) have flocked to an event hall and created long queues to attend the conference where retired NASA astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger delivered a speech.

During her visit to Türkiye, Metcalf-Lindenburger, who served at NASA from 2006 to 2014 and spent 15 days in space aboard a shuttle in 2010, met with students from various universities in different cities. She toured the laboratories and received information about ongoing research from faculty members of the Faculty of Aerospace and Space Sciences at İTÜ, her final stop in Türkiye.

In the conference, after narrating her entire career story, from the beginning of astronaut candidate training to her spacewalk experiences, Metcalf-Lindenburger provided advice to the young audience and answered their questions, with her inspiring journey serving as a source of motivation for many aspiring astronauts.

"While I was working as a teacher, one of my students asked me a question about aerospace engineering. To provide a correct answer to my student, I started researching the topic, and that's how I turned towards becoming an astronaut,” she said.

"Going to space and looking at Earth from a distance significantly altered my perspective. I realized the value and fragility of our planet, which is the home of all humanity, and the importance of collaboration in its preservation.”

When asked about space activities in Türkiye, Metcalf-Lindenburger praised the success of science programs in high schools and universities in the country, as well as the work done by organizations like The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) and the country’s premier tech event Teknofest.

"Students are actively engaged in scientific work through clubs. Education and international collaborations in astronomy are crucial for Türkiye. Participate in international conferences and share your ideas there. In my opinion, Türkiye is currently on the right path, and you should continue with all these efforts."

In İTÜ’s approximately 500-seat Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center, students eagerly competed to ask questions to the retired astronaut. As the seats in the hall filled up, students resorted to sitting on the floor, stairs, and even on the stage to follow the program.

Metcalf-Lindenburger completed her geology education at Whitman College in Washington in 1997. She received her teaching certificate from Central Washington University in 1999. She taught earth sciences and astronomy for five years. During her university education, she conducted scientific research on mapping. She was selected as a NASA mission specialist in May 2004.