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August 30, 2016Sage to Welcome NASA Astronaut Stephanie Wilson for Centennial Founder’s Day Convocation
The Sage Colleges will celebrate the founding of Russell Sage College on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 at 12:30 p.m. in Bush Memorial Center. In honor of the 100th anniversary of The Sage Colleges, NASA Astronaut Stephanie Wilson, a native of Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, will deliver the 2016 Founder’s Day Centennial address to mark this historic occasion.
Wilson began her career as an astronaut with NASA in August of 1996. She has been assigned many technical duties in the Astronaut Office including developing requirements for space station payload displays and procedures; serving as a Capsule Communicator working in the Mission Control Center as a prime communicator with several space shuttle and space station crews; serving as the Astronaut Office representative for the Orion Communications and Tracking System; and developing crew efficiencies in operations products. In addition, Wilson spent two years as the Space Station Integration Branch Chief, where she was responsible for overseeing crew issues related to space station systems, payloads, operations products and software interfaces. Wilson is a veteran of three spaceflights. STS-121 in July of 2006 was a return-to-flight test mission and assembly flight to the International Space Station which tested new equipment and procedures that increased the safety of the space shuttle. Wilson served as the robotic arm operator for vehicle inspection and for the installation of the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. STS-120 in the Fall of 2007 delivered the Node 2 “Harmony” module to the station, establishing the necessary capability for future international laboratories to be added to the space station. During ascent and entry, Wilson served as the flight engineer, assisting the commander and pilot with space shuttle systems. She was also assigned as the primary robotic arm operator for vehicle inspection and spacewalk support. STS-131 in April 2010 delivered hardware, supplies, experiments and equipment including a tank full of ammonia coolant that required three spacewalks and robotics to install. Again Wilson served as the robotic arm operator for spacewalk support. Astronaut Wilson has logged more than 42 days in space.
“We are honored to have such a woman of distinction and influence help us celebrate the founding of our Russell Sage women’s college and the Centennial of The Sage Colleges,” said Susan C. Scrimshaw, President of the Sage Colleges. “We take great pride in celebrating the founding of Russell Sage College and the traditions and values that distinguish it as a treasured women’s college.”
