{"id":10295,"date":"2024-02-29T18:02:06","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T22:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/langley-celebrates-black-history-month-clayton-turner\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T18:02:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T22:02:06","slug":"langley-celebrates-black-history-month-clayton-turner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/langley-celebrates-black-history-month-clayton-turner\/","title":{"rendered":"Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Clayton Turner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Clayton Turner<\/h2>\n

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4 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"This<\/figure>
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Clayton P. Turner serves as the Director of NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. His career at NASA Langley has spanned 33 years.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Clayton P. Turner serves as the Director of NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. His career at NASA Langley has spanned 33 years. His experiences prior to his career with NASA include three years of military service. He graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. with a bachelor\u2019s degree in electrical engineering.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u202f\u202fWho or what inspired you to choose your career and why?<\/strong>\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

A snowstorm in western New York inspired me to go back to college. An interest in engineering inspired me to pursue an engineering degree. The work of others behind the scenes brought me to NASA.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I graduated from high school, I went to college to study what all my friends were studying. I didn\u2019t have the proper motivation, so that didn\u2019t go well. I went into the service and was in the military for three years. I worked as a recording engineer for about ten years. I worked repairing pinball machines and video games. It was in the last career piece where I was in a blizzard, outside on the back of a pickup truck when I decided to go back to college, significantly more motivated!\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think my story highlights the story of many people: there\u2019s not a storybook path to get to NASA. Everybody\u2019s path will be their own path.<\/p>\n

\u202fWhat do you find most rewarding about working with NASA?<\/strong>\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

I find it rewarding that we get to reach for new heights to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. We get to change the lives of people in a positive way. We get to impact the country. I have a saying on my board that reads, \u201cWe have the privilege to serve our country and the power to unite it.\u201d That\u2019s what\u2019s exciting about being at NASA for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u202fWhat do you enjoy doing outside of work?<\/strong>\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u202fI enjoy traveling. The thing I\u2019ve enjoyed the most over the last two years was going to visit my grandson, who is my first grandchild.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What advice would you give to someone who might be interested in pursuing a career at NASA?<\/strong>\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once you find your passion and the thing that excites you, you need to come and talk with us at NASA! Yes, we need scientists and engineers, but we need accountants, lawyers, and communications specialists. We have a great need right now for technicians. There is a wide range of fields where you can come and do exactly what I described: reach for new heights to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. \u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

How does your background and heritage contribute to your perspective and approach in your role at NASA?<\/strong>\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think what was poured into me as I was growing up and was in the people who surrounded me was a desire and energy to serve and the insistence on making life better for others. That has been a big influence in me. I tend to be a bit of an introvert but because of my culture and because of my background I recognize it\u2019s not actually about me, it\u2019s about what you\u2019re going to do for someone else.<\/p>\n

The 2024 theme for Black History Month is \u201cAfrican Americans and the Arts,\u201d spanning the many impacts that Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements and more. How have the arts played a role in your life?\u202f<\/strong>\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

The arts have pulled me out of my shell a bit and allowed me to try new things, experience new things, and listen to new things. If you listen to my playlist on my phone, you\u2019d be surprised at what\u2019s on there, but there are songs that come from a wide range of cultures that just light up my heart and make me think deeply. Being exposed to those things has made a big difference in my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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