FITCHBURG – Karen St. Germain is thrilled to be home.
But she’s even more excited that she was able to share her passion to the students at Fitchburg High School on Friday.
St. Germain, a 1983 FHS graduate, is the Director of Earth Science for NASA, and came back home to her alma mater and gave two extremely informative science presentations in the auditorium.
“I really believe in public service,” said St. Germain, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Union College (1987) and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts (1993). “One of the things I love most about my job is that it is both very cool science and it makes a huge difference in peoples’ lives. The work we do advances the state of knowledge, but it is also enormously practical. We help farmers produce more food. We help first responders fight wildfires and manage disasters. We help leaders - from mayors to governors to presidents - plan for challenges like flooding, heat emergencies and clean water. The power of science is really unleashed when it is in the hands of people who need to to make better decisions.”
According to St. Germain, her job is to run the part of NASA that uses the unique vantage point of space to study our home planet.
“Most people don’t know that the planet NASA studies the most is Earth,” St. Germain said. “I hope to show the students how we see the Earth from space, how the Earth works as a system and how we do the science that gives us confidence in that understanding. I also hope to inspire the students to consider careers in STEM and help to meet the challenges humanity is facing. I also hope to inspire confidence in them that they can do it. I also know that when I speak with students, I am always inspired by their curiosity and drive so I benefit too.”
St. Germain’s advice to the students is pretty simple.
“I encourage students to pursue a field that is interesting and important to them,” she said. “Then, just keep going. I think it is important to help other people and ask for help when you need it. We spend an awful lot of our lives working. If you can spend that time doing something that you find engaging and you get to do it with a community of people, it feels a lot less like work.”
St. Germain, who also attended Memorial, says that she is a proud graduate of Fitchburg High and the Fitchburg school system.
“Fitchburg teachers and the community invested in me and inspired me, and I am deeply grateful for that,” she said. “My work has taken me around the country and around the world, but Fitchburg will always be my home.” #NASA
