An Evening With the Stars: 10 Years and Counting

NASA’s Glenn Research Center leaders stand with Evening With the Stars presenters. Left to right: Tim Smith, Nikki Welch, Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon, Acting Deputy Director Dr. Wanda Peters, and Carlos Garcia-Galan. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis NASA Glenn Research Center’s “An Evening With the Stars” showcased research and technology innovations that addressed this year’s theme, NASA Glenn’s Spotlight on the Stars: 10 Years and Counting. The event featured presentations from Glenn subject matter experts and a networking reception.

Held at Windows on the River near Cleveland’s historic waterfront on Nov. 20, the event attracted sponsors and guests from more than 50 companies, universities, and organizations eager to learn more about the center’s recent accomplishments.

Special guests Dennis Andersh, CEO and president of Parallax Advanced Research/Ohio Aerospace Institute; Terrence Slaybaugh, vice president of Sites and Infrastructure for JobsOhio; and Dr. Wanda Peters, NASA Glenn’s acting deputy director, provided remarks.

Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon took the stage to welcome visitors and share some accomplishments from an exciting year at NASA Glenn. Kenyon then introduced the presenters – NASA’s stars of the evening – and their topics.

“I relish this evening each year because it spotlights what is most important to our success at NASA: our people,” Kenyon said. 

Nikki Welch is the digital manager in the Office of Communications. In this role, she helps to tell the NASA Glenn story in engaging ways for Glenn’s hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Welch shared details about her efforts and the importance of “Connecting People to the Mission.” 

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Nikki Welch talks about connecting people to the NASA mission through storytelling. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Tim Smith leads high-temperature alloy development at NASA Glenn and has led research that resulted in over a dozen research licenses and four commercial licenses. As one of the inventors of the metal alloy GRX-810, Smith shared information about Glenn’s “Super Alloy Achievements.”

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Tim Smith talks about NASA’s superalloy achievements. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Carlos Garcia-Galan is the manager of the Orion program’s European Service Module Integration Office. This module, being provided by ESA (European Space Agency), is Orion’s powerhouse. Garcia-Galan shared information on the topic “Dreaming of Going to the Moon.” 

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Carlos Garcia-Galan talks about the spacecraft that will bring humanity back to the Moon. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Return to Newsletter