Latin School of Chicago

TRISH GLAAB nasa For Trish (Miller) Glaab ���79, the sky has never been the limit. Since we last visited Glaab in 1999, she has continued her trajectory in aerospace engineering. Today at the NASA Langley Research Center, Glaab conducts research toward understanding and resolving scientific challenges for aircraft, space or the environment. Her area of focus is the Next Generation Air Transportation System program. Explains Glaab: ���Next Gen is the program that is modernizing the system we use for commercial air transportation.��� Glaab spends nearly half of her time working on simulations on her computer and documenting the outcomes, and the other half juggling meetings, documents review and other tasks. Computer and communication skills are crucial to her job but ���perhaps most important are reasoning skills ��� the ability to view or consider an idea or concept, draw conclusions and suggest improvements,��� she explains. Married to Lou, a NASA engineer, and mother of sons Josh, 12, and Luke, 11, Glaab makes family and personal time a priority in her life. ���Without some outside interests and hobbies,��� she says, ���it would be too easy to become fixated on a project and lose balance or turn into a workaholic.��� Appreciating the complementary aspects of art and technical engineering work, she also pursues her passion as a professional potter, selling her work in two galleries and at art festivals. Reflecting on her school years, Glaab wishes she had taken more public speaking and writing classes. ���I did not expect a technical career to demand so much verbal and written communication skill. Now most daily communication at NASA is written, and your ability to progress in your career is severely limited by poor writing skills.��� After graduating from Latin, Glaab went on to the University of Virginia, where she studied aerospace engineering. She worked at Unisys in Hampton, Virginia, for 26 years, developing and supporting human-inthe-loop simulation for NASA. In 2009, she joined NASA in the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch. Glaab encourages Latin students to be as wellrounded as possible and to gain exposure to as many areas of their field of interest as possible. ���Entry positions in most technical careers expect to have to train you for their specialty. Companies want to hire people who seem capable of handling a variety of projects, rather than someone with a limited skill set.��� Glaab suggests three traits are of particular importance: ���Be a self-starter. People in leadership roles will recognize your initiative and competence and learn to trust you with responsibility. Know your own talents, but don���t brag about them. And don���t ever lie, not even a little bit. People can smell a lie and you will not be trusted.��� What will aerospace engineering look like in the future? ���The whole technology industry has changed tremendously in the last decade, and I expect this will continue for the future,��� says Glaab. ���In some ways the workplace is more demanding and the learning curve is steeper. The emphasis now is more on innovation and achievement. The pace is much faster, everything involves computers, and team members can be located across the country or across the ocean.��� Trish Glaab expresses optimism for the future of her industry. Practicing her craft with care, skill and precision, she challenges the next generation of young people entering the workforce to be open-minded, flexible, collaborative and honest. For her, as well as them, the possibilities are limitless. ���Be a self-starter. Know your own talents, but don���t brag about them. And don���t ever lie, not even a little bit.��� ��� Linda Hennelly Latin School of Chicago 41

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