NASA's Nagin Cox to speak on campus

April 19, 2024 - 01:42 PM

Nagin Cox, one of NASA’s Mars Exploration Engineers, will be speaking at Mt. SAC’s 15th annual Kepler Distinguished Lecture and Scholarship Dinner on April 27 at 5 p.m.
Cox will share plenty about her illustrious career, including her experiences with the Mars Curiosity Rover. 
"If you really want to go where someone has never been, you want to be with the robots,” Cox said in a 2018 interview with JPL Life. “They truly explore first.”
Cox is currently a Tactical Mission Lead on the Mars Curiosity Rover and Deputy Team Chief of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Engineering Team. 
Prior to her current role, she held leadership and system engineering positions on interplanetary robotics missions, including the Galileo Mission to Jupiter, the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Kepler exoplanet hunter program, InSight, and the Mars Curiosity Rover
Cox is a US. Department of State STEM Speaker and has spoken to audiences around the world about stories of people behind the missions. 
"I have never expected that anyone would remember my name," Cox said. "But I'm hopeful they will remember my missions."
She has served on Cornell University’s President’s Council for Cornell Women and on the Advisory Committee of the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. 
Earlier in her career, she served for six years in the United States Air Force, including duty as a Space Operations Officer at NORAD and U.S. Space Command.
The Kepler Scholarship is awarded to outstanding students who have achieved academically, completed astronomy coursework, and/or contributed toward the advancement of Mt. SAC’s Astronomy program. For more information on the Kepler Distinguished Lecture and Scholarship Dinner, visit https://www.mtsac.edu/kepler/.