June 8, 2004
Top astronaut Bonnie Dunbar visits campus as UW alum of the year for 2004
WHO: Bonnie Dunbar, one of the world’s most experienced female astronauts and this year’s University of Washington Alumna of the Year
WHAT: A recognition ceremony followed by a reception and press availability
WHEN: Tomorrow, June 9, at 3 p.m.
WHERE: Meany Theater, located in Meany Hall on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus
DETAILS: Dunbar will be on campus this week to accept the UW’s Alumna Summa Laude Dignata award, given each year to one outstanding UW alum. She will be presented with a plaque and a medal at tomorrow’s ceremony, and will be honored as the 2004 winner during commencement on Saturday. With 50 days in space covering 20.4 million miles on five shuttle flights, Dunbar is one of the world’s most experienced women astronauts. As an engineering undergraduate at the UW in the 1970s, she helped develop the ceramic tiles used to coat the Space Shuttle so it could withstand the fiery temperatures generated when re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. She is currently NASA’s deputy director in the biological sciences and applications division of the Space and Life Sciences Directoriate.
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For more background on Dunbar, see the article on her in Columns magazine, on the Web at:
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/june04/dunbar01.html
