photo of Dr. Alleyne is credited to Fond Memories Photography by Jackie Hicks.
Quote from Dr Alleyne“When we empower and inspire girls to believe in themselves and dream big dreams , they will be the catalyst for positive and lasting change in their environment,country and world.”
Dr.Camille Wardrop Alleyne was born in 1966 in Port of Spain Trinidad .She attended Mucurapo Girls’ RC School and St. Francois Girls’ College in Trinidad. When she migrated to the States she obtained her Bsc in Mechanical Engineering at Howard University, she then furthered her studies and obtained two master degrees one at the Florida A&M University with a Msc in Mechanical Engineering (Specialization in Composite Materials),The other at the University of Maryland with a MSc in Aerospace Engineering (Specialization in Hyper-sonic Aerodynamics and Propulsion) and finally her Doctorate in Education leadership from the University of Houston .
This amazing and brilliant woman is the first person of Caribbean descent to have a senior management position at the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). Dr Alleyne is the assistant programme scientist for the International Space Station(ISS),this is a scientific laboratory that orbits the earth, Its NASA’s only human space flight programme since the closing of the Space Shuttle programme. Dr Alleyne is responsible for communicating the scientific and technological accomplishments of the ISS and the benefits to life on Earth to the top leadership at NASA, the US Congress, the general public, and scientific, research and educational communities.
Before starting her career in NASA ,Dr Alleyne was an aerospace systems engineer with the US Missile Defense Agency and the Department of Defense. Here she was the lead analysis and integration of several ballistic missile defense projects .These entails Ground Based Mid-course Interceptor and Aegis Weapon System. She also co lead the planning and execution of the US Navy’s test that marked the first time an AEGIS ship or any mobile platform tracked a boosting Intercontinental Ballistic Missile into outer-space .
When Dr Alleyne started her career in NASA , she first operated and tested the equipment which was responsible for ensuring ideal environmental conditions for the astronauts ad cargo in the Space Shuttle. After she took on lead roles in the Constellation Program , which manes its architecture requirements. She also worked on the Orion project with team of engineers designing and building the next generation of crew exploration vehicles to replace the current fleet.As the manger of this project she was in charge of testing and verification ensuring that the Orion crew and service modules were safe and functional.
After 20 years of advancing the areas of aerospace and space technology development . One of Dr Alleyne greatest venture is the Brightest Start Foundation which she founded in 2007 , This is a non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing “areas of space technology application in international development and global science and space education advocacy for children , especially for girls.
When asked at an interview , What do you fine most challenging and how do you overcome it ? She replied “Most challenging is the fact that I am a woman in a very male dominated environment and career , and one that has very , very few people of colour (male or female). One is not always given the benefit of the doubt because of these physical attributes. But what I know for sure is that there is no substitute for excellence -it transcends ethnicity,gender,culture etc. So striving for excellence is the way to overcome those barriers.” (Interview done by Wayne Gerard Trotman)
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Copyright ©Akellia Daniel, 2016.
Women in Science in Trinidad and Tobago 