Jim Voss on a spacewalk. (Courtesy of NASA)
CU faculty is expanding to include Jim Voss, formerly of NASA, in the aerospace engineering sciences department, according to a CU News Center news release.
As an alumnus of CU, Jim Voss told the CU Independent he is excited about the prospect of working in Boulder.
“I was offered a job out here in Colorado and it was just too good to pass up,” Voss said.
Voss has worked for nearly 20 years at NASA, including over 200 days in space. However, his professional background also includes his position on the faculty at both Auburn University and the U.S. Military Academy, according to the News Center news release.
Voss said he believes his experiences can enhance these academic topics.
“When I talk about space, usually students believe me,” Voss said. “Being able to link personal experiences with academic subjects is a very good thing.”
Voss will be teaching “Introduction to Aerospace Engineering” and “Introduction to Human Space Flight” courses. Students have said the knowledge he will bring to these courses will be of clear benefit to them.
Taylor Nystrom, a 19-year-old sophomore environmental engineering major with a minor in geology, said she is excited at the prospect of learning from a professor with a background such as Voss’s.
“Experience is an integral part of any education, and I feel like Mr. Voss will be able to help provide that part to the already outstanding engineering program at CU,” Nystrom said.
Joe Tanner, another instructor in the aerospace engineering sciences department and formerly of NASA, also expressed enthusiasm about Voss’s level of experience and the opportunity of working with him again.
“He brings both levels of experience,” Tanner said. “And it’s great to have somebody with similar backgrounds right next door.”
The aerospace engineering program at CU was ranked in the top 20 in the country as of 2008, according to CU’s “Just the Facts” Web page.
Voss said he hopes to help improve the bioastronautics research in the already strong department.
These goals were expressed in his lecture held Thursday by CU’s Students for the Exploration and Development of Space entitled, “The Past, Present and Future of Life in Space.”
At the lecture, he spoke not only about the future of NASA exploration, but also the future of his career at CU.
Voss said at the lecture that he recognizes the numerous career possibilities for students with engineering degrees and hopes to inspire these students by working with them in classes and on projects.
“I like to tell them that there are many things they can do as an engineer,” Voss said. “They will be able to find something that is professionally rewarding to them.”
Teaching will not be Voss’s first role here at CU. He received his master’s degree in 1974 from CU and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by CU in 2000, according to the news release.
Voss told the CU Independent he always saw himself possibly retiring in Boulder, but for now is happy to be at CU and is in no rush to leave.
“I think I’ll stay here as long as there are students who want to take the classes I am teaching,” Voss said.
The previously mentioned news release can be accessed here.
CU’s “Just the Facts” Web page can be accessed here.
More information pertaining to Jim Voss and his career can be found here.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Colleen Smith at Colleen.p.smith@colorado.edu.
