Stacey Morrison

A typical day in my job starts out with reading e-mail and listening to my phonemail (answering machine) to see if anyone is having a problem with their computers. If they are, then I try to call them up and resolve their problem over the phone or via e-mail. On Mondays, I meet with the software developers and the users of the Program Planning and Control System (PPACS) to see if everything is on schedule and the users are happy with the software.

On Tuesdays, I represent the directorate at a meeting of all of the CIOs at the Center to discuss what new hardware and software we are going to get, what new policies do we have to adhere to (for example, no games can be loaded on government equipment), and what security measures will we have to put in place on our computers.

On Wednesdays, I meet with the Network Access Control Board to see if the users in my directorate can let people from the outside look at our computers and with the software developers working on our Critical Path, Weekly Activity Report System, and Virtual Astronaut websites.

On Thursdays, I meet with the division CIOs to tell them what happened at the meeting on Tuesday and other information.

On Fridays, I meet with the contractor to see how we are doing with regards to meeting schedules on all of our software packages. There is never a dull moment.

The most exciting thing about my job is knowing that I am helping people in my directorate study moon rocks, mars rocks, astronaut health, human factors of spacecraft and other studies by making sure that they have the right computer tools to do their job. It makes me realize that I am really a part of helping people get into space. That’s what is the most fun.

Since I was little, I have always been good at math and science. I got straight As in high school, and in most of my math classes in college. I also got straight As in biology, chemistry and physics. My father encouraged me to take the hardest classes in school, so I did.

When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to be a nurse like my mom. When I found out that blood, guts, and sick people were involved I decided to become a teacher like my grandmother. When I realized I would have to do a lot of work for not a lot of money, I decided to become a professional singer. When I realized that I would have to travel and that money was not guaranteed (what if I didn’t make it), I decided to become an English to Spanish translator. When my mother told me that native Spanish speakers would do better than I would (she may have been wrong, but I listened to her), I decided to go into computers. What really attracted me to computers was that I could use my math skills, and that computers would be around for a long time and I would always have a job. When I took a computer math class in my junior year of high school, that really decided it for me.

I attended Michigan Technological University and majored in computer science. Michigan Tech is an engineering school, and, at the time I attended, there were four boy students to every girl student. I realized early on that I didn’t like programming, but I kept on with my major because I didn’t want to do anything else. I then started working for NASA, after I graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in computer science.

Instead of programming, I helped people use their computers as part of the PC support group in the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD). I then was reorganized into the Information Systems Directorate (ISD) and was asked to be a system administrator for a network server. I decided then that I would get a masters in computer science and focus on computer networking since it didn’t involve programming.

I received my master of science degree in computer science from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1993. In ISD, I was helping people decide what types of networks and servers they needed. Then I became a customer service agent for MOD and helped them get any service they needed from ISD whether it was computers, networking, e-mail, host computers, etc.

After that I became part of the Office of the CIO at JSC and started approving computer plans for the entire center. I got to know just about everyone at the center that wanted to buy a computer in each directorate. After two years doing that, I decided that I would try to find a job in Space and Life Sciences Directorate and help them get their computer buys approved. Space and Life Sciences hired me on and I have been there ever since.

I didn’t have any difficulties in pursuing a career in computer science. I was a little discouraged since I made Cs in all of my computer classes in my freshman year of college because I had trouble programming, but I persevered because I really didn’t want to change my major. After I graduated from college, I realized that there were other things I could do in computer science that didn’t involve programming. Teaching others how to use existing programs, figuring out problems with those programs, and finding what is the best hardware and software product to buy for the job are ways that you can be in computer science without having to program. I now manage other people that know how to program and it helps that I know how to speak their language.

I didn’t really have any female role models growing up because I didn’t know any women that were in computer science. I did have my mother and grandmothers as role models in that they taught me how to get a good education, and not to give up when things got tough. One obstacle I had to overcome was for the people that I was managing to take me seriously. I was in my 20’s and I was the NASA monitor for a contractor who was in his 50’s. He kept going over my head to my male boss to get direction. I told my boss that I needed to be in the meetings and in the loop on what was going on or I couldn’t be the NASA monitor for this part of the contract. My boss let me in on everything and the contractor realized that I was to be listened to. It also helped that I was able to get things for the contractor when they needed it. Eventually the contractor respected me and I didn’t have any problems after that.

Working for NASA as a government employee is very well respected in the community around JSC. My husband’s father was a contractor who designed the Lunar Module, and my husband is very glad that I work for NASA because he appreciates the hard work and dedication that goes into NASA projects. My daughter likes getting the NASA posters and stickers that are given to employees.

Financially, I am doing fairly well as the main income for my household. My husband is a professional photographer and stays home with our daughter, while I work full time. His business brings in a little money, but we mostly live on my income. I also do not have to work more than 40 hours a week unless there is a major project going on that has a short deadline. I might be able to make more in industry, but I like the atmosphere, the people, and the area working for NASA.

One of the things I do outside of work is that I sing in the Adult Choir at House of Prayer Lutheran Church, in Houston, TX. This past December I sang two solos in our choir’s production of Handel’s Messiah. I also sing solos of Amy Grant music, as well as hymns in Spanish during the church service. My husband accompanies me on the flute on occasion. I also teach 7th grade Sunday School and am a sponsor of Celebration Kids which is the youth group for the elementary school age kids at our church. I read the lesson and help with communion during the service and teach music for Vacation Bible School. For three years I was a member of the church council and was in charge of Adult Sunday School and taught several Adult classes.

I also read science fiction and fantasy novels, and my favorite authors are Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffrey, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Lois McMaster Bujold. I like to dance and walk for exercise, and I have a wildlife habitat in my backyard. I like to garden, and I am working on landscaping our yard. I also like to play computer games and chat on the Internet with my relatives.

When I was 11-18, I would have liked to have more exposure to computers and technology so that I would have been better prepared when I went to college. It would have been nice to meet some women that were in the computer science field and actually spend a day with them on the job. They didn’t have "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" when I was a child, although my dad did take me to his work a few times. He was in computer maintenance in the Air Force, and I think that got me started on computers. It was hard to see what industry was like because I lived in such small towns growing up. Nothing really prepared me for my move to Houston, although I am getting used to it after 11 years.

My advice to young women wanting to pursue a career in math, science, or technology, is to take the hardest classes you can in junior high and high school. If you have a choice between home economics and science, take science. If you like word puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, solving riddles, then you might want to look into a career in computers. Computers will always be around and you will always have a job. Engineering is also a good choice for a career. Do not be afraid of math and science. Once you get into it, you can have a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun in chemistry class trying to figure out the pH level of household chemicals. I loved genetics and figuring out the probability of a child getting certain characteristics of his or her parents. Computer science is not just for geeky guys who can’t get dates. It is for anyone who likes to solve puzzles and challenges. You can also make some decent money.

In 5 to 10 years I would like to go into management. I see myself as a branch chief in charge of a staff that is working on computer projects. It may not be in the Space and Life Sciences Directorate, but it may be in the Information Systems Directorate, the Mission Operations Directorate, or even the Engineering Directorate. I will watch for an opening and apply for jobs that I qualify for. If I don’t get the first one, I will keep trying until I succeed. One day I may want to be the Director of the Information Systems Directorate or the Chief Information Officer for JSC. Both of these positions are currently held by women. It may take me a little while to work my way up the ladder, but I believe that there are opportunities there for me at NASA.

If you would have told me when I was in junior high, high school, or even in college that I would be working for NASA in the future, I would not have believed you. The only reason I applied to NASA was because it was in a book of companies that had job openings. I really wanted to work for Kellogg's, but they turned me down. In the end NASA was the only place that would offer me a job at the time and I am really glad that they did. It is really something special to be working for the nation’s space program. I really feel privileged to be able to pass astronauts in the hallway. In fact, one day I passed John Glenn in the hallway when he was training for STS-95. He said Hi, I said Hi, and we kept on going. It wasn’t until I thought about it for awhile that I realized that it really was John Glenn I had passed in the hallway. You can’t do that anywhere else.

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April 26, 2001 Quest Webchat

April 27, 2000 Quest Webchat