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Charles Camarda
Astronaut, Former Senior Advisor for Innovation
NASA
Dr. Charles Camarda, an astronaut and former senior advisor for
innovation at NASA, received his undergraduate degree in
aerospace engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn,
his MS from GW in mechanical engineering, and a PhD in aerospace
engineering from VPI. He was head of the thermal structures branch
at NASA’s Langley Research Center when he was selected to be an
astronaut in 1996. He flew on the return-to-flight mission of Space
Shuttle STS-114 in 2005. He held numerous positions at NASA
before retiring in 2019. He was inducted into the Air and Space
Cradle of Aviation Museum’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
He currently teaches, consults, and is the founder/CEO of the Epic
Education Foundation. An inventor, author, and educator, he speaks
on subjects related to engineering, engineering design, innovation,
safety, and organizational behavior.