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Meet: Kevin Sato
Payload Scientist
NASA Space Life Sciences Operations
NASA Ames Research Center
Who I Am and What I Do
I am a Payload Scientist, and I work with the NASA Space Life Sciences
Operations division at NASA Ames Research Center to develop experiments
that will be conducted on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.
I help Scientists to develop their space research goals and objectives
into an experiment that can be conducted in space flight. In the process,
we define all of the scientific requirements for 1) identifying the equipment
needed to support the experiment in space, 2) conducting the experiment
in space by the astronaut, and 3) conducting pre-flight and post-flight
processing work at the launch and landing facilities. I also work closely
with other support Scientists, Engineers, Operations teams, and Project
Management teams at ARC and other NASA centers to build the equipment
needed to conduct the experiment and to integrate the research project
into the Space Shuttle and International Space Station worlds.
Areas
of expertise
There are many different skills that are important for my position,
which include:
- Education in the biological sciences
- Life science research experience
- A strong ability to work with people who have diverse backgrounds
and capabilities
- Communications skills, including writing, presentation, and listening
- Project management skills
- Leadership ability
- Ability to handle frustration and change
How I first became interested in this profession
I became interested in sciences at a very early age due to the
dinosaur diorama at Disneyland. Also, my father was an engineer and showed
me a schematic of a radio. The electronics schematic looked nothing like
a radio, which made me skeptical about engineering. In comparison, my uncle,
who is an orthopedic surgeon, sent me archival X-rays showing human bones
for science day when I was in third grade. It was fascinating to see what
was under the skin, and the connected bones and bones of the hands all
looked like what an arm should look like. Also, there were some X-rays
of bone breaks, which made me curious about how a bone break heals. This
event was the starting point for my specific interest in biology. My interest
in space flight definitely started with the Apollo missions.
What helped prepare me for this job
My preparation for the job of a Payload Scientist came from my
past work as an Experiment Support Scientist (ESS). As an ESS, my activities
and responsibilities were similar to that of the Payload Scientist, except
it is more compartmentalized. The Project Scientst made it a priority to
provide me with solid functional training in my responsibilities. Also,
I was providedThis training easily translated over to my Payload Scientist
responsibilities. Also, I took training courses in project management and
attended training symposia.
Role Models
I think I was pretty lucky in that I had many role models and
inspirations in my life. They include my teachers, friends, family, and
people I worked with in the past and today. I feel that I was very fortunate
to always receive strong support from the people I associated with over
the years. which has made a great difference in my outlook on life and
my career.
My education and training
Early on, I was lucky to have teachers who took time to encourage
me and help me. In high school I took the college pre-requisite courses
and as many honors courses as possible. I also took summer school courses
to help me get into advanced math courses. I attend UCLA and received my
B.S. degree in Microbiology. As an undergraduate I worked for 4 years in
a lab that studied immunology and cancer biology. After college I worked
for 2 years at biotechnology company. Following this job, I was a graduate
student at U.C., Irvine where I received my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences.
I studied genes that promoted and suppressed cancer cell growth. After
receiving my Ph.D., I was a national American Cancer Society and California
Breast Cancer Program post-doctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Instititute.
At The Scripps, I studies the process for how cells control normal cell
growth and division.
My career path
The path to my career has been dominated by schoolwork. It started
in high school and then to college followed by graduate school and then
post-doctoral research. There was a brief 2 year vacation from school,
between graduating from college and starting graduate work, when I worked
at a biotechnology company. After completing my post-graduate work, I was
hired by Lockheed Martin as a Senior Research Scientist/Experiment Support
Scientist. After supporting a series of flight research projects, I was
promoted to a Payload Scientist/Staff Reseearch Scientist.
What I like about my job
I like working with many different people in many
different occupations. The opportunity to continue to learn and see things
from different perspecitves through these interactions keeps the job
fresh, challenging, and exciting. Also, I like the opportunities to travel
to suppport education and space flight research to the science community
and students, as well as to the other NASA centers to support the space
flight operations for the experiment. Finally, I really like the project
management aspect of the job. This allows me to be a part of all of the
different areas (engineering, science, operations, integrations, and
business) needed to develop and run a successful space flight project.
What I don't like about my job
The worst part of the job is the mounds of paperwork that you have to
generate to create the experiment, defend it, and integrate into the
space flight world. The upside is that the work needed to create the
paperwork is very interesting.
My advice to anyone interested in this occupation
The advice I would give to anyone interested in my occupation
is to learn to type and develop your writing and communications skills.
Also, one should evaulate their ability and desire to work in teams. As
Payload Scientists, all of my work is accomplished by working in a team-oriented
environment. Interms of education, one should focus on the life science
but do not limit your education to only life sciences. Try to take courses
that will expose you to engineering, physics/ chemistry and other non-life
science areas, and business and project management. The diversity of functional
groups for a space flight project touch on all these areas.
Personal
Outside of work, my interests include kayaking, hiking, bicycling, and
geocaching.
Archived Chats
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