Purdue News
Purdue News
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February 11, 2004 Purdue professor to sign copies of his book on SundayWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University professor and NASA veteran who wrote a book offering advice to help young scientists and engineers deal with workplace politics without compromising their professional integrity will hold a book signing Sunday (2/15) in Lafayette.
In his new book, "Advice to Rocket Scientists: A Career Survival Guide for Scientists and Engineers," James Longuski includes insights and anecdotes gleaned during his 25-year career in aerospace and academia. The book signing will be from 2-4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 2323 Sagamore Parkway South. The 84-page book provides pointers to help people thrive in technical fields in which "science and politics often clash," said Longuski, a NASA veteran and professor in Purdue's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The book was published recently by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Longuski uses the term "rocket scientist" as a metaphor "for anyone in technical endeavors that might involve a lot of people working together under a management system that is promising to deliver some major project, like a rocket to the moon or maybe a new drug or a new computer chip. "What happens in those types of environments is that you have two realities coexisting side by side. One is the political reality, which is what the managers are promising to their sponsors, and then you have the physical reality, which concerns the work of scientists and engineers." Surviving in the workplace does not mean engineers and scientists must bow to the political reality, he said. "I tell people to be honest and stick to their guns," said Longuski, who worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the space shuttle Challenger exploded in January 1986. The paperback book sells for $34.95 but is $24.95 for members of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Longuski was a maneuver analyst and a mission designer for nine years at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif., before coming to Purdue in 1988. He teaches courses in dynamics, aerospace optimization and spacecraft design. He is an associate fellow of the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and has written more than 100 conference and journal papers in the general area of astrodynamics, including such topics as spacecraft dynamics and control, re-entry theory, mission design, space trajectory optimization and a new test of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. He also has worked with Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on a human transportation system to Mars. Writer: Emil Venere, (765) 494-4709, venere@purdue.edu Sources: James Longuski, (765) 494-5139, longuski@ecn.purdue.edu Kim Brei, Barnes & Noble, (765) 449-7104, crm2810@bn.com Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web site:
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