Dr. George 'Pinky' Nelson, Three-Time Shuttle Astronaut, to Speak at 2002 Harvey Mudd College Commencement

CLAREMONT, Calif., Feb. 4 (AScribe Newswire) -- Dr. George "Pinky" Nelson, a Harvey Mudd College alumnus and space shuttle astronaut, will speak at the 44th commencement of Harvey Mudd College, 1:30 p.m., May 19, 2002, on the college's campus.

Nelson flew on three shuttle missions in 1984, 1986, and 1988, logging a total of 411 hours of space flight time. He was also the first American to walk in space without a tether to a spacecraft.

Nelson is currently director of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education at Western Washington University. Before that, he was director of Project 2061, a national initiative by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to reform K-12 science, mathematics, and technology education.

After graduating from HMC in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in physics, Nelson earned his master's and doctoral degrees in astronomy from the University of Washington. Later, he was assistant provost and professor of astronomy at the university from 1989 to 1996. He also has honorary doctorates from the University of Colorado and Towson University.

Nelson's NASA honors include an Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal, an Exceptional Service Medal, and three Space Flight Medals. He was also awarded the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Haley Space Flight Award and the V.M. Komarov Diploma from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. He has performed astronomical research in New Mexico, Colorado, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Harvey Mudd College is a coeducational institution of engineering, science, and mathematics that also places strong emphasis on humanities and the social sciences. The college's aim is to graduate engineers and scientists sensitive to the impact of their work on society. HMC ranks among the nation's leading schools in percentage of graduates who earn Ph.D. degrees. It is the pioneer of the internationally known Clinic Program, established in 1963.

Harvey Mudd College is a member of The Claremont Colleges Consortium, the first consortium of colleges in the United States, which offers students the expansive physical facilities and wide selection of courses, faculty, student services and extracurricular activities of a university, and the small classes and personalized education of a small private college. The Consortium includes Pomona College (established in 1887), Claremont Graduate University (1925), Scripps College (1926), Claremont McKenna College (1946), Harvey Mudd College (1955), Pitzer College (1963), and the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Science (1997).