NESC Honor Awards

NESC Honor Awards are given each year to NASA employees, industry representatives, and other stakeholders for their efforts and achievements in engineering, leadership, teamwork, and communication. These awards formally recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the NESC mission, demonstrate engineering and technical excellence, and foster an open environment. 

NESC Director’s Award 
Honors individuals for defending a technical position that conflicts with a program or organization’s initial or prevailing engineering perspectives and for taking personal initiative to foster clear and open communication and resolve controversial issues. 

DANIEL L. DIETRICH – In recognition of the development and advocacy of the technical rationale to assess the safety and effectiveness of breathing systems for pilots of tactical aircraft. 

NESC Leadership Award 
Honors individuals for sustained leadership excellence demonstrated by establishing a vision, developing and managing a plan, and building consensus to proactively resolve conflicts and achieve results. 

YUAN CHEN – In recognition of outstanding leadership in  the electrical, electronic, electromechanical parts’ community and the development of recommendations on the use of commercial parts in NASA missions. 

NIKOLAUS GRAVENSTEIN – In recognition of outstanding technical leadership in support of Verification of Testing Standard for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Partial Pressure in Extravehicular Activity Suits. 

ELSPETH M. PETERSEN – In recognition of outstanding leadership to the Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator Assessment Team in negotiating creative solutions and facility challenges. 

PATRICK A. SIMPKINS – In recognition of outstanding technical leadership in support of numerous NESC assessments to reduce risk to NASA’s most critical human and robotic spaceflight programs. 

NESC Engineering Excellence Award 
Honors individuals for making significant engineering contributions, developing innovative approaches, and ensuring appropriate levels of engineering rigor are applied to the resolution of technical issues in support of the NESC mission. 

KEVIN W. DICKENS – In recognition of engineering excellence and sustained commitment to the NESC Propulsion Technical Discipline Team and NASA missions.