Lebanon Valley College to host Natalie Panek at The Celebration of Women in the Sciences on Oct. 9

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Natalie Panek will deliver the keynote presentation at The Celebration of Women in the Sciences event as part of Lebanon Valley College’s Colloquium Series on Gender Oct. 9.

ANNVILLE, PA (09/25/2014)(readMedia)-- Lebanon Valley College welcomes Natalie Panek to deliver the keynote presentation at The Celebration of Women in the Sciences event on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 11 a.m., in Lutz Hall of the Blair Music Center, as part of the College's Colloquium Series on Gender. The event is free and open to the public.

Panek is a rocket scientist, explorer, and advocate for women in technology. She earned her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary and her master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies.

With a dream of one day becoming an astronaut, Panek has already had extensive experience in the industry. She interned at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center and at NASA's Ames Research Center, where she worked on a mission to Mars.

Currently, Panek works as a Mission Systems Engineer at MDA Space Missions, where she works on the next generation of Canadian robotics, and other Canadian space exploration programs. Her love of space and aviation led her to obtain a private pilot's license to fly a single-engine aircraft, as well as build and drive a solar-powered car across North America.

Panek has co-authored papers on microgravity combustion and on-orbit satellite servicing and is a technology contributor for The Next Women Business Magazine. In 2013, she was the recipient of the University of Calgary Graduate of the Last Decade Award and the Northern Lights Award Foundation Rising Star in aerospace. Panek was also named one of CBC's 12 young leaders changing Canada.

The Celebration of Women in the Sciences is a day-long event designed to foster and highlight the contributions of women across the STEM disciplines-from purely academic fields such as biology and physics to the more applied fields of physical therapy and actuarial science. The speakers, presentations, and discussions held throughout the day will encourage participants to think deeply about the way that gender and gender roles shape the past, present, and future of STEM disciplines. All students-regardless of gender-are welcome to participate in this event and experience the challenging and inclusive academic environment of Lebanon Valley College.

Gender actively and passively shapes our shared destinies. More than an idea, its practice and performance unfold within the constellations of biology and culture, bodies and institutions. In the face of powerful social conventions and the culturally constructed binaries of "male" and "female," "masculine" and "feminine," the complexities of gender challenge us to think beyond the genus, to reach beyond the type and category, and to step into the spectrum of being and becoming. More information and a complete schedule of Gender Colloquium speakers and films is available at www.lvc.edu/colloquium.