Connor at work in the EITD.
Photography: Steve WoodDaniel Connor, a research engineering manager for the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering’s Engineering and Innovative Technology Development group, was recently awarded the Exceptional Public Service Medal by NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
The Exceptional Public Service Medal is awarded to non-government individuals for sustained performance that embodies multiple contributions on NASA projects, programs or initiatives.
“It’s such an honor to be recognized by our NASA customer,” Connor said. “Our organization has a long history of engineering support to NASA’s Manned Space Flight programs, and I feel this award is really a group award. Without all the great team support within this organization, this achievement wouldn’t have been possible.”
One of the criteria for this award is a lasting impact on the success of the agency. Connor was specifically noted for exceptional sustained service and dedication to the success of Cold Stowage Operations enabling scientific research for over two decades.
“When I was hired back in the ’90s, this was supposed to be only a few years of work supporting crystallographers within the School of Optometry,” Connor said. “Fast forward three decades later, our EITD group is the absolute leader in temperature-controlled facilities on the International Space Station.”
Connor was recently recognized at the Agency Honor Awards Ceremony in Houston, Texas.
The EITD group was created to support the development of specialized research instruments for ground- and microgravity-based research experiments. With a team of experienced engineers and technicians, EITD specializes in the design, development and commercialization of innovative hardware and software systems for the aerospace and life sciences industries.
For more information about NASA and its programs, visit www.nasa.gov.