Thanks to receiving a helping hand from F5 Networks and GSBA, Shannon Gatta is on the road to achieving her dream of becoming the first openly LGBTQ astronaut to travel space.
The GSBA Scholarship Fund, sponsored by F5 Networks, awards scholarships to LGBTQ and allied students who exhibit excellent STEM career potential and leadership abilities. The fund has awarded over 650 scholarships totaling over $3 million.
As the GSBA's astronaut candidate through 'Out Astronaut', Shannon is attending the Advanced Space PoSSUM Space Academy in Florida as her Phase I training. With proper funding, she will continue into Phase II training, the Applied Astronautics Program at the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences and then conduct a science experiment of her design onboard a private space flight to space.
F5 tweeted: "Congrats to our @F5Networks Scholarship recipient, Shannon Gatta!"
Shannon has a passion for data science
Shannon is a University of Washington student studying for an Informatics Bachelor of Science degree. Shannon first found her passion for data science while on her deployment to Afghanistan with the Army National Guard. She found an interest in intelligence analysis and saw what the impact of finding patterns in significant activity could mean for the safety of the soldiers in not only her unit, but their area of operations as a whole.
When looking to pursue a civilian career, Shannon decided to merge her love for space exploration and passion for data science together. Shannon has focused on applying autonomous means to analyzing data, and has applied this to research in space radiation, aerodynamics testing data, predictive telemetry analysis for rockets, and data parsing for satellites.
She is also a NASA Pathways Co-op at NASA Langley, and is researching how to better teach non-technical people how to manage their data to help MESA - an organization that provides opportunities and tutoring to minority STEM students. Shannon continues to serve as an Intel Analyst in the Army National Guard and wants to inspire young women and the LGBTQ community to cultivate their interest in STEM careers.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.