Armstrong Chief Scientist Albion Bowers retires

                                                                                                                                                                           NASA photograph by Lauren Hughes

Above: Al Bowers, center, and a group of student interns hook up a bungee cord for a flight of the Prandtl-D 3C
subscale glider aircraft. Right: Sean McMorrow, Director of Mission Systems Directorate, shares a few stories about
working with Albion Bowers, NASA Armstrong’s chief scientist, during Bowers’ retirement reception. Among Bowers’
many accomplishments, working and mentoring students was one of his most treasured experiences.

by Linda KC Reynolds                                            no idea that you could do this much and have this many great                                                                                                                                                        Photograph by Linda KC Reynolds
staff writer                                                    friends to do things with.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Use your smartphone to connect to
   Albion Bowers will soon retire as NASA Chief Scien-             One of his greatest joys and passions was mentoring nu-                                                                                                our Website.
tist but will continue with his true love, mentoring students,  merous engineering students working on the Prandtl D and
whenever possible.                                              M projects. “How could you not love working with interns?”
                                                                He recalled coming to the realization that every person he
   Earning a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering    worked with left their fingerprint on the project, and if there
and a Master of Engineering from California Polytechnic         had been a different group of people, there would have been
State University, San Luis Obispo, he began his career with     a different outcome. “It’s not about technology, it’s really
NASA in the Graduate Student Research Program in 1982.          about people.” “It’s not about technology, it’s really about
                                                                people.”
   “It’s been an amazing, amazing time, I have to say,” said
Bowers at a retirement farewell at NASA’s Armstrong Flight                                            See BOWERS, Page 3
Research Center at Edwards. “When I first came here, I had

January 18, 2019 • Volume 32, Issue 25                          Serving the aerospace industry since 1986
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