BATTELLE HOSTS KATHRYN SULLIVAN FOR LECTURE

Former astronaut, education policy chief talks about mentorships, life challenges in diversity lecture

 

Battelle employees got the inside story about overcoming challenges, work/life balance and the role of mentors from Dr. Kathy Sullivan on July 30.

 

Sullivan is the Director of the Battelle Center for Math & Science Education Policy in Ohio State University’s John Glenn School of Public Affairs. She addressed the Battelle crowd on its campus in Columbus, Ohio, as well streamed live to all employees of Battelle at more than 130 locations around the world. Her visit was co-sponsored by Battelle women’s Employee Resource Group.
 
She said she began her career pursuing a French major at UC Santa Cruz and ended up as an astronaut. She attributes her success at first to her parents, who always took the time to answer her many questions.
 
Building answers, discovering her own talents and meeting a mentor propelled Sullivan toward her stellar career.
 
She said today that mentorships are too formal and need to be more natural, and that early science teaching should be inquiry based. “It’s imperative that America moves forward with scientific competencies and skills,” she said. “We’re going to have lots of big questions in the future and we’ll need lots of people to provide the answers.”

 

Battelle is the world’s largest non-profit independent research and development organization, providing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses:  Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences.  It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $4 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization.  Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in more than 120 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
 
Battelle also is one of the nation’s leading charitable trusts focusing on societal and economic impact and actively supporting and promoting science and math education.

 

Contact National Media Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (410) 306-8638 or delaneyk@battelle.org or T.R. Massey, media relations specialist, at (614) 424-5544 or masseytr@battelle.org for more information.