When Bonnie Seaton talks to students, she reminds them that the path to a dream job isn’t always a straight line. After all, she started her career preparation in nursing, a very indirect way to end up as deputy project manager for the James Webb Space Telescope Operations Project at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The engineer and double alumna of University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC)—she has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Computer Systems Management—said it was curiosity that prompted her to sign up for her first computer class. At the time, she had recently relocated to Maryland from her hometown, Buffalo, New York. She had studied nursing at the State University of New York but wanted to go back to school to take English courses because she enjoyed writing.
“I loved science and math, but I didn’t have a lot of role models for women in science so I started studying nursing and later thought I would switch my coursework to focus on English and literature” Seaton said.
“I decided to take a computer class, even though I didn’t know what that really was. I thought it was hardware work,” she recalled. Once in the course, she learned that it focused on computer software, and she discovered that she loved the problem-solving aspects of programming.
Seaton initially enrolled at University of Maryland College Park, but a job obligation prompted her to transfer to what is now UMGC so she could take courses in the evening. As she completed her bachelor’s degree, she applied for multiple jobs, including at NASA, which had become her aspiration.
“When I finished my degree, I asked everyone I knew how they got their job at NASA,” she said. Through a family connection, someone who worked at the space agency took Seaton’s resume in to the agency and shared it with management. And when a job Seaton was interested in opened, she applied. Time passed and she had no word back, so she eventually accepted a job elsewhere. After six months at the new workplace, NASA offered her a position.
“At first I said, ‘No,’ because I’d just accepted the other job,” she said. “One of the division chiefs at NASA reached out to me and said, ‘Just come in and talk to us.’ When I did, I realized this was an opportunity of a lifetime. That was September 1986. I’ve now been with NASA for 37 years,” Seaton said.
After joining NASA, Seaton re-enrolled at UMGC to take physical science classes “so I could upgrade my position to computer engineer.” One semester she took three astronomy courses at the same time to qualify for the job classification upgrade. She later returned again to UMGC to complete her master’s degree.
Seaton said today’s online job search process has made finding and applying for opportunities much easier than it was 40 years ago. In particular, she has high praise for NASA’s internship program, which includes paid internships and opportunities for students in nearly every major. She encourages UMGC students to look into the program.
What is it like working for the James Webb Space Telescope Operations Project, deepening human knowledge of galaxies beyond our own?
“Every day is going to be different,” Seaton said. “As a deputy project manager, I have a variety of responsibilities … technical oversight, manpower planning and management, budgeting and working with contracts.
The space telescope enables NASA to capture clear pictures of some of the most faraway spots ever seen in space. In July 2022, NASA released the first images from the telescope, which is a million miles from earth, orbiting the sun. Seaton, who has worked with the James Webb Space Telescope Program for 17 years, said she’s one of the biggest fans of the inspiring images that the space telescope captures.
Dec. 25 marked the second anniversary of the space telescope’s launch from French Guiana.
When Seaton first joined NASA she was frequently the only woman in the room.
“When I first started at NASA in the mid 1980s, it didn’t take long to notice when you go into a room with engineers that you’re the only woman engineer in the room. Then I’d be assigned as a task lead, and I was still the only woman in the room,” she said. “Today, diversity representation in all roles, including leadership, has greatly improved. More women are in project management and leadership positions… it’s a very diverse environment.”
Seaton’s advice to students is to “find your passion” and pursue it, even if it takes more than one attempt. She also urges students to build their communications and teamwork skills.
“With everything we do, we have to be able to express our ideas to others. Written and oral communication are how we present ourselves to others,” she said. “Teamwork is also key. I hated group activities at school because I’m an introvert, but being able to work in a team and being effective on a team is a critical skill you need at large organizations and in handling major problems.”
As much as she enjoyed her science and computer courses at UMGC, Seaton said students should take care not to neglect the “soft side” of their education.
“Don’t just take computer, engineering and math classes. Include other classes that deal with management, working with others, conflict resolution,” she advised. “Those kinds of courses round out your abilities.”
In her free time, Seaton taps her non-science side, working in her garden and crafting greeting cards for friends and to donate to charitable organizations focused on cancer patients.
As deputy project manager with the Webb Telescope program, Seaton oversees all aspects of the space telescope’s operations, including its control centers and science data processing systems.
Before rising to that position, she held several other leadership roles at NASA, among them deputy ground system manager and, prior to that, manager of the Earth Observing System Data & Information System. She also managed the development of a data processing
system that supported multiple space missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope.
Seaton received the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership in both 2022 and 2017 for her work on the James Webb Space Telescope. In 2004, she was named recipient of the NASA Medal for Exceptional Achievement for her work providing near real-time products for the Terra and Aqua missions.
“I have enjoyed all my years at NASA. I have had opportunities here that I don’t think I would have had elsewhere,” Seaton said. “I think NASA is the best place to work.”
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