Astronaut to Accept League of Black Women Award
The League of Black Women will present astronaut Joan E. Higginbotham with the 2007 Black Rose Award during its national leadership conference Aug. 26 in Atlanta. The ceremony will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the InterContinental Hotel.
The Black Rose Award is considered the League of Black Women’s highest honor. It’s presented to individuals committed to advocating leadership opportunities for women of color in science, technology and public service. The ceremony is open to media. Higginbotham will be available for interviews afterward.
Higginbotham made her first spaceflight aboard space shuttle Discovery in December 2006 on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station to rearrange the complex’s power and cooling systems. During the flight, Higginbotham operated the station’s robotic arm.
The native of Chicago received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She also has two master’s degrees from the Florida Institute of Technology. Before her selection as an astronaut in 1996, Higginbotham spent nine years working at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., overseeing various stages of shuttle launch preparation.
For more information, contact Dana Davis, Astronaut Appearances Office, at 281-244-0933. For more information about Higginbotham visit:
