Pete Mendoza
UTRGV photo of NASA Solar System Ambassador Thomas Spencer.
UTRGV Associate Vice President of Research Operations Thomas Spencer was recently appointed as NASA’s new Solar System Ambassador, where he will spread excitement about space exploration and missions throughout the Rio Grande Valley.
According to the NASA website, a solar system ambassador is in charge of communicating the science and excitement of NASA’s space exploration missions and discoveries with the people in their communities.
Spencer said in his role, he will share the discoveries and missions of NASA to the Rio Grande Valley. He said one way to accomplish this is by having UTRGV faculty conduct a series of videos explaining space science.
“Some of the things that we’ll be doing in the next several months are recording a series of videos with faculty from UTRGV, who are working in space science,” he said. “They’ll be explaining their research and how their research is meaningful and impactful and how it can [positively affect] our community and humanity as a whole.”
According to Spencer, the videos explaining faculty space research will assist in expanding and gaining the attention of a broader audience.
He said the Valley is expected to undergo significant change in the following 10 years.
“The Rio Grande Valley and UTRGV are set right now on the cusp of some amazing things,” Spencer said. “The next 10 years are going to be some really impressive changes in the Valley. “We’ve got some amazing people in the Valley, and I really look forward to [see] them doing some amazing things and this is just one of the ways that we can get in front of those kids.”
Spencer said he is in charge of helping faculty with research rewards as the vice president of research operations.
“I’m responsible for not only the day-to-day operations of research administration but also the strategy of helping our faculty be effective in their ability to win and manage research awards,” Spencer said. “So, research administration is pre-award. We help the faculty find and submit awards for external funding agencies.”
He said he has worked under the UT System for over 21 years, starting with UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas for 19 years.
For more information about NASA operations and research, visit nasa.gov.
This is Pete Mendoza for Vaquero Radio.
