VALENCIA, CA, October 19, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Sam Wesley Thurman, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Thurman celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Accumulating over three decades of experience in aerospace engineering, Dr. Thurman is presently a program area manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. Having served in this role since 2019, his current responsibilities include the oversight of JPL's space mission formulation activities in the areas of small solar system bodies, such as asteroids and comets, and Planetary Defense, as well as involvement in several other, related space mission and technology development activities. Previously, he served as manager of the Europa Lander Pre-Project, a proposed astrobiology mission concept. Aligned with the Laboratory since 1987, some of Dr. Thurman's former positions included serving as deputy project manager for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission and deputy division manager of JPL's Autonomous Systems Division. Considered an expert in project management, he is also well versed in spacecraft and missile development. Prior to his tenure with JPL, Dr. Thurman excelled as a staff engineer for the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he conducted performance analysis of ballistic missile guidance, navigation and control systems, among other duties.
Dr. Thurman's renowned professional career included service as a panel member and study leader on numerous NASA project review panels and on several special studies and assignments for development and test flight programs. He also garnered a laudable reputation on several major NASA planetary and earth science space missions, including Galileo, which launched in 1989, the Mars Pathfinder in 1996, the Mars Climate Orbiter and Polar Lander in 1999, the Mars Science Laboratory in 2011 and the SMAP mission, launched in 2015. The Mars Pathfinder was particularly fascinating, as it was the first mission in 20 years to attempt a landing on Mars at the time (1997) and, although risky, it succeeded and helped reinvigorate interest in Mars exploration in the U.S. Additionally, Dr. Thurman was instrumental in two test flight missions of new, "smart" systems for planetary landing conducted with NASA sounding rockets in both 2006 and 2010.
As a seasoned engineer, Dr. Thurman has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles on a range of space exploration topics. He also contributed several NASA New Technology Reports, addressing such topics as Space Navigation and Automated Spacecraft Guidance and Control. A visionary and leader behind numerous community and educational initiatives, Dr. Thurman served as the secretary of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps Booster Club at Valencia High School in Valencia, California, between 2016 and 2019. He was also involved with the YMCA Y-guides Program from 2003 to 2007 and has been active on the board of advisors of the University of Southern California's department of aerospace and mechanical engineering since 2009.
Surrounded by military aviation while coming of age, Dr. Thurman drew deeply from the influence of his father, who served as an interceptor pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He developed an affinity for space travel and aeronautical engineering after witnessing NASA's early achievements during the 1960s and 1970s. After high school, he pursued a formal education, receiving Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1983 and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1985, respectively. He later attained a Doctor of Philosophy in the same subjects at the University of Southern California in 1995. While working toward his doctorate degree, Dr. Thurman joined the U.S. Army Reserve, serving as a lieutenant between 1987 and 1995.
Among his professional memberships, Dr. Thurman is a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Astronautical Society. Likewise, he is a member of the engineering honor societies of Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Gamma Tau. Dr. Thurman's many career accomplishments earned him numerous NASA Group Achievement Awards between 1995 and 2017. He also received an Exceptional Achievement Medal from NASA in 1998, a JPL Magellan Award for Senior Management in 2015, an Outstanding Leadership Medal from NASA in 2016 and a JPL Voyager Awards for Individual Achievement in 2001, 2016 and 2017.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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