Karen St. Germain
Karen St. Germain has stepped into a new role at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as director of the Earth Science division in the Science Mission Directorate. Previously, St. Germain was deputy assistant administrator for systems at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Department of Commerce.
The Earth Science division conducts global examination, from space, of Earth phenomena such as dust storms, floods and coral reefs. The examination of these processes assists in making informed decisions concerning agriculture, disaster preparedness and response, and planning for cities and towns.
St. Germain earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Union College in 1987, a PhD in Microwave Remote Sensing from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1993, and an M.S. in National Security Strategy from The National War College in 2013. She began her career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an assistant professor of electrical engineering in 1996, and later held positions in agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Commerce before joining NASA.
