Astronaut Peggy Whitson ’86 to speak at 2024 commencement
Peggy Whitson ’86, widely dubbed “America’s most experienced astronaut,” will speak at the 2024 commencement ceremony May 4, President Reggie DesRoches announced in an email to the Rice community Feb. 29.
A native Iowan, Whitson received her doctorate in biochemistry from Rice before working at Johnson Space Center. Her first space flight was in 1992 aboard Expedition 5, according to Whitson’s NASA biography. Since then, she’s spent 675 days in space, performed 10 spacewalks and become the first female commander of the International Space Station.
“Whitson’s background, career path, accomplishments and work in space exploration are truly impressive and trailblazing,” DesRoches wrote. “Over the past almost four decades, she has held various remarkable leadership positions, often being the first woman to do so.”
Whitson retired from NASA in 2018 after three missions to the ISS, a four-year stint as the most senior astronaut at NASA and more minutes in space than any other American. She’s now the director of human spaceflight for the privately-funded Axiom Space, becoming the first woman to command a private space mission after returning to the ISS aboard Axiom-2 in May 2023.
TIME Magazine named Whitson as one of their 100 most influential people in 2018.
“A very high professional standard — that’s what her name means in the astronaut community,” Thomas Pesquet, European Space Agency astronaut, wrote about Whitson for TIME. “It’s no wonder that [Whitson] has almost single-handedly redefined the role of women in space exploration.”
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice Students for Justice in Palestine declares ‘liberated zone’ on campus
As student protests erupt across the country, Rice Students for Justice in Palestine launched a “liberated zone” on Rice campus, announced a two-day series of events and started construction on an “apartheid wall.”
Jeremy Zucker headlines second-ever Moody X-Fest
Jeremy Zucker headlined Rice’s second annual Moody X-Fest in Founder’s Court on April 19. In advance of Zucker’s set, student groups like Basmati Beats, Rice Philharmonic and BASYK performed. The festival also offered complimentary merchandise and food from Dripped Birra, Cane’s and Oh my Gogi.
Jones wins men’s and women’s Beer Bike races, GSA snags alumni
Jones College won both the women’s and men’s Beer Bike 2024 races, while the Graduate Student Association claimed the alumni team win. Hanszen College bike teams were the runner-up in the alumni and men’s races, while Brown College was the runner-up in the women’s race. Martel and McMurtry Colleges did not bike in the alumni race, according to the Rice Program Council’s final report, and the GSA was disqualified from the men’s race for accidentally sending out two bikers simultaneously.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.