National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

There’s

More to

the Story

VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2023
Celebrating 80 Years

There’s More to the 

Glenn Library Story 

AeroSpace Frontiers

is an official publication of NASA’s Glenn 

Research Center. It is published the 

second Friday of each month by the Office 

of Communications in the interest of the 

Glenn workforce, retirees, government 

officials, business leaders, and the general 

public. 

Submit short articles and calendar items 

to the editor at doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov. 

Editor: Doreen B. Zudell, ATS, 

 216–433–5317

Design: Rhys Sampson, ATS

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

The recent Safety Culture Survey 

indicated some employees don’t 

know how to report a safety concern. 

Reporting of hazards or safety 

concerns is fundamental to a healthy 

safety culture. There are multiple 

pathways for you to report, including 

the “Safety Reporting” button on 

Inside Glenn and reporting to your 

supervisor. If your concern is not 

resolved locally, you may escalate 

it to the center level (including 

anonymously), to the agency, and 

the anonymous NASA Safety 

Reporting System, if necessary. 

Click this link for more 

information: https://go.nasa.

gov/3yU WrlI. Scroll down to 

“Safet y and Health Hazard 

Reporting Pathways,” and click 

on the PDF.

DIRECTOR’S

SAFETY CORNER

Safety Reporting

This year’s National Library Week, April 23 to 29, theme “There’s More 

to the Story,” stresses that libraries are more than books and online 

resources; they transform lives and strengthen communities. The Glenn 

Library is no exception, and employees are part of the story.

The story began in 1943 when the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory 

(now NASA Glenn) opened its first on-site library to support research and 

projects primarily pertaining to propulsion systems for military aircraft. 

Over the years, the library also maintained building floor plans, technical 

specifications, and equipment manuals. In addition, arrangements were 

made so the NACA (now NASA) staff could borrow materials from other 

libraries, both local and at other federal agencies.

Those support functions remained but evolved over the years as technology 

changed how information is accessed and research is done. Today, the 

Glenn Library continues to meet the center’s science, engineering, and 

aerospace research needs in ways that could never have been 

imagined by the library staff 80 years ago. 

Collections and technology have naturally 

adapted over the past eight decades. 

While some may assume these 

new technologies will replace 

fundamental library operations; in 

reality, they are strengthening the 

research output and improving the 

customer’s experience.

 “These new tools 

have been a 

catalyst to 

transform 

Hamilton, right, assists Jack FortnerMonegan, with training materials at 

the Library’s Learning Center. 

GRC-2023-C-01630

Photos by Marvin Smith 
APRIL 2023

GRC-2023-C-01630 

Pictured, left to right: Kathy Hamilton, library technician; Jillien Zudell, science librarian; Robin Pertz, library supervisor (back); Marcia Stegenga, 

interlibrary loan specialist (front); Shannon Titas, science librarian; Kate Dunlap, senior librarian; and Kerri Novakovic, library technician. 

On the cover:

Library Supervisor Robin Pertz, left, and Senior Librarian Kate 

Dunlap continue sharing the story of the Glenn Library. 

GRC-2023-C-01635 Photo by Marvin Smith

our services and added value to the research here at 

Glenn,” said Library Supervisor Robin Pertz, ATS/Office of 

Communications. “With artificial intelligence tools that can 

index structured and unstructured data both quickly and 

efficiently, our librarians are able to read massive amounts 

of written content, like journal articles and patents, to 

visually tell the story of data.”

Pertz said the return on investment is immeasurable 

because it gives the customer their time back. By having 

the library perform this value-added research, it allows the 

researcher to perform more impactful work for the agency.

In the last two years, the Glenn Library expanded 

further by establishing a Microsoft Teams channel. 

Additionally, the Glenn Library and Learning Center 

Teams’ channel is supporting Glenn and the agency by 

providing monthly Information Cafe programs, online 

resource demos, and more. 

The story doesn’t end there. The librarians and technical 

staff are there to guide you through the resources and 

connect you to the information you need, wherever it 

comes from and whatever form it comes in. 

“Glenn library staff are your partners in data stewardship, 

data literacy and analytics, knowledge management, and 

the future of work,” said Senior Librarian Kate Dunlap, 

Office of Communications. “We’re excited about our next 

chapter and to continue the story of the Glenn Library.”

The library is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. 

to 2 p.m. Contact robin.pertz@nasa.gov to set up an 

appointment before or after hours.

For more information on the history of the Glenn Library, 

visit https://go.nasa.gov/3JojxGj. 

3
10-by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel Cooling 

 Tower Water Pump Building F

This year’s National Earth Day, April 22, theme 

“Invest in Our Planet,” engages governments, 

institutions, businesses, and citizens to do their 

part in protecting the planet. It should come as 

no surprise that companies which develop strong 

environmental social governance standards are 

seeing better profitability, stronger financial 

performance, and happier employees.

Sustainability is the path to prosperity for humanity 

and businesses alike. NASA Glenn is committed—

through the Environmental Management System—to 

working together to create a more sustainable planet. 

Part of that commitment centers on facility design, 

operation and maintenance, and energy management. 

All new federal facilities, including those at Glenn, 

must meet specific requirements for sustainability 

and receive at least a Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design Silver certification. For existing 

facilities and infrastructure, however, modern 

upgrades are key to improving energy and water 

efficiency and helping the agency strive to reach

sustainability goals.

Here are three innovative projects underway or on the 

horizon at Lewis Field:

Energy Management Control Systems (EMCS) 

Upgrade Project

Glenn’s EMCS comprises 167 main field panels 

and nearly 200 application-specific equipment

controllers throughout buildings at Lewis Field. 

Upgrading existing or obsolete EMCS panels 

and the network will ensure the system is 

maintainable for the future. New controls 

and data software will bring Glenn’s digital 

transformation to the next level, which will 

provide the capability of artificial intelligence 

as well as improved energy and water efficiency 

across the center.

Delaval Synchronous Condenser

Conversion Project

Delaval exhausters were part of Lewis Field’s central 

process air system until about 10 years ago. While 

the exhausters could no longer run without replacing 

the machines, the motors are still operational. This 

project involves repurposing the motors from 

decommissioned exhausters to improve the center 

electrical power factor. Doing so will reduce electricity 

consumption by 5% to 10% when no large machines 

are running and allow Glenn to meet energycurtailment requirements with FirstEnergy Corp.

Electrochemical Cooling Tower Water 

Treatment Project

Electrochemical water treatment will be installed 

in two chilled water plant cooling towers at Lewis 

Field. These chillers remove heat to cool the water 

used in projects. Unlike the existing system, where 

chemicals are purchased and added manually 

to prevent algae and bacteria growth, this new 

system uses electricity to create a chemical 

reaction effectively treating the water without 

adding chemicals. The water treatment 

system requires 30% less water than the 

previous system. 

To learn more about Glenn’s sustainability 

goals and efforts, visit https://go.nasa.

gov/3LAAWhu.

By Doreen B. Zudell

Facility Upgrades Improve Sustainability Goals

GRC-2023-CN-00003

4
FY245

Schaible addresses employees at the meet and greet.

GRC-2023-C-01232 Photo by Bridget Caswell

On Feb. 27, employees gathered at the MIC 

Auditorium at Lewis Field to welcome Dawn Schaible 

to the Glenn family. Schaible, who served as Glenn’s 

acting deputy center director since June 2022, was 

officially named deputy center director on Feb. 24.

During the meet and greet, employees shared 

congratulatory well wishes with Schaible. 

“Dawn has been a member of the NASA family for 35 

years, and she brings a wealth of NASA research, 

engineering, and programmatic knowledge with 

her to Cleveland,” said Center Director Dr. Jimmy 

Kenyon. “She’s done a phenomenal job while serving 

as acting deputy center director. She jumped in and 

immediately began making an impact. I look forward 

to continuing to support NASA’s mission and people 

with her permanently on our leadership team.”

To learn more about Schaible, visit https://go.nasa.

gov/3xYSc82.

Glenn Welcomes Deputy Center Director

The fiscal year 2024 funding request demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment 

to NASA and maintaining the agency’s position as a global leader in aeronautics, exploration, 

technology innovation, and discovery for the benefit of all. 

It proposes $27.2 billion for NASA, including over $877 million in spending at NASA Glenn. This 

represents a nearly 6% increase over Glenn’s proposed 2023 budget. 

For details, visit https://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html.

President’s Proposed Budget Released

APRIL 2023

5
In celebration of Black History Month, Glenn hosted 

a program featuring former Center Director Dr. Julian 

Earls. During the Feb. 23 event, broadcast live 

throughout the agency from Lewis Field, Earls addressed 

this year’s African American Employee Resource Group’s 

Black History Month theme “Building a Legacy of 

Achievement, Connection, and Knowledge.” Audiences 

in-person and on-line embraced Earls’ presentation, 

which included personal experiences and anecdotes to 

emphasize the importance of unity and collaboration 

among all people, regardless of race. A question-andanswer session followed. GRC-2023-C-01125 Photo by Marvin Smith

Glenn Scores With Cavs

Glenn employees, Lilia Miller, left, and Molly Kearns, 

seated, help with hands-on activities that promote 

NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program 

during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Score with STEM at the 

Rocket Field House, Feb. 26. Nearly 2,000 students 

and families across Northeast Ohio attended the event, 

designed to spark excitement in STEM and cultivate 

career awareness. Employees also staffed tables 

featuring the Graphics and Visualization Lab and Picture 

Yourself in Space photobooth. 

BEYA STEM Honors 

Glenn Scientists 

The 2023 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) in 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) 

Selection Committee have named two Glenn employees 

“Most Promising Scientist in Government.”

Dr. Lyndsey McMillon-Brown, research electrical 

engineer, Photovoltaic and Electrochemical Systems 

Branch; and Dr. Jamesa Stokes, aerospace materials 

research engineer, Environmental Effects and Coatings 

Branch, were recognized during the 37th BEYA STEM 

Conference. Congratulations!

Dr. McMillon-Brown Dr. Stokes

Dr. Earls Addresses Black History Month Theme

Information Cafe

Join the Glenn Library staff for the next Information 

Cafe on Wednesday, April 19, from 11–11:45 a.m., 

in building 142, room 188, or on Teams. Check 

Inside Glenn for the topic and link.

POC: robin.n.pertz@nasa.gov. 

6

GRC-2023-C-01139 Photo by Jef Janis
7

Deadline for small items in the April issue is Wednesday, April 19, noon.

News and feature stories require additional time.

Promotion

Ryan J. Munro has been selected Chief, 

Engineering Management Branch, in the Facilities 

Infrastructure Division of the Facilities, Test 

and Manufacturing Directorate. He previously 

served in every function within the branch and 

oversaw critical tasks within the division. Munro 

will provide leadership for facilities design and 

construction tasks. 

Munro

Retirements

Kan Delventhal

Joseph J. Kan, Financial Services Branch, retired 

March 3, 2023, with 43 years of NASA experience.

Rex A. Delventhal, Chemical and Thermal 

Propulsion Systems Branch, retired March 31, 2023, 

with 41 years of NASA service.

More Than

a Memory

Aguilar Leidy

Kenny E. Aguilar, 82, a 2009 retiree with 30 

years of NASA service, died March 4. He began 

his career at Glenn (Lewis) as Deputy Personnel 

Director and as the Director of Equal Opportunity 

Programs. He served in several capacities 

within NASA, including Director of Personnel at 

Kennedy Space Center and Deputy Administrator 

for Diversity and Equal Opportunity at NASA 

Headquarters. Aguilar returned to Glenn in 2005 

and retired as Director of Center Operations. He 

received many awards, including the National 

Presidential Executive Rank and the Exceptional 

Service Medal. For his online obituary, visit https://

go.nasa.gov/3FoUWQd. 

Ray A. Leidy, 92, a 1988 retiree with 34 years of 

service, died Feb. 12. A U.S. Army veteran, Leidy 

began his NASA career as an apprentice for NACA 

in 1956, graduating as an aviation metalsmith. 

He worked in the Sheetmetal Branch throughout 

the 1960s and the early 1970s. He later moved to 

the Outside Fabrication Branch, which contracted 

fabrication work to external companies. He 

received a patent with three co-inventors for a 

Refractory Metal Forming Die and authored a Tech 

Brief on Heated Die for Tungsten Forming. His son, 

Gary, works for OAI at the NASA Safety Center. 

For his online obituary, visit https://go.nasa.

gov/3Z9pLQK.

APRIL 2023

7
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center 

Lewis Field 

 

 

 

 

21000 Brookpark Road

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility 

 3597 E. Scheid Road 

 Sandusky, Ohio 44870

 

 

www.nasa.gov

Read AeroSpace Frontiers online at https://www.nasa.gov/glenn/aerospacefrontiers.

Emergency and Inclement Weather Lines 

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT) 

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility: 419–621–3333

Connect With Glenn

Grant

Funds Study 

of Space 

Technology 

Concept 

A team at NASA Glenn is working to help NASA 

penetrate the many kilometer-thick ice caps of Icy 

World Oceans in its search for extraterrestrial life. 

The team’s Accessing Icy World Oceans Using Lattice 

Confinement Fusion Fast Fission project has been 

selected for a 2023 Phase I NASA Innovative Advanced 

Concepts (NIAC) Program.

The NIAC fosters innovation by funding early-stage 

studies to evaluate technologies that could support 

future missions. NIAC will provide a $175,000 grant 

to the Glenn team to design a robotic probe that 

can break through 40-kilometer-thick ice in worlds 

such as Ceres, Enceladus, Pluto, and Europa. To do 

this, the team will develop a non-fissile, compact 

nuclear energy source that can power and provide 

heat for melting and boring through icy shelves never 

penetrated before. 

The team comprises Dr. Theresa Benyo, Larry Forsley, 

Dr. Rodger Dyson, and Mike Becks.

For more information on this proposal, visit https://

go.nasa.gov/3XKqtmj. GRC-2023-CN-00002