From the Webb Space Telescope to the Moon and Back! Meet GlobalMindED STEM Star, Myrna James

I love STEM and I always have, in addition to my passion for words – literature, lyrics, poetry – for their power to connect, inspire change, and evoke emotions. My career blends both.

My career began in the media working for corporate media companies in Chicago through the 1990s ( WarnerMedia , Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK ). Then I traveled solo around the world, which expanded my worldview, profoundly changing my perspective. Astronauts seeing the Earth from space have a similar change in perception called “The Overview Effect.” It’s when we realize that our planet is, in fact, a fragile place hanging magically in space, and that we humans are “on it” together. We’re in it together, and we must take care of our planet – because we all need a place to live. Sure, someday some of us may go to Mars, but for now, this beautiful planet is all we’ve got.

After traveling, I acquired a?magazine about data from space?– satellite imagery of the earth used by climate scientists and geographers and anyone needing to know more about our planet. This is where my love of all things STEM grew exponentially. I have curated and moderated panels of top satellite imagery executives at conferences, handled PR for Amnesty International ’s launch of the first website showing human rights abuses in Sudan “live” using near real-time imagery, and worked with George Clooney’s team promoting his nonprofit using imagery as well.

I pushed through my own fears and became a host for a TV show about space. Now, I get to interview astronauts, aerospace engineers, and scientists for a Rocky Mountain PBS show called?Behind the Wings,?about all-things-space. I’ve?spoken with astronauts Mark Kelly about living on the International Space Station?for a year, and?Steve Lindsey about flying the Space Shuttle?and now heading up the development of the commercial replacement for the Space Shuttle, Dream Chaser at Sierra Space .

With the amazing producer of the show from Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum , Cray Novick , we are filming Season 5 now about the Artemis Program, which will take humans back to the moon for the first time in about 50 years, and about the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful view into the dark depths of space ever known, “seeing” in light years back in time to the origins of the universe, 13.5 billion years ago!

Space is extraordinary, and exploration is our very nature. The technology and data from space vastly improve our lives on Earth.

At GlobalMindED, I lead the STEM Equity team and I have carefully curated those luminaries who will be joining us live, sharing this excitement of space at our STEM panels. Attendees, faculty, and students will meet the engineers and scientists who are actually making this exploration possible! I feel so grateful to be at the intersection of media, space, and GlobalMindED’s Inclusive Success Network where the pioneers of the future will be made of more women and people of color.

Join us for these STEM sessions on June 8 and 9 in Denver:

• From Apollo to Artemis:?The Next Manned Mission to the Moon
• The Origin of the Universe in Light Years:?Miracles of the Webb Space Telescope
• Reducing Risks of Space Weather Hazards on Earth:?Building Global Resilience
• Fortifying Aerospace, Defense, Cybersecurity, and Intelligence Pipeline
• Helping STEM Students Run the College R.A.C.E.:?Reaching Achievement and Committed to Excellence
• Math as Success Gateway:?Building Blocks for College, Career, and Life
• Removing Multiple Barriers to Access:?STEM Leaders Drive Inclusive Success