For Immediate Release Contact: Marc Kolb 

October 14, 2024 Director of Campus and Athletic Communications mkolb@norwich.edu 

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University continues its Todd Lecture Series with a presentation by  Associate Administrator (AA) for the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD), Dr. Nicola “Nicky” Fox, on  Friday, November 1st, at 7 p.m. in Plumley Armory. 

As the AA for the Science Mission Directorate, Dr. Fox directs ~100 NASA missions to explore the  secrets of the universe – missions that use the view from space to assess questions as practical as  hurricane formation, as enticing as the prospect of lunar resources, as amazing as behavior in  weightlessness, and as profound as the origin of the universe. She is responsible for fostering an  inclusive, welcoming atmosphere and supporting a diverse team of space scientists and engineers  around the country. 

As the AA, Dr. Fox creates a balanced portfolio of carefully chosen missions and research goals to  enable a deep scientific understanding of Earth, other planets, the Sun, and the universe. These efforts  lay the intellectual foundation for the robotic and human expeditions of the future, while meeting today’s  needs for scientific information to address national concerns. 

“The key to being a scientist is to love asking questions,” stated Dr. Fox. “If you are fascinated  about how and why things work – you are already a scientist.” 

Dr. Fox joined NASA in 2018 as SMD’s Director of the Heliophysics Division, where she led a world-class  team in understanding Earth’s most important and life-sustaining star. She oversaw NASA’s work to study  key space phenomena and improve situational awareness of the very space our astronauts, satellites,  and robotic missions travel through as they explore the solar system and beyond. Her portfolio also  included NASA’s robust space weather research to help the U.S. government better predict space  weather, which can interfere with radio communications, affect GPS accuracy, and even – when extreme – affect electrical grids on the ground. 

Dr. Fox has authored numerous scientific articles and papers, in addition to delivering science  presentations worldwide. She is known for her keen ability to make science accessible to a broad range  of audiences, as well as her stellar leadership, creating a sense of purpose and belonging in her teams.  In 2021, she was awarded the American Astronautical Society’s Carl Sagan Memorial Award for her  demonstrated leadership in the field of heliophysics. In 2020, she was awarded NASA’s Outstanding  Leadership Medal. 

Prior to August 2018, Dr. Fox worked at the Applied Physics Lab at the Johns Hopkins University, where  she was the chief scientist for heliophysics, as well as the project scientist for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe

– humanity’s first mission to a star. Dr. Fox’s extensive project, program, and supervisory experience  included serving as the Deputy Project Scientist for the Van Allen Probes and the operations scientist for  the International Solar Terrestrial Physics program. 

Dr. Fox graduated from The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London with a B.S.  in Physics. She received an M.S. in Telematics and Satellite Communications from the University of  Surrey. She then returned to Imperial College to complete a Ph.D. in Space and Atmospheric Physics. 

Following Dr. Fox’s illuminating lecture, Norwich will host Go For Launch! over the weekend of November  2nd and 3rd. The multi-day, in-person, truly out-of-this-world experience for high school students  leveraging spaceflight and space exploration as a launchpad for students to develop and strengthen their  skills in STEM, teamwork, communication, research design, and leadership. To date, 12 student designed experiments from Go For Launch! have been launched to the International Space Station (ISS)  and one student-designed experiment has been flown into suborbital space 

Norwich University’s Todd Lecture Series is named in honor of Retired U.S. Army Major General Russell  Todd and his wife, Carol, in gratitude for their dedicated service to the University. MG Todd ’50, served as  Norwich President Emeritus. Utilizing this platform, Norwich University invites the nation’s foremost  thought leaders from a diverse range of fields including business, politics, the arts, science, the military  and more to its Northfield campus. All events are free and open to the public.