Sun-Earth Day Presents: Ancient Observatories, Timeless Knowledge
Tianna Shaw
Yurok
Tianna grew up on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation in Northern California and is a member of the Yurok Tribe. Both her mother and her grandmother have strongly infuenced Tianna's value system and her cultural identity. Although Tianna is from a small rural community, she has always been encouraged to pursue her interests. Tianna has found that it is possible to live away from home and still maintain strong ties to family and culture. In the course of her education and work life, Tianna has been able to enhance herself by maintaining contact with other Native Americans in addition to pursuing her educational and professional goals. Tianna believes that this has made her a much more rounded person with valuable experiences working with people of diverse backgrounds. Presently, Tianna is the Manager of the Facilites Utilization Office (FUO) within the Life Seiences Division of NASA Ames Research Center which is responsible for operating and maintaining the Center for Gravitational Biology Research (CGBR). The CGBR is a collection of research facilities, including both centrifuges and linear sleds, which allow investigators to study the effects of gravity on living systems. As the FUO Manager, Tianna provides oversight for CGBR operations, maintenance and upgrades, technical support, budget, experiment planning and scheduling.
EDUCATION
A dual Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.
Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering from California State University, Sacramento
