I’m delighted to announce the appointment of Melanie Page, Ph.D., as the new Director of the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium, effective August 1, 2021.
Dr. Page succeeds Dr. Majid Jaridi, who recently retired. I want to extend my deep appreciation to Dr. Majid Jaridi. I cannot thank him enough for his dedication, passion, and visionary leadership to the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium and the NASA WV EPSCoR program over his 30 years of service.
For over eight years, Dr. Page has been working with the NASA WVSGC program and the NASA WV EPSCoR as the WVU Board representative. Dr. Page brings a wealth of experience to her new role of Director. Her collegial style, practical approach to problem-solving, and deep passion for STEM and diversity will help further advance the mission of the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium (WVSGC) and the NASA WV EPSCoR program. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Arizona State University. Dr. Page received her Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in Quantitative Psychology from Arizona State University. Her syllabus for the undergraduate quantitative methods class is published on the Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology.
During her term as Professor at Oklahoma State University, she continued to develop her interest in teaching, mentoring, and scientific workforce development, especially of women and underrepresented scholars. She is well-published and has received multiple grants from NSF, NIH, Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs, USDA, to name a few. She served on numerous panels and as a consultant before accepting her current position as WVU Associate Vice President for Creative and Scholarly Activity. In October 2020, the West Virginia Living Magazine named her the 2020 West Virginia Wonder Woman.
In 2017, she attended the RockOn program at NASA Wallops, where she developed an intensified passion for bringing that experience to every student in WV. “If you could see a rocket launch, there is nothing you wouldn’t do for STEM,” said Dr. Page.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Page and wishing her success!