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Rudder Auditorium filled with students and families eager to hear the story of an astronaut's journey to the moon and celebrate the scientific achievements of two Texas A & M students.
On Thursday, Charles Moss "Charlie" Duke Jr., an astronaut, retired US Air Force pilot and test pilot, visited A & M to tell his story of becoming the tenth and youngest person to walk on the moon. He was one of 19 selected by NASA in April 1966 for their fifth group of astronauts.
Duke explored the moon's terrain with Commander John Young and pilot of the TK Mattingly Command Module during the Apollo 16 mission in 1972. Duke said that there was a half-moon when the mission landed .
"When my wife Dotty and I go out and we see that, it brings back a lot of memories," Duke said. "I always look like 'Here I am.'"
Duke is on the board of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which awards 50 scholarships to students across the country. He presented $ 10,000 scholarships to two STEM students on behalf of the ASF.
Ashley Hayden, Senior Research Scientist in Biology, is one of two Fellows.
"I am very honored to have received this scholarship," Hayden said. "I did not expect to get it. A lot of networking was born and I enjoyed meeting everyone. I am grateful for the opportunities that have been given to me. "
Hayden has conducted research on Monarch butterfly trails. She spoke to a group of monarchs taken to space for a scientific study and said that they had to feel lost in the different environment. Hayden said she could relate to this feeling when she came to A & M as a first-generation student and did not know what to do.
"I want everyone to know who has difficulties to overcome, because if I could make a place for myself, then everyone can do it," Hayden said.
The second Fellow of the ASF is Ashley Holt, an engineer in biomedical engineering, who plans to pursue a master's and doctorate degree after graduation.
"I was amazed, it was an amazing time to receive something like that that will allow me to continue in my future plans," Holt said. "Now it's only about finishing here and on the next step."
Last summer, Holt had the opportunity to conduct research outside of A & M at the National Institutes of Health, where she researched the location of a protein that may be linked to caloric cancer. According to Holt, this research has motivated her to have an impact on the field of medicine and to become the researcher she aspires to.
"We are not the only A & M students capable of such things," Hayden said. "We have outstanding peers who are equally talented and who are likely to receive great opportunities."
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