When Dr. Kimberly Robinson, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, was growing up in Birmingham, a NASA female astronaut came to her high school to present her with an award.
“The astronaut said she got her engineering degree and went to work for NASA and applied for the astronaut corps. That’s what I determined I would do so that I could be just like her and wear a blue flight suit and fly a T-38. That’s why I went into engineering without really knowing a whole lot about engineering. I did it for the cool factor.”
That meeting set the course of Robinson’s professional life and led to her most recent award: induction into the 2025 class of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame (AEHOF).
Robinson, an alumna of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), was honored along with seven other individuals and one corporation during a celebration banquet on Feb. 22 at Ross Bridge in Birmingham. They joined the 229 persons, 35 corporations/institutions and 46 engineering projects cited by the Hall of Fame since its creation in 1987.
“When you look back over the names of who’s been inducted, it’s very humbling,” Robinson said. “I feel as if I’m walking in the shadow of these giants in the field. Looking at the list, I realize how many people from UAH were included in the Engineering Hall of Fame.”
Robinson earned her master’s (1999) and doctorate (2010) in industrial and systems engineering from UAH, a part of The University of Alabama System. UAH recognized her accomplishments in 2023 with the Alumni of Achievement Award.
The Hall of Fame represents engineers honoring engineers.
“It’s coming from your own people who recognize what you’ve done and what you’ve contributed to the field,” Robinson said. “I can’t say enough wonderful things about it.”
One of those engineering giants offered her an especially meaningful congratulatory gift.
“I was so pleased that Rey Almodovar and his wife, Cynthia, made a donation to our Education Foundation in honor of this recognition.”
Almodovar, co-founder of Intuitive Research and Technology Corp. (INTUITIVE), has been a member of the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission, which provides oversight and direction to the Rocket Center, since 2016. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.
Although Robinson hasn’t made it into space like her astronaut role model, she did leave various impacts on NASA and its programs before she shifted her career to education. Her NASA leadership positions included the following:
- Utilization manager for Advanced Exploration Systems in the Moon-to-Mars Architecture
- Payload mission manager for the Artemis I test flight, which successfully flew in November 2022
- Space Launch System (SLS) program integration and operations officer
- SLS strategic communications manager
- Ares I-X test flight deputy project manager (Ares I-X was Time magazine’s 2009 science invention of the year.)
- Space flight hardware development lead for science mission investigations on the International Space Station (ISS) for material science and biotechnology
- Flight controller and astronaut crew trainer for space shuttle and Space Lab mission operations
- Design engineer for ISS and shuttle propulsion projects
NASA recognized her efforts with numerous awards, including the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the Silver Group Achievement Award and the Crew Office Silver Snoopy Award.
After 31 years at NASA, Robinson left the agency in 2021 to lead the Rocket Center and inspire future generations of astronauts and engineers.
“We hope to pay it forward and make people aware of the great careers that are out there in engineering,” she said. “A lot of people hear the word ‘engineering’ and think, ‘Oh, math is hard, not for me.’ There are aspects to engineering that are complicated, but you put one foot in front of the other. That’s how you do anything. You make it through one course, one problematic area, until you’re there.”
Robinson appreciates UAH for helping her to arrive.
“UAH used real-world examples and married them to theory to make them come to life. It was dynamic and relevant and made complex engineering challenges both enjoyable and accessible.”
And don’t forget the cool factor.
“On the other side of it, you get to light a rocket and make it go where you want it to go. When you have an opportunity to explore another world, you realize that math is not so bad.
“I want them to see how you can really use engineering and why it matters.”