NASA Astronauts Virtual Visits During COVID Bring Space Exploration to International Students

HOUSTON and DOHA, Qatar, Oct. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Virginia Parras of Parras Tyler & Associates count among their highlights during an unusual year, the virtual visits of NASA astronauts at the Michael DeBakey School for Health Professions. As educators worldwide struggled to maintain education standards during a pandemic, Dr. Parras looked to subject matter leaders and virtual technology to keep students engaged, inspired and curricula centered.

Retired NASA Astronaut and flight engineer Nicole Stott spent 104 days in orbit, and she's the first person to ever paint in space. She performed a spacewalk for over six hours and spent over two weeks under the sea (earning the title of aquanaut). She shared her space experiences in an international Q&A with DeBakey students.

Dr. David Hilmers, also a retired NASA Astronuat, returned to medicine and is now in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Hilmers told students his personal story of four successful NASA space missions and medical missions.  He stressed the importance of being "good human beings" as they look forward to becoming explorers and doctors. The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation made the sessions possible.

The DeBakey School's Meet with an Astronaut program proved to be a great success at a time when classroom learning had become awkward and inconsistent for institutions balancing COVID safety with curriculum needs. 

"Our students come from all over the world, and we intend to bring a world of innovative knowledge and exposure to them. We couldn't let a pandemic stop us from delivering on that promise," said Dr. Parras, CEO of the DeBakey School.

The Michael DeBakey School for Health Professions is a leading American STEAM school in Doha, Qatar. Students enrolled in DeBakey are interested in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics.

Dr. Parras is the founder of Parras Grande & Associates, LLC, and co-founder of Parras Tyler and Associates, LLC. She was selected by Qatar's Minister of Education and Higher Education to transform and lead one of only two specialized health science schools in the world, the DeBakey High School for Health Professions at Qatar. She serves as CEO and president of the school. She is an advisor and consultant to several colleges and universities and public and private K-12 schools nationally and internationally.

SOURCE Parras Tyler & Asscociates