Rate My Professor Nancy Currie-Gregg

Nancy Currie-Gregg serves as an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University, contributing to the Engineering faculty with her extensive expertise in human factors and systems engineering. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in biological science from Ohio State University in 1980, a Master of Science in safety engineering from the University of Southern California in 1985, and a Doctor of Philosophy in industrial engineering, specializing in human factors engineering and artificial intelligence, from the University of Houston in 1997. A retired Colonel in the United States Army with over 23 years of service, she began her aviation career as a rotary-wing pilot, instructor pilot, and brigade flight-standardization officer. In 1987, she joined NASA Johnson Space Center as a flight simulation engineer on the Shuttle Training Aircraft. Selected as an astronaut in NASA's 13th group in 1990, Currie-Gregg flew on four Space Shuttle missions, accumulating over 1,000 hours in space: STS-57 (1993, mission specialist), STS-70 (1995, pilot), STS-88 (1998, first International Space Station assembly mission), and STS-109 (2002, Hubble Space Telescope servicing). Following her astronaut tenure, she held leadership roles including chief of the Astronaut Office Robotics and Payloads-Habitability Branch, deputy director of engineering, chief engineer, and principal engineer in the NASA Engineering and Safety Center. She directed the Space Shuttle Program Safety and Mission Assurance Office, pivotal in the safe return-to-flight after the Columbia disaster.

Currie-Gregg's research specializations encompass spacecraft occupant protection, aerospace human systems integration, human-robot interaction, quantitative risk analysis, and systems safety engineering. Notable publications include 'Development of a finite element human vibration model for use in spacecraft coupled loads analysis' (Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 2019), 'The Perennial Challenge of Human Systems Integration' (2018), 'Analysis of Anthropomorphic Test Device Response for Proposed Orion Crew Impact Attenuation System' (NASA/TM-2017-219657, 2017), and 'Space telerobotics: Unique challenges to human-robot collaboration in space' (Reviews of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2013). Her contributions have significantly influenced human-systems interactions in space exploration. Among her major awards are the NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1998, 2012), NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (2005), NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2003), U.S. Government Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Senior Professional (2015), four NASA Space Flight Medals, Defense Superior Service Medals (two), and Legion of Merit. She has delivered lectures at North Carolina State University, including the ISE Homecoming and MAE Hassan Distinguished Lecture on managing risk in space flight.