B. Gentry Lee to Keynote 2020 WHMA 27th Annual Wire Harness Conference

Award-winning engineer, space explorer, and novelist to share highlights of his career

 B. Gentry Lee, chief engineer for the Solar System Exploration Directorate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and successful science fiction writer, will present his keynote address, “A Passion for Space Exploration,” at the WHMA 27th Annual Wire Harness Conference, February 19, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. During his keynote presentation, Lee will talk about the highlights of his exploration career and touch on the role of wires and harnesses on the most memorable spacecraft.

Responsible for the engineering integrity of all robotic planetary missions managed by JPL for NASA, Lee provided engineering oversight for the Curiosity rover mission to Mars in 2012, the Dawn mission to the asteroids Vesta and Ceres, the Juno mission to Jupiter and the GRAIL missions to the Moon. Previously, Lee provided oversight and guidance for the engineering aspects of the Phoenix and twin rover missions to Mars, as well as NASA’s successful Deep Impact and Stardust missions.

Recipient of the Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and their Distinguished Service Medal from NASA, Lee received the Harold Masursky Award from the American Astronomical Society, the Al Seiff Memorial Award from the International Planetary Probe Workshop, and the Simon Ramo Medal by the IEEE for “career excellence in engineering.”

“Not only has Mr. Lee’s made outstanding contributions to solar system exploration, but his work as a science fiction novelist, futurist, computer product designer and lecturer have significantly enhanced science literacy,” said David Bergman, WHMA executive director. “We are thrilled to welcome him to WHMA and we look forward to his keynote speech. With the recent discovery of thousands of planets orbiting around other stars, it allows keynote participants to truly question, are we alone in the universe?”   

For more information on conference including schedule, speaker profiles or to register for event, visit http://annualconference.whma.org.