21 Facts About Claudia Alexander

Claudia Joan Alexander was a Canadian-born American research scientist specializing in geophysics and planetary science.

Claudia Alexander worked for the United States Geological Survey and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Claudia Alexander's mother was Gaynelle Justena Williams Alexander, a corporate librarian for Intel; her father was Harold Alfred Alexander, a social worker.

In 1983, Claudia Alexander received a Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in geophysics, which she thought would be a good background for a planetary scientist.

Claudia Alexander earned her Master's from the University of California, Los Angeles in geophysics and space physics in 1985.

Claudia Alexander worked at the United States Geological Survey studying plate tectonics and at the Ames Research Center observing Jovian moons, before moving to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1986, where she worked for 30 years.

Claudia Alexander worked as science coordinator for the plasma wave instrument aboard the Galileo spacecraft before becoming the project manager of the mission in its final phase.

Claudia Alexander was the final project manager for the mission, and oversaw the spacecraft's dive into Jupiter's atmosphere at the mission's conclusion in 2003.

Claudia Alexander worked as a researcher on diverse topics, including the evolution and interior physics of comets, Jupiter and its moons, magnetospheres, plate tectonics, space plasma, the discontinuities and expansion of solar wind, and the planet Venus.

Claudia Alexander worked with the project team as a science coordinator on the Cassini mission to Saturn.

Claudia Alexander was a strong advocate for women and minorities in the STEM fields and a passionate science communicator.

Claudia Alexander worked a lot with young women at the University of Michigan, helping them finish their studies.

Claudia Alexander was considered a role model for many women of colour in stem, encouraging them to attend higher education.

Claudia Alexander mentored young people, particularly young girls of color, to encourage their passions for science.

Claudia Alexander oversaw tracking and navigation support from the NASA's Deep Space Network for the spacecraft.

Claudia Alexander wrote science fiction and was a member of the Romance Writers of America.

Claudia Alexander used her writing skills to contribute to another of her passions, tennis, writing for the Bleacher Report tennis blog.

On July 11,2015, Claudia Alexander died in Arcadia, California after a ten-year battle with breast cancer.

Claudia Alexander was laid to rest at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

The Claudia Alexander Scholarship was established for undergraduate students at her alma mater in 2007 by her uncle, Jiles Williams.

Claudia Alexander served in the Association for Women Geoscientists, where she was named "Woman of the Year".