Brindley McGowan, Technical Education and Training Manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Image courtesy of Brindley McGowan

April 30, 2012 Vol. 5, Issue 4

After eleven years managing technical education and training at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Brindley McGowan bids NASA adieu.

Brindley McGowan, Technical Education and Training Manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Image courtesy of Brindley McGowan

Brindley McGowan, Technical Education and Training Manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), will retire his post in May. McGowan, an engineer by training, joined the JPL and APPEL teams in April 2001. At the time, there were just a few APPEL (then known as “APPL”) courses at JPL, so McGowan sought out all levels of management to “find out what keeps them awake at night” in order to offer solutions for high priority needs. “This has been a job I’ve been happy to wake up every day and go do,” said McGowan.

McGowan has been involved in the development and review of a number of APPEL courses, including the Design for Manufacturability and Assembly, Innovative Design for Engineering Applications, and Requirements Development and Management courses. He worked closely with practitioners and instructors to determine the learning needs and find ways to implement them in the classroom. In looking over his career, McGowan has noticed that today, JPL now has a curriculum that meets almost any need. “Our curricula is rich and covers various aspects of engineering,” he said. “We are able to teach our various levels of the workforce. Those things weren’t there when I first arrived.”

McGowan received NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Award in March 2009 for his role in creating world-class courses in systems engineering, design engineering, and program/project management.

He is tremendously thankful for the support from his team at JPL. “I’ve have had a wonderful support staff, people who are smart and knowledgeable,” he said. “They just did a terrific job in supporting everything we’ve done here.” He also acknowledged the strong relationship with APPEL leadership. “I could pick up the phone, talk to them, share ideas, and laugh. I’m going to miss that.”

McGowan, an avid traveler, will embark on a series of adventures with his wife after his last day at JPL. “It’s a good way to be leaving, because I often ask if I’ve left something better than I originally found it. The answer is unequivocally, yes.”