November 29, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 9 Technical excellence is critical for engineering organizations. How one defines, achieves, and maintains it is another question, according to William W. Vaughan of the University of Alabama.
Volume 4
November 29, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 9 Project management was one of NASA’s top five management and performance challenges in 2011, according to a report by Inspector General Paul K. Martin.
![Monument at Complex 14 for the Friendship 7 mission flown by John Glenn, Jr., on February 20, 1962.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-9-Jen-Scheer-600x380.jpg)
November 29, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 9 Jen Scheer had a great idea to restore Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Launch Complex 14. But sometimes having the great idea just isnt enough.
![Nina Marsalek, LAUNCH innovator and COO of The Solanterns Initiative, presents to the LAUNCH council.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-9-LAUNCH-Energy-Leveraging-Collective-Genius-670x380.jpg)
November 29, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 9 Ten energy innovations launched to change the world.
![Steve Jolly being filmed at APPEL’s fourth Principal Investigator Forum in Annapolis, Maryland.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-9-Principal-Investigator-Forum-4-670x380.jpg)
November 29, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 9 Principal investigators, project managers, and project scientists gathered to exchange stories and knowledge at the fourth Principal Investigator Team Masters Forum in Annapolis, Maryland.
![Image of an uncoated quartz rotor and half a housing on a sheet of diamond- plate steel.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-9-Focus-and-Flexibility-600x380.jpg)
November 29, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 9 The paradox of project execution is that it requires both single-minded focus and the flexibility to change course when needed.
The first International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held on the African continent was a potent reminder that nations seek the benefits of space for many different reasons.
![NASA APPEL Director Dr. Ed Hoffman shakes hands with Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. (From left to right: Stephen Angelillo, ACE Director, Ed Hoffman, APPEL Deputy Director Roger Forsgren, Bob Cabana.)](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-8-Academy-Center-for-Excellence-670x380.jpg)
October 28, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 8 The Academy Center for Excellence (ACE) is open for business.
![APPEL Director Ed Hoffman hosts NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, and DLR Chairman of the Executive Board Johann-Dietrich Wörner at a special young professionals Masters with Masters at the 2011 International Astronautical Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/4-8-Masters-with-Masters-at-IAC-670x380.jpg)
October 28, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 8 Leaders from Europe, Africa, and the United States talked about the future of space exploration at the 2011 International Astronautical Congress (IAC).