Hi! My name is Jan Connolly and I work in the Flight Projects Division at NASA-JSC. I manage a team of 12 architects, engineers and human factors experts in what is called the Habitability Design Center. As a team, we're responsible for generating requirements that lead to our developing conceptual designs for "habitability outfitting hardware" - galley, wardroom, hygiene facilities, crew quarters - as well as overall internal layouts for spacecraft and surface habitats. Right now, our primary responsibilities are to the International Space Station, the Advanced Life Support Program (BIO-Plex) and Advanced Concepts (TransHab).

I hold Bachelor of Science degrees in Human Ecology and Architectural Studies. I also hold a Master of Architecture degree. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Milwaukee. My focus has been to understand how the human being responds to the built environment, then to apply that knowledge in the design of hardware for human use. It requires knowledge of engineering to execute designs, and knowledge of psychology and human behavior to properly evaluate how the human is using its environment.

In addition to the Texas Aerospace Scholars Program, I mentor students from universities in the U.S. and abroad. Currently, I work closely with Lund Technical University in Sweden, the Rhode Island School of Design, and am a lecturer for the summer session of International Space University.