WSU Currents •
Winter 2012
13
Flight
training
“
I always knew I wanted to study
physics,” says From, who also minored
in mathematics, “but I didn’t want a
school with gigantic classes.”
With upper-level classes averaging
only ten students, Winona State was
the perfect fit. “I was challenged more
within small classes, and I’ve been
competitive with students from larger
programs, but I wasn’t a face in the
crowd,” he shares. “That was important
to me.”
Systems
check
While taking a full class load, From
also tutored for numerous Winona
State courses in chemistry, physics,
and math. This experience made his
resume stand out.
“
When a place like NASA hires
people to do technical training, it’s not
enough to have a physics or engineer-
ing degree,” he explains. “NASA is
looking for teaching experience.”
Thankfully, he had tutored for three
different departments.
“
One of my favorite jobs was through
Winona State’s general walk-in
program, so I was tutoring for math,
physics, and chemistry all at the same
time,” says From. “It often involved
working on the fly because I never
knew what might happen next.”
“
As hectic as it sounds to
be jumping all over the
place and teaching
people to solve their
problems, I loved it,”
he shares. “I couldn’t
do it for them, but I
had to coach them to
figure it out for them-
selves. That helped me
immensely for my career at
NASA.”
Career
countdown
Personal attention fromWinona
State’s professors also shaped From’s
career. “I give so much credit to my
Winona State professors for teaching
me the skills I have today,” he says.
His number one influence? Nathan
Moore, professor of physics. “He
wanted to push each one of us, but
I’d never had expectations like that
before,” shares Brian. “He challenged
the heck out of me, and the first grade
I earned from him was only a ‘C,’ but it
was the hardest earned grade I ever
received. More than anything, he
taught me to never back down.”
By his senior year, he was earning
straight “As” and received the Physics
Department’s nomination for WSU’s
School of Science & Engineering
Award, which was perhaps as mean-
ingful as his graduation diploma.
Liftoff
From’s first employer found him
through an online source, urging him
to apply as an instructor for NASA’s
Space Shuttle program in Houston.
Following a “gauntlet of interviews,”
From was offered his first dream job as
a Shuttle communications training in-
structor, expertly trained as a network
simulations specialist (or SIMNET, as
it’s known at NASA). His main respon-
sibility? Training flight controllers and
personnel in the NASA communica-
tions network.
“
When I got to Houston, I was sur-
rounded by people who had dreamed
their whole lives of working for NASA,
just as I had,” he says. Following ex-
tensive training, which he completed
in record time, From was prepared to
train flight controllers for the Space
Shuttle missions, a job he held until
early 2011 when only two Shuttle
missions remained.