encouraged me to follow my passions,”
he says. “And North Allegheny is an
incredibly strong public school system. I
received a great education there.”
Following high school, Hoburg earned
a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and
astronautics from MIT. He then went
on to earn his doctorate in electrical
engineering and computer science from
the University of California, Berkeley. As
a professor at MIT, his research focuses
on efficient methods for the design of
engineering systems. He’s a two-time
recipient of the AIAA Aeronautics
and Astronautics Teaching Award, in
recognition of outstanding teaching at
MIT, and from 2009 to 2013, he was a
National Science Foundation graduate
research fellow.
Prior to MIT, Hoburg worked for
Boeing Commercial Airplanes Product
Development on software for composite
manufacturing processes. From 2010 to
2013, he was a member of the Yosemite
Search and Rescue, and an operations
leader for the Bay Area Mountain Rescue
Unit.
NASA released a call for applicants at
the end of 2015 to select its first new class
since 2013. As expected, the application
process is substantial, requiring a lengthy
paper application, medical screenings and
in-person interviews. Hoburg describes
the process as a “short burst of intense
activity following by a good amount of
waiting.” He recalls the day he received
the final call that he’d been selected as
“wild.”
“I received a heads-up that the calls
would be coming that day,” he explains.
“So when the phone rang, and it was the
head of the selection board telling me to
come down to Johnson [Space Center], it
was heart-stopping.”
Hoburg and his classmates, including
two Canadian candidates, will spend the
next two years training at Johnson Space
Center, where they’ll be required to take
classes, complete International Space
Station systems training, robotic skills
training, Russian language training and
aircraft flight readiness training. They’re
also required to complete military water
survival training and become SCUBA
certified. Following successful completion
of the program, the candidates will be
assigned technical duties in the Astronaut
Office while they await flight assignments.
“It’s going to be an amazing experience,”
says Hoburg. “I’m looking forward to the
broader experience I’ll be sharing with the
rest of the class.” ■
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NASA’s 2017 astronaut candidates take a group photo at Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center.
Pictured are, front row, left to right, Zena Cardman, Jasmin Moghbeli, Robb Kulin, Jessica Watkins, Loral
O'Hara; back row, left to right, Jonny Kim, Frank Rubio, Matthew Dominick, Warren Hoburg, Kayla Barron,
Bob Hines, and Raja Chari.
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