Sara E Mitchell (she/her)

Sara Mitchell is the Social Media Lead for the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. She manages NASA Universe, the agency's thematic astrophysics social media accounts.

Since 2003, Sara has supported a variety of ASD communication, formal education, informal education, and public outreach programs. Her educational background includes both astrophysics and communication, and working at Goddard provides her with a unique opportunity to apply her scientific, technical, and creative knowledge to initiatives including social media, websites, booklets, videos, posters, and presentations. Sara's previous experiences include work with undergraduate physics curricula, summer K-12 student programs, and independent film and video.

Individual:

• 2007 NASA Astrophysics Science Division Peer Award – “for enthusiastically directing the production of the ASD podcast, Blueshift”
• 2011 NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal – “for exceptional contribution to the visibility of NASA’s science missions by producing programs and fostering collaborations within education and public outreach at Goddard”
• 2020 NASA Astrophysics Science Division Peer Award – “for your enthusiastic dedication to ASD’s social media presence, including such major successes as Black Hole Week, exemplars of your advance work and attention to detail for scientific correctness, and always looking to expand to new audiences”

Group:

• 2006 Silver Telly Award – for co-producing the educational video “Building the Coolest X-ray Satellite” for the Suzaku mission
• 2008 NASA Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement Team Award for Outreach – presented to the Family Science Night Team “for your contribution to Education and Outreach in the local community through the innovative and exemplary NASA GSFC Family Science Night Program”
• 2009 NASA Honor Award for Public Service Group Achievement – presented to the Afterschool Universe Team “for dedication and innovation in bringing NASA into the lives of thousands of individuals who might not otherwise be engaged in space science”
• 2011 NASA Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement Team Award for Outreach – presented to the International Observe the Moon Night Outreach Team “for outstanding leadership in the role of creating and supporting an international public outreach event that features lunar content from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter”
• 2011 NASA Honor Award for Group Achievement – presented to the 2010 GSFC Summer of Innovation team “for outstanding planning, design and delivery of a high-quality and fun middle school Summer of Innovation educational experience for 800 students”
• 2018 NASA Special Act Team Award – presented to the Fermi Team “for outstanding support of Fermi Ten Year Anniversary activities”
• 2018 NASA Special Act Team Award – presented to the 660 Communications Team “for outstanding support of Astrophysics Science Division communications”
• 2018 NASA Honor Award for Group Achievement – presented to the Goddard Astrophysics Communication Team “for exceptional planning and executing an outstanding communications campaign in support of the first discovery of gravitational waves and light”
• 2018 NASA Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement Team Award for Outreach – presented to the Fermi@10 Team “for outstanding planning and implementation of a year of public engagement in the scientific discoveries from the first 10 years of the Fermi Mission”

At Goddard, Sara serves as a "translator" between the ASD's scientists and engineers and education and public outreach (EPO) audiences. She works with several missions and programs, contributing to materials such as booklets, posters, videos, CDs, and online resources. Sara co-produced "Building the Coolest X-ray Satellite," an award-winning video about the Suzaku satellite mission, and co-authored the accompanying educator guide. Sara is also the director of Blueshift, a new media project of podcasts, blogs, and other multimedia produced by the ASD. This project is a "backstage pass" to the science, missions and people in the Division. Sara is also a regular contributor to Spark, the education newsletter of the American Astronomical Society.

Each year, Sara represents the ASD at national education and scientific conventions, including National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), American Astronomical Society (AAS), and Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) meetings. She has created workshops for educators and students about the ASD's programs and materials, and workshops for EPO practitioners about tools and methodology. This portion of her work gives her a unique opportunity to interact directly with the end users of products and programs.

Sara's projects are primarily focused on informal education and public outreach - programs and materials directed toward audiences outside of the classroom. In 2006, she co-founded the NASA Family Science Night (FSN) program, a curriculum featuring hands-on events for middle schoolers and their families. This unique out-of-school project harnesses the influence of parents and other family members on student achievement and career choices. The FSN team received a Robert H. Goddard Award in 2008 for exceptional achievement in outreach. Sara has also been involved with the Afterschool Universe program, a curriculum developed for use in afterschool programs, summer camps, and other out-of-school-time venues. Each year, Sara assists with program development and refinement, as well as the training sessions and informational workshops offered at Goddard and conferences around the country. The Afterschool Universe team was awarded a 2009 NASA Public Service Group Achievement Award for "dedication and innovation in bringing NASA into the lives of thousands of individuals who might not otherwise be engaged in space science."

In 2011, Sara received a NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal for her innovative programs and cross-divisional collaboration.