SAADA

Interview with Apurva Varia

DESCRIPTION
A video interview with Apurva Varia, who currently works as an aerospace engineer at NASA. Varia is originally from Dallas, TX. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He went on to earn a graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from Syracuse University, and from there, went to work for NASA. He has been at NASA for over 13 years now. At the start of his NASA career, Varia worked in propulsion, designing rocket engine propulsion systems for several spacecrafts and satellites. Currently, he is the Missions Operation Director for three spacecrafts: the Parker Solar Probe, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), and IBEX.

In this video, Varia shares his educational background and experiences working at NASA as a deaf person, such as how he works with his colleagues, develops communication, and overcomes various workplace struggles. Additionally, he shares how his mother and other role models in his life encouraged him to work hard and pursue his dreams.

The interview focuses mainly on Varia’s experience on the Zero-G Mission put out by AstroAccess, a nonprofit organization that was founded with the vision of finding a way for people with disabilities to go to space without barriers. Varia discusses the various communication challenges he encountered and the technological advancements that went into making this mission possible.

This video is published by NamBi Foundation, an organization that seeks to provide social and educational tools to deaf children and adults of minority backgrounds to help build a better future.

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Subject(s): Apurva Varia
Language: American Sign Language (ASL)
Creator: Reena Bothra
Publisher: NamBi Foundation

PROVENANCE
Item History: 2022-07-14 (created); 2022-08-04 (modified)

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