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"And I" is a song written by the American R&B singer Ciara, and produced by Adonis Shropshire for Ciara's first album Goodies (2004). It was released as the album's fourth and final single in August 2005 (see 2005 in music) in North America.

The song was originally the third choice for the fourth single. Ciara has mentioned in an interview that "Thug Style", "Hotline" or "Pick up the Phone" would be the fourth single, but when Ciara suggested "And I" to executives at her previous record label LaFace, they were unhappy because they wanted "Next to You" to be the fourth single.^{[citation needed]}

Chart performance[link]

At the time of the U.S. release of "And I", Ciara's collaboration with Bow Wow, "Like You", and her collaboration with Missy Elliott, "Lose Control", were at the height of their popularity. "And I" peaked at 96 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and 27 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, which were relatively poor positions compared to those attained by the first three singles from Goodies. The single failed to chart on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40, Top 40 Mainstream and Pop 100. It was not released outside North America because of this, and it is Ciara's least successful single.

Music video[link]

The music video for "And I", directed by the Fat Cats, is loosely based on the 1992 Whitney Houston film The Bodyguard. It takes place in a forest and on the set of a music video. Carmelo Anthony, playing Ciara's boyfriend, is flirting with other women while Ciara is filming her music video. When Ciara's bodyguard takes her to visit her boyfriend in her trailer, he opens the door and sees the boyfriend kissing another woman. The bodyguard tells her not to go inside. When she realizes he has been cheating on her, Ciara sits on a log under lights that have been rigged to fall on her. (Earlier in the video, a man had been acting strangely whilst Ciara was signing autographs.) Her bodyguard saves her just before the lights fall and Ciara holds him in her arms.

Format and track listing[link]

• Promotional CD

1. "And I" (Album version)
2. "And I" (Instrumental)

Charts[link]

References[link]

1. ^ ASCAP entry for song
2. ^ Ciara - Billboard Artist Chart History

External links[link]

• Ciara Credits 'Oh' Co-Star Luda With Showing Her The Ropes
• Ciara Gets Help From Carmelo Anthony And A Horse For Next Video

Park Bom
2NE1 Park Bom performing live in concert in Hanoi, Vietnam. (2011)
Background information
Birth name	Park Bom
Also known as	Bom, Bommie, Bom Bom, Jenny Park, CornBom, Bomtaro
Born	(1984-03-24) March 24, 1984 (age 28) Seoul, South Korea
Genres	R&B, hip hop, electropop, dance, pop, rock, electronic dance
Occupations	singer, actress, college student,
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2005–present
Labels	YG Entertainment
Associated acts	2NE1
Website	Park Bom's Twitter Park Bom's Me2day

Park Bom (Korean: 박봄, Japanese: パク・ボム) (born March 24, 1984), is a South Korean idol singer.^[1] Born in Seoul, South Korea, she eventually moved to the United States where she learned English. She is currently a member and main vocalist of girl-group 2NE1 which is signed to YG Entertainment.^[2]

Starting in 2006, Park recorded with labelmates Big Bang, Lexy, Masta Wu and starred with Lee Hyori in her CF, "Anystar" as a co-actress. Later in 2008, she starred as the lead actress in Kim Ji Eun's music video, "Tell Me Once More". In 2009, she debuted with 2NE1 as the main vocalist.

Up till now, Park has released two solo singles, namely "You and I" and "Don't Cry". "You and I" reached number one on the Gaon Chart, the national music chart of Korea. The song also won "Best Digital Single" the Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2010.

Life and career[link]

Early life[link]

Park Bom was born in Seoul, South Korea as a second daughter. In 6th grade, she left Korea by herself to study abroad in the United States. She graduated high school from Gould Academy in Bethel, ME and enrolled into Lesley University with a major in psychology.^[3] As a high school student, she fell in love with music through Mariah Carey. She would listen to Mariah Carey's songs during lunch and even forget to eat. She wanted to pursue it as a career but she did not obtain permission from her parents. However, with encouragement from her aunt, she secretly transferred to Berklee College of Music to pursue her music career.^[1]

2005–2008: Career beginnings[link]

Park Bom auditioned to become a singer at YG Entertainment, but was rejected multiple times. After three years, she was finally accepted and immediately became a trainee.^[1] She starred in two of Big Bang's three earliest singles in the songs "We Belong Together"^[4] and "Forever With You".^[5] Bom also collaborated with Lexy and Red Roc with "Baby Boy" and "Along My Way", respectively. She also starred in a Samsung Anycall Music Video Commercial alongside famous Korean pop singer Lee Hyori, recording her own version of the Anycall "Anystar" song featuring fellow label mates, G-Dragon and Gummy.^{[citation needed]} Later in 2008, she starred as the lead actress in Kim Ji Eun's music video, "Tell Me Once More".

2009–present: Debut with 2NE1[link]

YG Entertainment announced that the new group would consist of four members and debut sometime in May 2009.^[6] The company stated that the group had trained for four years, and that their debut album would contain songs produced by 1TYM's leader, Teddy Park and G-Dragon of Big Bang.^[6][7][8] The group's name was initially announced as "21"; however, due to the discovery of a singer with the same name, the group was renamed "2NE1", which "NE" is the abbreviation of "New Evolution". Bom was placed in 2NE1 as the main vocalist, alongside CL, Minzy and Sandara Park.^[9]

The group collaborated with label-mate senior Big Bang for the song "Lollipop". The song gained immediate success, but questions were still raised as to whether the group could survive on its own.

2NE1 debuted in SBS's The Music Trend on May 17, 2009 where they performed their digital single Fire produced by Teddy Park of 1TYM. With the release of their self-titled mini-album, the group started the promotions of their title track I Don’t Care. Their mini album hit the no. 3 spot at the Hanteo's "Best-selling Album of 2009" with over 100,000 copies sold.

After a short hiatus, the group released a surprise single "Follow Me" ^[10] that took number one for the week of February 13.^[11] The single was said to be a surprise for their Thai fans.

In October of the same year, 2NE1 returned with their first full-length studio album To Anyone.,^[12] which was released on September 9, 2010. Promotions started with the simultaneous showcase of the three title tracks of the album, "Clap Your Hands", "Go Away" and "Can't Nobody". Following those promotions, another song "It Hurts (Slow)" ^[13][14] was released on October 31 for Halloween. The album garnered huge success and 2NE1 won an overall 11 times on various music shows from their promotions.^[15] The album went on to sell over 150,000 copies.

Solo activities[link]

In August, after finishing "I Don't Care" promotions, 2NE1 took a temporary hiatus with each member releasing their own solo singles. Bom's single, entitled "You and I" was the best performing of the three and took the number one spot on the Gaon Chart for the month of November. The single eventually won the Best Digital Single at the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

In late 2010, Bom was featured on GD & TOP's single "Oh Yeah" for their first collaboration album. She was also featured in the Japanese version of the song, as well as the MV for the Japanese version. "Oh Yeah" peaked at number two on the Gaon Chart upon release.

In 2011, it was announced that Bom would have a new digital single released before 2NE1's promotions for their new mini-album. The song was titled "Don't Cry" and was released on April 21, 2011.^[16] "Don't Cry" managed to top many of South Korea's music content providers' digital charts, later becoming a perfect all-kill on the music charts of Korea.^[17]

For the Infinite Challenge Seohae Ahn Highway Song Festival 2011, G-Dragon of Big Bang collaborated with Park Myung Soo to create a duo called GG. Bom was featured in their song "Having an Affair". The song went on to become an "All Kill" on various Korean music charts.

Musical style and influences[link]

Park Bom is primarily a pop and R&B singer.^[18][19] She has named American singer Mariah Carey as one of her biggest influences who inspired her to get into music. In addition, Park names Beyoncé as one of her role models, because she wants "to have her strong vocals and [...] her strong performances". She lists hip hop and R&B as her favorite music genres.^[1] Donga.com mentioned that Bom's husky voice, steadiness at high pitch, and exotic style is easily distinguishable. For example, according to Izm's Seung Won-Ho, her voice stands out more than the catchy beats in the song "Don't Cry."

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Featured[link]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

• 2009: Girlfriends (Korean: 걸프렌즈) (cameo)

Television[link]

• 2009: 2NE1 TV (Mnet)
• 2009: Style (Korean: 스타일, SBS) (cameo)
• 2010: 2NE1 TV Season 2 (Mnet)
• 2011: 2NE1 TV Season 3 (Mnet)

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• 2NE1 official site
• Park Bom on Twitter

Jennifer Holliday
Background information
Birth name	Jennifer-Yvette Holliday
Born	(1960-10-19) October 19, 1960 (age 51)
Origin	Riverside, Texas, USA
Genres	R&B, soul, pop, house, club/dance, gospel
Occupations	Singer, actress
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Geffen (1982-1990), Arista (1990-1996)

Jennifer-Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960, Riverside, Texas) is an American singer and Tony Award-winning actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls, and later became a successful recording artist. She is best known for her debut single, the Dreamgirls showstopper and Grammy Award-winning R&B/Pop hit, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." She is also known as the Queen Of Broadway Gospel.

Biography[link]

Career[link]

Broadway actress[link]

Jennifer landed her first big role on Broadway in 1979. At age 19, she landed a part the same day she auditioned for the Broadway production of Your Arms Too Short to Box with God.^[1] Her performance in that musical earned her a 1981 Drama Desk nomination. Her next role, which she began to act at 21, was the role for which she became best known: the role of Effie Melody White in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Jennifer originated the role of Effie and remained with the show for nearly four years after its December 20, 1981 opening. Her performance in the role was widely acclaimed, particularly in her iconic performance of the musical number that ends Act I, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."

Among the acclaim was Holliday's sweep of awards in 1982, including the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, a Grammy award for her recorded version of the song, and Drama Desk and Theater World awards for her acting performance. Holliday also performed in the touring company of Sing, Mahalia, Sing in 1985. In 1998 Holliday was featured on the album "My Favorite Broadway Ladies" notice as one of "The Queens of Broadway."

Recording artist[link]

Jennifer Holliday's version of the song "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" made her a star on Broadway and catapulted her to national stardom. Her version of the song was enjoyed so much by many fans that Holliday was encouraged to transform the song into a hit on the Billboard charts. In 1982, a pop version of the song was released as a single. The song became very successful, peaking at number-one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. She continued to have success as a recording artist through the rest of the decade. Her follow-up song, "I Am Love", became another hit in 1983. Holliday's later R&B hits included. "Hard Time For Lovers" (1985), "No Frills Love" (1985), "Heart on the Line" (1987), "I'm on Your Side" (1991) and "A Woman's Got the Power" (2000). "A Woman's Got the Power" charted at #7 in summer of 1999. However, it recharted the following year, peaking at #1. She continued to appear on the charts throughout the 1990s, but never had the same level of success she had in the 1980s. Holliday was a featured vocalist on the #1 single "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner in 1985. A number of her songs became hits on the US Dance charts as well. In fact, a dance version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" would peak at #6 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 2001.

Gospel singer[link]

On October 30, 1986, Paul Simon hosted a Ken Ehrlich-Produced "Gospel Session" originally televised as part of a series of "Cinemax Sessions"^[2] featuring Holiday, Luther Vandross, The Oak Ridge Boys, Andrae Crouch, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, and the Mighty Clouds of Joy. The show began with Holiday singing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow." Later, she returned to collaborate with Simon and Vandross on "Still Waters Run Deep," followed by an Aretha Franklin arrangement of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," with the finale consisting of all the participants joining in "Gone At Last," followed by "Amazing Grace."
linda A reviewer, whose identity was not known by late February 2011, wrote:

Holliday became popular with LGBT events and fundraisers, which she acknowledged on her gospel album On and On. Because of this, the Atlantic Entertainment Group's Director of Live Talent, Scott Sherman, produced and promoted many Jennifer Holliday events for several years, acting as both Holliday's de facto agent and road manager. Under Sherman's aegis, Holliday went on a series of special tours and promotions, one-night-only performances, LGBT pride appearances and special fund raising events. Her fans commenced to wait patiently for her to release new singles, and perhaps even a full-length club/dance-style album, and to assume that this might happen once she was re-signed to another record label.

Health concerns and career renewal[link]

In the 1990s, Holliday lost a substantial amount of weight and talked about her health struggles with depression during promotional interviews.^[1] Initially, the weight loss was attained strictly by diet. Eventually, in an effort to avoid regaining the weight, Holliday had gastric bypass surgery. After the initial weight loss, she released an LP and video titled I’m On Your Side. The video, unlike most videos, was recorded live. In 1995, Holliday released the gospel album On & On. In a March 2008 interview, she revealed that she was in the studio working on a new album, to be released later that year.^[5]

In April 2011, Holliday released a Christian CD titled Goodness and Mercy^[6] on her own Euphonic Records label. She produced it in conjunction and cooperation with the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock.^[6]

Television Appearances[link]

Apart from her career in the music industry and on the stage, Holliday has also made appearances on primetime television. In addition to appearances on Touched by an Angel and Hang Time, she had a half dozen appearances in a recurring guest star role on Ally McBeal, where she acted out the role of choir director Lisa Knowles.

In 2001, she sang America The Beautiful on the first WWE pay-per-view to be held after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

On June 26, 2007, Holliday made a surprise appearance at the BET Awards, singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" in a duet with Jennifer Hudson, who had played Effie White in the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls, and won an Oscar for her performance. Holliday had not been offered a cameo role in the film and, feeling snubbed, had repeatedly expressed displeasure with the movie in the media. (Another original Dreamgirls cast member, Loretta Devine, did have a cameo in the film.)^[7] More recently, it became possible to see Holliday in a YouTube video, singing a duet with Hudson. The two actresses-singers performed their live duet at a concert Hudson gave on April 16, 2009. The YouTube video has been viewed more than 900,000 times as of December 2011.

On October 17, 2011 Holliday appeared on The Wendy Williams Show where, following a sit-down interview, Holliday performed "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and received a standing ovation from the studio audience.

On May 23, 2012 Holliday performed "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" alongside American Idol finalist Jessica Sanchez during the American Idol Season 11 finale.Jennifer and Jessica both received positive comments and awed world wide audience with their breath taking performance together and received a standing ovation from the audience inside Nokia Theater including the AI judges. Some even said "no one will/shall dare to do this this song ever again on AI stage.."

Personal life[link]

Holliday has been married twice. In March 1991, just two months after she met keyboardist Billy Meadows in a nightclub where she was singing, they married. "He had a great sense of humor and he made me laugh all the time," Holliday says of her first husband. "I had been feeling bad for so long, I wanted to laugh." But in December 1991, just nine months later, they divorced; the marriage, according to Holliday, "ran out of steam." She explained of Meadows: "We just didn't know each other well enough."^[8]

The second time around, she married a man much like her father. Her second marriage, which began on March 21, 1993 and ended in 1994, was to Rev. Andre Woods, a minister in Detroit. Jet magazine covered the marriage in their April 19th, 1993 issue.^[9] Though Woods was a charismatic Detroit preacher, she subsequently said that even so, he was a player who also ran through her money. Still, Holliday was devastated when, in 1994, that marriage, too, ended, just four months after her mother died of cancer. "It was like experiencing two deaths at the same time," Jennifer remembered. "The grief was overwhelming." ^[8]

Holliday received a Doctor of Music honoris causa from Berklee College of Music, Boston in 2000. In 2001 she was presenter for the tap dance show "21 Below" at Town Hall in NYC and also headlined Equity Cares/Broadway Fights Aids' "Nothing Like a Dame" show at the St. James Theatre where she was accompanied by teenage tap dance sensation Michela Marino Lerman and Hannah Leah Dunn.

As of late February 2011, Holliday was residing in Atlanta, Georgia.

Musical Style[link]

Voice[link]

Jennifer Holliday possesses a versatile vocal range of Dramatic Contralto and Soprano style. She is also known for her signature and powerful growl belting. Holliday blew everyone away in 1982 Tony Awards performance of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," for which she received a standing ovation. More of her power was seen at her appearance in a 1987 Gospel Sessions, where she did an earth shaking rendition of "His Eye is on the Sparrow."

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 1983 Feel My Soul #31 U.S. Billboard 200, #6 U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
• 1985 Say You Love Me #110 U.S., #34 U.S. R&B
• 1987 Get Close to My Love
• 1991 I'm On Your Side #184 U.S., #29 U.S. R&B
• 1995 On & On #10 U.S. Top Gospel Albums
• 1996 The Best of Jennifer Holliday #50 U.S.
• 2000 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jennifer Holliday
• 2006 Duet with Najiyah - Through The Storm
• 2011 Goodness and Mercy^[6]

Singles[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Awards

• 1982 Theatre Awards Outstanding Broadway Debut – Dreamgirls
• 1982 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical – Dreamgirls
• 1982 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical – Dreamgirls
• 1983 Grammy Award Best Female Performance, Rhythm & Blues – "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls
• 1985 Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance, Gospel – "Come Sunday"

Nominations

• 1981 Drama Desk Award or Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
• 1983 Grammy Award Best New Artist

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jennifer Holliday on Myspace
• Jennifer Holliday at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jennifer Holliday at the Internet Movie Database
• Performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the 1982 Tony Awards
• Reference 1:Essence June 1999: Jennifer Holliday On Her 2 Failed Marriages
• Reference 2: Nov 1991 Ebony Magazine: Jennifer Holliday About Her Weight Loss
• Reference 3: USA Today February 22, 2007: Jennifer Holliday On the "Dreamgirls" Movie and Jennifer Hudson
• TonyAwards.com Interview with Jennifer Holiday
• The Official Net-Site Of Jennifer Holliday^{[dead link]}

John Peter Wikswo, Jr. (born October 6, 1949) is a biological physicist at Vanderbilt University. He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States.

Wikswo is noted for his work on biomagnetism and cardiac electrophysiology.

Graduate school[link]

In the 1970s, Wikswo was a graduate student at Stanford University, where he worked under physicist William M. Fairbank, studying magnetocardiography.

Biomagnetism[link]

In 1977 he became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University, where he set up a laboratory to study Living State Physics. In 1980, he made the first measurement of the magnetic field of an isolated nerve, by threading the a frog sciatic nerve through a wire-wound, ferrite-core toroid and detecting the induced current using a SQUID magnetometer. ^[1] At the same time, Wikswo and Ken Swinney calculated the magnetic field of a nerve axon. ^[2] This work was followed a few years later by the first detailed comparison of the measured and calculated magnetic field produced by a single nerve axon. ^[3]

In a related line of study, Wikswo collaborated with Vanderbilt Professor John Barach to analyze the information content of biomagnetic versus bioelectric signals. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Cardiac electrophysiology[link]

One of Wikswo's most important contributions to science is his work in cardiac electrophysiology. In 1987 he began collaborating with doctors at the Vanderbilt Medical School, including Dan Roden, to study electrical propagation in the dog heart. ^[7] These studies led to the discovery of the virtual cathode effect in cardiac tissue: during electrical stimulation, the action potential wave front originated farther from the electrode in the direction perpendicular to the myocardial fibers than in the direction parallel to them. ^[8]

In parallel with these experimental studies, Wikswo analyzed the virtual cathode effect theoretically using the bidomain model, a mathematical model of the electrical properties of cardiac tissue that takes into account the anisotropic properties of both the intracellular and extracellular spaces. He first used the bidomain model to interpret biomagnetic measurements from strands of cardiac tissue. ^[9] Wikswo realized that the property of unequal anisotropy ratios in cardiac tissue (the ratio of electrical conductivity in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the myocardial fibers is different in the intracellular and extracellular spaces) has important implications for the magnetic field associated with a propagating action potential wave front in the heart. With Nestor Sepulveda, Wikswo use the finite element method to calculate the distinctive fourfold symmetric magnetic field pattern produced by an outwardly propagating wave front. ^[10]

Unequal anisotropy ratios has even an even greater impact during electrical stimulation of the heart. Again using the finite element model, Wikswo, Roth and Sepulveda predicted the transmembrane potential distribution around a unipolar electrode passing current into a passive, two-dimensional sheet of cardiac tissue. ^[11] They found that the region of depolarization under a cathode extends farther in the direction perpendicular to the fibers than parallel to the fibers, a shape that Wikswo named the dog-bone. This prediction immediately explained the virtual cathode effect found experimentally in the dog heart; they were observing the dog-bone shaped virtual cathode. Later simulations using an active, time-dependent bidomain model confirmed this conclusion. ^[12]

The calculation of the transmembrane potential by a unipolar electrode resulted in another prediction: regions of hyperpolarization adjacent to the cathode in the direction parallel to the myocardial fibers. Reversal of the stimulus polarization provided a mechanism for anodal stimulation of cardiac tissue. In order to test this prediction experimentally, Wikswo mastered the technique of optical mapping using voltage sensitive dyes, allowing the measurement of transmembrane potential using optical methods. With Marc Lin, Wikswo made high resolution measurements of excitation following stimulation through a unipolar electrode in a rabbit heart, and confirmed four mechanisms of electrical stimulation—cathode make, cathode break, anode make, and anode break—that had been predicted by bidomain calculations. ^[13] (Cathode and anode refer to the polarity of the stimulus, and make and break indicate if the excitation occurred following the start or end of the stimulus pulse.) Later experiments using this technique led to the prediction of a new type of cardiac arrhythmia, which Wikswo named quatrefoil reentry. ^[14]

SQUID magnetometers[link]

In the 1990s, Wikswo began developing high spatial resolution SQUID magnetometers for mapping the magnetic field, to use in both biomagnetic studies and in non-destructive testing. ^{[15] [16] [17]} As is characteristic of Wikswo's work, he simultaneously developed theoretical methods to image a two-dimensional current density distribution from magnetic field measurements. ^[18]

VIIBRE[link]

In the first decade of the 21st century, Wikswo's research has emphasized the development and application of micro- and nano-scale devices for instrumenting and controlling single cells. ^[19] In 2001 he founded the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education (VIIBRE) to foster and enhance interdisciplinary research in the biophysical sciences and bioengineering at Vanderbilt.

Brief curriculum vitae[link]

• 1970 B.A., Physics, University of Virginia
• 1973 M.S., Physics, Stanford University
• 1975 Ph.D., Physics, Stanford University
• 1975-1977 Research Fellow in Cardiology, Stanford University School of Medicine
• 1977-1982 Assistant Professor of Physics, Vanderbilt University
• 1982-1988 Associate Professor of Physics, Vanderbilt University
• 1988–present Professor of Physics, Vanderbilt University
• 2001–present Gordon A. Cain University Professor, Vanderbilt University
• 2001–present Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University
• 2001–present Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University
• 2001–present Director, Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education
• 2005–present A.B. Learned Professor in Living State Physics, Vanderbilt University

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• VIIBRE website
• List of Wikswo's publications

Adam Steltzner
Image from NASA video Seven Minutes of Terror (June 2012)[1]
Born	(1963-06-10) June 10, 1963 (age 49) Alameda County, California
Nationality	American
Education	Mechanical Engineering, BS Applied Mechanics, MS Engineering Mechanics, PhD
Children	Two
Work
Employer(s)	Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Significant projects	Mars Pathfinder Mars Exploration Rovers Mars Science Laboratory
Significant design	Curiosity rover sky crane landing system

Adam D. Steltzner (born June 10, 1963)^[2] is an American NASA engineer who works for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He worked on several flight projects including Galileo, Cassini, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). He was the lead engineer of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover EDL phase (Entry, Descent and Landing), and helped design, build and test the sky crane landing system.^[3][4]

The media has portrayed Steltzner as a "rock and roll" engineer.^[5] NPR's Morning Edition said "he has pierced ears, wears snakeskin boots and sports an Elvis haircut,"^[3] while the EE Times called him "a bit of a hipster" and a "new breed of engineer" who is media savvy.^[4]

Life and career[link]

Steltzner, born 1963,^[3] is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area^[4] and came from a family that was financially well off.^[6] He struggled in classes in high school, earning a failing grade in geometry, and was told by his father he would never amount to anything but a ditch digger.^[3] "I was sort of studying sex, drugs and rock and roll in high school," says Steltzner.^[3] After high school he played bass and drums in new wave bands.^[6] He studied jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston, for less than a year.^[6] Around 1984, while driving home from music gigs at night, he noticed how the position of stars change. To learn more he decided to take an astronomy class at College of Marin, but he was required to complete a class in physics first, and it was there he had a revelation: nature could be understood and predicted. As Steltzner put it, "I had found religion."^[6] By 1985 he quit music and devoted himself full time to the challenge of school.^[3][6] His education included Tamalpais High School, Mill Valley, California (1981)^[7][8] and College of Marin (1985-1987)^{[citation needed]}; a BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Davis, 1990; a MS, Applied Mechanics, California Institute of Technology, 1991; and a PhD, Engineering Mechanics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1999.^[9][10]

Steltzner is employed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he has worked for about ten years designing, testing and building the sky crane landing system for the Curiosity rover.^[4] Steltzner was phase lead and development manager for EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) of the lander, which successfully landed on Mars on August 5, 2012.^[9] The sky crane is an entirely new technology system, Steltzner said of it "When people look at it...it looks crazy. That's a very natural thing. Sometimes when we look at it, it looks crazy. It is the result of reasoned, engineering thought. But it still looks crazy."^[11] The sky crane allows for a precise landing ellipse opening up many areas of Mars for exploration that were previously inaccessible due to uneven terrain.^[12]

Steltzner joined JPL in 1991, in the Spacecraft Structures and Dynamics group.^[9] He worked on several flight projects including Galileo, Cassini, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers (MER)^[13] and Mars Science Laboratory as well as several mission proposals, pre-Phase A projects and technology development efforts.^[9] Initially employed as a structures and mechanics personnel, he gravitated towards landing events and Mars Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) systems.^[9] He was the landing systems engineer on the comet mission Champollion (cancelled) and the mechanical systems lead for EDL on MER.^[9] During a 2012 interview with NPR, Steltzner said that his next challenge "is a landing system for a mission to Jupiter's watery moon, Europa." ^[14]

Steltzner is married and has a daughter. His second daughter was reportedly due to be born just a few weeks after the August 2012 Curiosity landing.^[15]

Media[link]

Steltzner is often profiled by the press in human interest stories^[14] with a focus on a "rock and roll" engineer image; for example he was called "the face of the 2012 Mars Science Laboratory mission" by the EE Times, who also called him "a bit of a hipster";^[4] he was interviewed on National Public Radio which noted his "Elvis haircut",^[3] and profiled again on NPR in a piece called "Red Planet, Green Thumb: How A NASA Scientist Engineers His Garden".^[16] He has been profiled similarly in other sources.^[5][17][18] A chapter-length biography of Steltzner in the book Going to Mars: The Stories of the people Behind NASA's Mars Missions (2004) is titled "Elvis Lives" after the rock and roll star who Steltzner supposedly resembles,^[6] which Esquire said "calls back to NASA's halcyon days in the late 50's and early 60's".^[19]

In 2004, he was among the scientists and engineers featured on the NOVA episode "MARS Dead or Alive" (aired January 4, 2004), which chronicled the process that ultimately delivered the rovers Spirit and Opportunity to Mars.^[20] The episode was nominated for an Emmy in 2004. He also appeared in the NOVA episode "Welcome to Mars" (2005), and other TV documentaries including Countdown to Mars (2003), Bouncing to Mars (2003), Spirit of Exploration (2005), What Went Right (2006), Mars Rising (2007) episodes "Journey to the Red Planet" and "Six Minutes of Terror", Horizon (2012) episode "Mission to Mars: A Horizon Special" and a Studio B with Shepard Smith episode dated August 6, 2012.^[21]

See also[link]

• Bobak Ferdowsi

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adam Steltzner

• Adam Steltzner at Twitter
• Adam Steltzner at Facebook
• Talk to the Man Who Led Curiosity to the Surface of Mars: Adam Steltzner, Gizmodo, video interview 5m12s, August 14, 2012.
• What's It's Like to Land on Mars, Steltzner narrates the Curiosity landing. NASA video 4m06s