Mars Curiosity Flight Director's Career Launched at Springs

Oh and his family have even drawn worldwide media attention as they have adopted “Mars time” — nearly 40 minutes per day longer than an “Earth day” — during the first month of Curiosity’s time on Mars. 

While his career has obviously reached new heights, Oh says that its launch occurred millions of miles away from Mars and thousands of miles away from the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., where the rover was built and is operated.

It was launched at Springs, where he attended high school, and the Birmingham area, where his parents still live.

The influence of Oh’s father, Dr. Shin Oh, Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Professor of Pathology, and Director of UAB's Clinical Neurophysiology and Muscle/Nerve Histopathology Laboratories, and his mother, Dr. Kim Oh, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the university, was far-reaching. “The support and opportunities they provided me, along with their example of hard work and dedication, continue to shape me as a scientist and a human being,” Oh says.

One of those opportunities, Oh adds, was going to Springs, where he first studied physics and calculus. “Those classes were the basis for my next steps in studying physics and engineering, and provided a great foundation for me,” he says. “I owe a big ‘thank you’ to Dr. Mac LaCasse, my physics and calculus teacher, for keeping me on the physics bus!”

Beyond that, ISS provided intangible lessons that he has carried with him throughout his career. “I learned to be self-reliant and think critically, and those have been important skills to possess going into this kind of endeavor,” he says. “Indian Springs offers a world-class education and laid the foundation for my entire career.”

Oh joined NASA’s JPL in 2003 and has worked on missions to the moon and Mars. After graduating from Springs, he received bachelor’s degrees in both aerospace engineering and the humanities (music) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds a master of science degree and doctorate from MIT.

Just last fall, Oh traveled to Alabama to speak with ISS science students about his work on the rover, and he will continue to be in contact with them as the project continues. Springs students will be following Oh’s lead by conducting their own research on Mars that will be judged in science competitions later in the year.