Dr. Michael Barratt, a Camas High School graduate who became a NASA astronaut, will speak at a special public event for Global Entrepreneurship Week in Vancouver on Nov. 16. Titled “Celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week: Lift Off to Innovation,” the event is sponsored by Washington State University Vancouver’s Business Growth Mentor and Analysis Program and the Columbia River Economic Development Council as part of its GROW Clark County series. It runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Pearson Air Museum Historic Hangar.
Dr. Barratt will discuss how his local educational experience set him on the path to become a NASA medical doctor and astronaut. His career highlights the importance of investing in education, particularly STEM skills and career-connected learning opportunities, as well as the long-term economic impact of a well-educated and highly skilled local workforce.
Dr. Barratt completed two space flights. He helped develop NASA’s space medicine programs and was medical operations lead for the International Space Station. He evaluated the medical aspects of humans adapting to weightlessness and the medical risks of space flight. His work with NASA’s research programs has played a role in accelerating innovation in the biotech and pharmaceutical community. He co-edited the book “Principles of Clinical Medicine for Space Flight” (2008).