Please join us on September 8, 2026, for our monthly LAA General Membership and Board Meetings. We are honored to welcome Mr. Steve Gayle, Acting Associate Director at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia for a State of the Center presentation.
In his role as the Acting Associate Director, Mr. Gayle manages daily operations of Langley’s approximately $1 billion research and development center. He is responsible for aligning Langley’s institutional resources and infrastructure to meet NASA mission needs, optimizing both effectiveness and efficiency.
Mr. Gayle joined NASA Langley in 1987 as an engineering technician co-op in the center’s Fabrication Division, then graduating from the NASA Langley Engineering Technician Apprentice Program in 1993 as a journeyman machinist. In 2000, he received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University. He served as a mechanical engineer for ten years in the Mechanical Systems Branch within the Engineering Directorate working on numerous projects including Shuttle Return-to-Flight, Orion, and Mars Airplane.
Steve has served in numerous leadership positions at the center including branch head of the Mechanical Systems Branch; director of the Workforce Office in the Office of Human Capital; director of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity; and chief operating officer, deputy director, and acting director for the Center’s Engineering Directorate. He most recently served as the director for Center Operations Directorate, overseeing facilities maintenance and operations related services, logistics services, security services, environmental management, and export control administration.
NASA’s recently-modified B777-200ER flew into Langley Research Center on August 11, 2026. The aircraft will be used to support Earth science missions. Watch the video as it approaches at https://larcalumni.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/B777.mov.
Video and slides from these presentations have now been posted on our Events page. Photos from the presentation are in the Gallery.
Please join us on August 11, 2026, for our monthly LAA General Membership and Board Meetings. We are honored to welcome Stephanie Letourneau, the Community Science and Outreach Staff of the Wetlands Watch, presenting “Rising Tides and Real Data: Community Science and Nature-Based Climate Resilience”.
Wetlands Watch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Norfolk, Virginia. Their mission is to enhance natural resilience, bolster community adaptation efforts, and protect and restore wetlands throughout Virginia. They advance climate adaptation by working collaboratively with a wide variety of stakeholders, and by implementing solution-focused strategies that unify and connect.
In addition to serving as the Community Science and Outreach Staff of the Wetlands Watch, Ms. Letourneau is also the Catch the King Coordinator. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from Juniata College in 2020, and in May 2025, completed her M.A. at William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Science and VIMS. Her work has centered on education, science communication, and participatory science, including coordinating volunteer water quality monitoring with Dickinson College’s Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring, supporting communications at the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia, and advancing participatory science at the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park. Her master’s research evaluated the Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers volunteer program through the lens of community perspectives.
Ms. Letourneau always loved spending time in and around water—from lakes and coastlines to mountain streams and rivers— carrying that passion through a semester abroad in the Galápagos Islands and a summer exploring the marshes of the York River. Recognizing that scientific progress depends on effective communication, she dove into the waters of the Florida Keys to learn firsthand how community engagement is integral to the scientific process. Her career is focused on connecting coastal communities with science and conservation efforts in their own neighborhoods and ecosystems, amplifying the value of local knowledge. Ms. Letourneau believes that the impacts of community involvement ripple far beyond data collection, fostering stewardship and catalyzing local change.
As part of NASA Langley’s celebration of the 250th Anniversary, they want to showcase the incredible musical talent within our center. There is a special Langley Anniversary Orchestra and are inviting interested musicians to participate.
RSVP by June 19th!! Click on the link below and fill out the form if you are interested in participating.
Musicians Needed for the NASA Langley Orchestra RSVP 6/19 – Fill out form
Video and slides from these presentations have now been posted on our Events page. Photos from the presentation are in the Gallery.
Please join us on June 9, 2026, for our monthly LAA General Membership and Board Meetings. We are honored to welcome Dr. Kevin Marlowe, who will be presenting on Using AI to Power Up Your Retirement.
Dr. Marlowe’s career of more than thirty years was characterized by identifying emerging technologies early and applying them to solve real operational problems. His early IT career highlights included pioneering the use of a CD-ROM parts database on a Navy warship, developing web-enabled database applications at NASA Langley Research Center in the late 1990s, and leading advanced command-and-control systems analysis and data visualization work for the Department of Defense at U.S. Joint Forces Command.
He spent fifteen years with the Department of Veterans Affairs in progressively senior field and headquarters IT leadership roles. His final federal assignment was as Director, Service Quality and Support within VA’s Office of Information and Technology, where he directed personnel and budget operations for VA’s national field IT workforce of more than 3,500 employees and a budget approaching one billion dollars annually, including early adoption of AI-assisted tools to improve IT governance and regulatory compliance functions.
Dr. Marlowe retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2014 with the rank of Captain after nearly thirty years of service as a Surface Warfare Officer. He holds a Ph.D. in IT Management from Capella University and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Old Dominion University, and currently teaches Cybersecurity for Finance and Accounting in the graduate business program at Christopher Newport University.
Come join Virginia Air & Space Science Center, American Institute of Astronautics & Aeronautics (AIAA), and The Viking Mars Missions Education & Preservation Project (VMMEPP) on July 18, 2026.
Celebrating NASA Langley Research Center’s Viking mission, a milestone in 250 years of American Mars exploration achievements. Hosted by Virginia Air & Space Science Center.
Visitors will enjoy meeting and attending talks with past and current Space Exploration Leaders and real Viking Mission Team Members who served on the first mission to Mars’ surface in 1976. Government and industry experts will share exciting work on future missions and students from institutions around the country will also share their research and experience interning at NASAs leading research facilities.
Events will begin at 10am and continue until closing at 4pm
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