"Anything is really possible," says Renee Wynn.

As NASA's Chief Information Officer, new ideas are a normal part of Renee's workday.    After serving for twenty-five years at the Environmental Protection Agency, Renee came to NASA in July, 2015.   In September of 2015, she was promoted to her present position.

Her enthusiasm for making data understandable, and sparking her listeners' imaginations, is obvious.

During NASA's 2016 International Space Apps Challenge, Renee took a red-eye flight from the East Coast to be a part of the Space Apps Pasadena sessions.   Onsite at the Cross Campus facility in Pasadena, she served as adviser to the collaborating teams in "the universe's largest hackathon".

She also acted as one of the judges of the completed projects on the final day of Space Apps Pasadena.   Her particular interest, though, was in encouraging newcomers to coding and science--women especially--to take part in this unique event.

Renee talked about her experiences (she herself didn't originally have a science background!), how she became involved in the International Space Apps Challenge and some of the most exciting ideas she saw emerging from Space Apps Pasadena 2016.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:


How Renee first became involved in scientific fields;


How her service at the EPA built the foundation for her current position;


 Some of the coolest things she experienced in her first weeks at NASA;


The goals she set to serve her new position;


How Renee became involved with the International Space Apps Challenge


Her observations of some of the most exciting things that happened during the preliminary Women's Data Bootcamp;


Renee's thoughts on learning a new area as a beginner;


 Some of the most intriguing innovations and ideas from the 2016 Space Apps Pasadena event;


The ways NASA reached out to women to attract a more diverse group of coders to their Data Bootcamp;


How women's mental obstacles differ from reality and their abilities;


Renee's vision for Space Apps 2030.