2022 Science + Literature Selection Committee

Aaron Yazzie is a Mechanical Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California where he designs mechanical systems for NASA’s robotic space research missions. His most extensive contributions have been for missions to the planet Mars, which include roles on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, the InSight Mars lander, and the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. Yazzie is Diné (Navajo). He was born in Tuba City, Arizona on the Navajo Nation, and raised in Holbrook, Arizona. Through frequent outreach efforts, public engagement, and volunteer work, Yazzie is passionate about increasing and improving representation of Indigenous Peoples in STEM fields.