Ellie Flynn

Physical Science 8
Women in STEM - NASA

Name: Melanie Chau-Budiman

Title: IT Manager
Organization: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Location: Pasadena, California

Personal Background and Education/Before Nasa:

Melanie fled from Vietnam with her two older brothers when she was only fifteen years old. She devoted
her time shortly after to resettling Southeast Asian refugees in the US. She joined the JPL in 1985,
working part time while going to school. She earned a degree in computer science from the University of
California, and joined the JPL officially as a subcontract manager. In 1992 she received her Masters of
Business Administration from University of La Verne She states, Between the war and going to school,
we did what we could, but achieving higher education wasnt something that I thought was possible,.
Currently, Melanie works with software developers and system analysts on applications that support the
JPLs business processes. She states, I was the first female in the Chau's family who acquired a
bachelor's degree, so it was a big deal. Even when I relate to friends and relatives who stayed behind in
Vietnam that I work for JPL and explain to them what JPL does, it's a wow moment. And having me
continue on to get my MBA was another wow factor.
What does she think is the best part of her job?
It's really the opportunity to work with a great group of people and also a great team of scientists and
engineers who are at the frontier of space exploration. And also to be able to apply what I know from
the administrative side of the house to automating some of the processes that make everyone's job a bit
easier.
Why did she choose computer programming?
I lived in a very small town about 350 kilometers north of Saigon, where the culture very much
emphasizes men, so going to college was something that I wouldn't imagine. But I always wanted to
explore science and do well in math, so with that in mind, I thought computer science would be a good
fit.

Citations:
"Melanie Chau-Budiaman - Women at JPL." Women At JPL - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. <http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/women/profile.html#chau-budiman>.