Congratulations Luis R. Piñero, Senior Electrical Engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and now a GMiS 2021 Luminary Award winner!
GMiS Luminary honorees represent professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics who initiate, collaborate, and lead key programs and research within their companies. These individuals have made significant contributions to the Hispanic technical community as leaders and role models.
Throughout the 33rd Annual GMiS Conference, Great Minds in STEM will be highlighting members of our Class of 2021 Luminary honorees, comprising of Hispanic innovators who are engineering the future while lighting the way for the next generation of STEM leaders.
Our next spotlighted Luminary is Luis Piñero, Senior Electrical Engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), where for over 30 years he has been a nationally renowned Subject Matter Expert in electric propulsion systems, a form of in-space propulsion used to perform spacecraft maneuvers much more efficiently than conventional, liquid propelled rockets.
Mr. Piñero has dedicated his entire career to research activities and the development of power processing units for EP systems. His contributions have been instrumental to the success of many propulsion development projects and he’s participated in the recent adaptation of high-power EP into NASA exploration architectures.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mr. Piñero earned a Cum Laude B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez and received a Master’s of Science degree in the same field from Cleveland State University.
In addition to the over 60 technical papers that he has authored or co-authored, Mr. Piñero is the recipient of 25 NASA honors, including Group Achievements and Performance awards, and he’s a member of numerous professional associations including being named an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
A member of the GRC Hispanic Advisory Council for many years, he has served as chair, vice-chair, secretary, and consultant of the organization.
See Mr. Piñero’s acceptance speech here and congratulations to the entire Class of 2021 GMiS Luminary honorees!
Stay tuned for more exemplary Hispanic professionals in STEM as Week 1 of the GMiS Virtual Conference continues.