Unlike Clinton, however, Dunbar viewed the bias against women in scientific and technical fields as all the more reason to pursue them, which she did. A native of Sunnyside, WA, who grew up on a farm herding cattle but dreaming of space travel, Dunbar took the courageous step of enrolling as an engineering major at the University of Washington, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ceramic engineering in 1971 and 1975, respectively.
Expectedly, support for her academic pursuits was less than enthusiastic on the part of many professors, some of whom tried to dissuade her from engineering because it was ''not a field for women.''
Dunbar, however, was solid in her resolve, affirming that changing her career ambitions simply because of her gender was never an option: ''I just don't see obstacles,'' she affirms. ''I see challenges. I like solving problems.''
Ultimately, she would complete her doctorate in mechanical and biomedical engineering in 1983 at the University of Houston. Such accomplishments are all the more noteworthy in light of the fact that Dunbar was the first in her family to attend college, taking on a minimum of 18 credits per semester while an undergraduate student. She also assumed prominent roles at the University of Washington’s Engineering Student Council and in Angel Flight, a coeducational auxiliary engineering program.
An early memorable moment in her academic career was her first engineering professor informing her that half of her freshman class would fail out of engineering. Characteristically, Dunbar wasn’t fazed.
''I loved the challenge,'' she recalls. ''I love working hard. It was fun.''
Of her years as an undergrad, Dunbar recalls, ''I thoroughly enjoyed my UW experience. Studying in Loew Hall, having hot chocolate at football games, and working hard in engineering was so much fun. I just loved engineering. What a creative occupation. What you are doing is new and is solving problems. What could be better than that?''
Between her undergraduate and graduate stints, she spent two years working as a computer systems analyst for Boeing, allowing her to re-team with James Mueller, one of the nation’s leading ceramic engineers and one of the few university professors to encourage her throughout her studies. It was Mueller who would introduce her to researchers working on the space shuttle tile project, helping open the door to her career as an astronaut.
In 1978, Dunbar was named Rockwell’s Engineer of the Year, about the same time NASA ended its policy against women in its space program, prompting Dunbar to apply to be a candidate. She had not yet earned her Ph.D., which was a prerequisite to being accepted by NASA, prompting her return to school at the University of Houston. The next time she applied, she was accepted as an astronaut candidate.
In August 1981, Dunbar officially realized her dream of becoming a NASA astronaut when she assisted with the verification of shuttle flight software at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), worked as part of the Flight Crew Equipment Control Board and the Astronaut Office Science Support Group, where she supported operational development of the remote manipulator system (RMS).
Since leaving NASA as an astronaut and assuming her current post as an administrator, Dunbar has proven that the glass ceiling is inconsequential in the stead of her ambitions. She admits that, if given the chance, she would return to space ''in a heartbeat,'' but seems content with pursuing a new goal: building her own space station.
And before anyone decides to tell her it’s not possible, just remember what happened the last time she was told “no.”
