Alexis Flippen

Expertise: System Safety & Risk Management
Expedition Role: Leader -  Independent Risk Assessment and Honorary Expedition Team Member
Affiliation: Senior Scientist - Risk Management, Orbital Sciences Corp. at NASA Ames Research Center

Who I am and What I Do

I'm a risk taker by nature and consequently I study risk  for a living.   There is nothing more fascinating to me than trying to figure out what can go wrong and how to prevent it...and conversely, how to increase the likelihood that things will go right!

By definition, whenever  there is uncertainty, there is risk, which has two elements:  1)  the potential for an undesired event (such as a safety mishap or a threat to mission success), and 2) the impact of the undesired event were it to occur.
Yes, there is actually a "science" of risk management that is integral to the overall NASA mission.  This often has to do with statistics and probabilities and involves the study of past accidents and mishaps. For the past 15 years, I've been working at NASA Ames in the Silicon Valley, performing safety and risk analyses in support of the Safety, Environmental, and Mission Assurance organization, headed by Laura Doty (Director) and Bob Navarro (Deputy Director).  I was recruited to Ames following the Challenger accident.

I was responsible for the independent risk analysis for the Licancabur Expedition.  Having spent a month on Mt. Everest in 2000 as part of a milestone environmental clean-up expedition, I studied similar risks and have firsthand knowledge of the those encountered at 19K feet!!  In the photo, taken above Mt. Everest Base Camp, I'm proudly wearing my NASA hat.

Please see the  home page for  the article  I've written  that describes NASA's safety priority, risk management process, and the risks associated with the Licancabur Expedition.

Career Journey

My career journey has been anything but a straight line from goal to achievement.  It's been  rather a morphing of interests and opportunities over the years.  My technical background is varied...but it has always focused on human learning and cognition because people are the least reliable component in any system, yet we often  rely on humans to "save the day" when the hardware and software components fail!

As an undergraduate, I studied philosophy (epistemology, logic, ethics, metaphysics)  to get the "big picture," but also experimental and physiological psychology which entailed animal neurosurgery  to understand the underlying neural correlates to behavior.  This was at a very cellular level.  On the other extreme, I worked at a state mental hospital to see what can go wrong if there's a deficiency or  insult to the brain.

I also earned a teaching credential and was a Dean of Women at a private high school and was  a teacher of the gifted.  This was at a macro level of learning.

In graduate school (School of Medical Sciences at Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco ), my M.S. was focused on the neuropsychology of learning disorders, once again to understand the neural mechanisms of learning.  This was about the "hard-wiring" of the brain, but there was also a clinical focus  to see how the brain can adapt  following disease, trauma, or learning disabilities.

I became a researcher at SRI (Stanford Research Institute) studying federal education laws.  So, I moved from cellular, to lab, to the classroom, to research, to policy levels of learning and education.

A natural outgrowth of learning is training, and I became a certified trainer and worked on various Department of Defense programs.  Having seen what people can do wrong on very high risk/high consequence weapon systems (including nuclear), I became interested in risk, safety and human factors engineering disciplines.

Currently I am completing a doctorate in Engineering at Bradford University in England, with a focus on  risk management.

Growing up

Native San Franciscan but grew up in the east bay in a small town called Danville where we could ride our horses "downtown" and we got our first stop light when I was 18 years old!  This town had the benefits of semi rural living with access to a major city and the locus of cultural and intellectual activity.

What made you study science?

Science is a disciplined approach to learning.  These days I don't so much conduct science as help scientists and engineers  to develop safe designs and experiments and to guide risk-based decisions.  Remember, "safe" does not mean risk free.  It's a relative term.  At NASA we mean that we strive for "acceptable risk."

Hobbies and interests

- Masters swimming.   I swim about 15K meters a week, and am partial to rough water swims.  I "retired" from competition after winning the race from Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay a few years ago.  Swimmers have long since proven that prisoners once confined on the island could have indeed escaped.  One can endure the cold water but the tides can be tricky.

- Running. I run several times a week and the highlight of my  running career was the completing the Greek Marathon.  This is the "original"  from the city of Marathon to Athens (circa 490 BC).  As in Life, one must put one foot in front of the other to get there.

- Equestrian sports. I  have three horses, all ex-Thoroughbred race horses, that are champion hunter/jumper show horses. I  also ride side-saddle, a very traditional form of riding for ladies, and achieved a lifetime goal to qualify and show at our nation's most famous and important horse show, The National, held at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

- Cars.  I have several somewhat exotic cars and have raced a bit.  Acceleration is a thrill!  No, I have never received a speeding ticket, as there is a time and place.

- Hiking/climbing.  I live in the redwoods and find daily peace through the solitude of running or hiking.  Of course being on Mt. Everest was the highlight of my climbing experience...but Licancabur has quite a lure too!   Mt. Everest is now measured at 29,035 ft by the latest GPS.  I am not experienced enough to attempt a summit, and furthermore, that is not the mountain I wish to die on (literally and figuratively).
Anyway, you can see that I am not what they call  "risk averse."

Advice or parting words for students or teachers

- Sometimes "learning how to learn" is the greatest challenge.

- You've heard maxim "Everything in moderation."  To that I say "especially moderation" when it comes to pursuing those ideas that call to you.

- At NASA we know there can be  no discovery without risk.  Just choose your risks wisely!