CMU Students Find Inspiration In Remembering Alumna Killed In Challenger Tragedy

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- January 28, 1986. Tragedy in the sky over Cape Canaveral, as the first Challenger flight with a teacher aboard, Christa McAuliffe, went down in smoke. There were no survivors.

One of the astronauts aboard that doomed shuttle was a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

She majored in electrical engineering, which was very unusual for women 30 years ago. Judy Resnik was a pioneer in her studies, and in space.

The lunch crowd at Joe's Hot Dog Stand, near the CMU campus, is far too young to have witnessed that moment. But engineering students, in particular, appreciate the path she paved.

"She's a pioneer in engineering, and it's amazing to know that I go to a school that she made such an impact here, and we have buildings named after her," says mechanical engineering student Anthony Rueda.

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Female students, like electrical and computer engineering major Chelsea Kwong, appreciate the astronaut/engineer who helped to break that gender barrier.

"So many girls are engineers now. She's really an icon," Kwong said. "And she's really an icon in that scientific field."

Resnik died 30 years ago. But for women who follow in her footsteps, her legacy is forever.