Xavier Zapien, JPL Robotics Engineer and Space Academy Co-Director, visits Villanueva de La Cañada

Xavier Zapien, a JPL Robotics Engineer and Space Academy Co-Director, visited Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain in January. He said, “I was thrilled to meet their city council members and Mayor Partida. We discussed the importance of the sisterhood between Villanueva de la Cañada and La Cañada Flintridge, as well as the value the Space Academy brings both of these communities.”

Xavier toured all three high schools in Villanueva de la Cañada whoa re involved with the Space Academy: Escuela International SEK, Colegio Kolbe, and Instituto de las Encinas. He was accompanied by his host Randa Sayeg and four of the high school teachers who support the International Space Academy.

Xavier spoke about his work at JPL and other engineering endeavors and learned about the student programs at each school. He also had an opportunity to visit the European Space Agency’s Center (ESAC).