By Kelli Weldon

NASA astronaut Dr. Karen Nyberg, who has spent more than 180 days in space, talked with Austin ISD students at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders on Dec. 3.

Nyberg, who said she grew up in a small town in Minnesota, showed photos and videos from her travels to space and described her experiences ranging from seeing Earth from a distance to learning how to perform basic acts in a new environment. To prepare for space travel, she lived underwater for several days, she said.

"It simulates space in a lot of ways [such as] that you're in this pressurized system," she said.

Nyberg answered questions from the school's ninth- through 12th-grade students, including why she decided to become an astronaut and what she has experienced during her career.

"Kids, especially at this age, are getting so close to being our future," she said. "[In] especially the areas of science and technology and those types of things that are so important for our country if they're interested in it, hopefully they'll go out and do things with it and make a better life for everybody here."

Earlier in the same week, the Austin ISD board of trustees discussed integrating technology into AISD classrooms as part of the district's technology plan, which is slated to be presented to the board for approval in February.