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United States Diplomatic Mission to South Africa: Space Man Lands in South AfricaSpace Man Lands in South Africa The U.S. Consulate General was pleased to coordinate with NASA civil engineer George “Gabe” Gabrielle on a number of programming opportunities in Johannesburg. In his morning session, Mr. Gabrielle spoke to 300 high-school aged children at the Sci-Bono museum in the New Town district. The program focused on Mr. Gabrielle’s personal experiences, overcoming adversity and challenges to ultimately achieve his goal of becoming an engineer working on the space program. Mr. Gabrielle spoke at length about the importance of staying in school and how studies in the areas of math and science can lead to rewarding and lucrative careers in many different fields. In his afternoon session at the Rosa Parks Library in Soweto, Mr. Gabrielle delivered his message to a group of high school seniors and interested educators. The sessions were punctuated with NASA video clips, interviews and behind-the-scenes photos of the space program. At each venue, the students were fascinated with the subject and connected with the message to the young women in the audience to not accept gender role limitations imposed by society. PRETORIA: Kennedy Space Center Worker Presents US Space Program to 300 Mamelodi Schoolchildren"Gabe" Gabrielle, a facility project programmer for Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Station, used video clips and still photos to bring the US space program to life for 300 secondary school students at the University of Pretoria's campus in Mamelodi, a black, economically disadvantaged township north-east of the city center, on July 16, 2008. Gabe was programmed by the US Embassy's Information Resource Center as a target of opportunity speaker. The grade 9-12 pupils, from three schools within walking distance of the campus, where the US Embassy plans to open a US Science Reading Room later this year, responded enthusiastically to Gabe's presentation, inundating him with questions about the space program. The students were accompanied by science and math teachers, as well as a school district official from the provincial education department. The campus director, Edwin Smith, introduced Gabe to the students, and encouraged them to use the science reading room when it opens. 
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