Leonard Nimoy inspired an entire generation of space fans, sci-fi buffs and pioneering scientists with his portrayal of Spock, the first officer of the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek series.
The world mourned Leonard’s tragic passing back in February 2015, but his ideals and legacy are still being championed by his daughter, Julie Nimoy, and her husband, David Knight, through the Nimoy-Knight Foundation, which seeks to celebrate “Leonard Nimoy’s legacy of hope, inspiration and compassion for all.”
The latest recipient of the award is Dr. Jessica Schonhut-Stasik, an astrophysicist and neurodiversity advocate who is affectionately known as “Girl Spock.” Schonhut-Stasik, whose research focuses on galactic archaeology, is also the CEO of The Neuroverse Initiative, a nonprofit organization that supports neurodiversity in space science.
In a post on her LinkedIn page, Schonhut-Stasik said that receiving the awards was “a dream come true.”
“If you’d asked young Jess why I resonated so deeply with the Vulcans of Star Trek — particularly Spock — I couldn’t have told you,” she wrote. “Then, at 27, I was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD and OCD. Suddenly, it all made sense. This autistic astrophysicist was basically Spock with less emotive eyebrows!”
Schonhut-Stasik isn’t stopping there, though — she’s got her sights set on the stars and is hoping to be the first openly autistic woman in space.
“I could not be more thrilled, honored, and excited to be working with the Nimoy-Knight foundation to become the first openly autistic woman in space,” Schonhut-Stasik said in a statement. “Going to space [would be] a dream come true, but being chosen to represent what Leonard stood for is even more incredible.”
Could it happen? Who knows, but the Nimoy-Knight Foundation already has a connection to Blue Origin, one of the private companies that could make it a reality.
As Knight explained to Space.com, the pendants that are handed out to recipients of the awards have actually been to space on a Blue Origin suborbital flight, thanks to another Star Trek alumnus: William Shatner.
Shatner flew to space and back on Oct. 13, 2021, aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle and, according to Knight, took the pendants along for the ride, ensuring that recipients of the award would have a real connection to the stars. (Schonhut-Stasik would have to wait a while to fly with Blue Origin, however; the company recently announced that it’s pausing its suborbital tourism flights for at least two years to focus on its moon plans.)
If you want to support the Nimoy-Knight Foundation, you can do so by signing up on the website and sharing a picture of yourself doing your best Vulcan salute.
Signing up also gets you access to a free download of “Remembering Leonard Nimoy,” a documentary produced by Julie Nimoy and David Knight that celebrates Nimoy’s life and highlights his battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the ailment that ultimately took his life. The 11th anniversary of Leonard Nimoy’s death is later this month on Feb. 27.
