Rocket scientist, DJ — a match made in the heavens

WASHINGTON, D.C. — By day, NASA aerospace engineer Mark Branch supervises electromagnetic compatibility and susceptibility tests on instruments for the Hubble Space Telescope.

At night and on weekends, he becomes DJ Scientific, trading in his spectrum analyzers and oscilloscopes for a microphone, turntables and a mixer as he cranks hip-hop tunes at some of the Washington, D.C., area's hottest clubs as well as at NFL and NBA events.

"I may be the only rocket-scientist hip-hop DJ in the country," said Branch, 39, who holds degrees in engineering and engineering physics. "My colleagues at NASA find it hard to believe that I spend my nights deejaying at nightclubs. The people I meet at the clubs can't believe that by day I supervise people testing instruments for satellites."

Branch, of Mitchellville, Md., has worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., since 1991. He is the technical lead in the electromagnetic-test-engineering section, heading a team of engineers who conduct tests on parts for the Hubble, as well as the yet-to-be-launched Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Solar Dynamic Observatory and other projects.

He is among a passel of NASA engineers and scientists working 10- to 12-hour days as the space agency prepares to launch the fourth repair mission of the Hubble this year.

His dual interests, rockets and hip-hop, make him a natural draw for children, especially African-American boys. He speaks frequently at schools and is always a hit at programs for children visiting Goddard. "I think they can relate to what I do when I tell them I'm a hip-hop DJ," said Branch, one of a few black engineers to achieve supervisory status at the space agency. "Then, sometime while we're talking, it hits them: 'Wait a minute. This guy works at NASA. This guy is a scientist. He's a scientist who looks like me. Maybe I can be a scientist and a DJ.' "

His work persona is strictly professional, but Branch definitely eases up in his off time. "Peace!" the voice mail on his cellphone proclaims. "You have reached the business line of Scientific Beats. This is Scientific, aka Markie B."

"He's the bomb"

At Love nightclub in Washington on a recent Friday night, Branch, who favors Oxford shirts and black dress pants for work, morphed into his alter ego, DJ Scientific, all black shirt, baggy pants and cool.

"Welcome to Love," he told the people on the dance floor five feet below the DJ platform.

"Tip my bartenders," he said. "My bartenders be holding it down."

As the 20- and 30-something crowd gyrated on the floor, Branch offered up a mix of music: Old School rap then R&B and then the latest hits.

"He's the bomb!" said Salaria Haynes, 23, of Philadelphia, who came with a group of friends while visiting family in Virginia. "He plays all the good music."

A local radio personality stopped by for a quick hello as Branch scratched, cut, blended and pulled off perfect backspins. Kris Ramson, manager of Love, gave him a nod. The music was good.

Then there was the woman with the pretty face, the skintight jeans, the black top and the cleavage. "I like your music," she said, smiling sweetly.

Branch's colleagues at NASA can't quite picture all this.

"He's really quiet and businesslike around here," said his boss, Bob Vernier. "He's not the flamboyant type you would think would be energetic enough to be a hip-hop DJ."

Turned to music

Branch was a 7-year-old Army brat growing up in Greensboro, N.C., when a fascination with magnets and electricity started him thinking about a career in science. His interest was clinched a few years later after his mother, an educator, gave him a book on the history of spaceflight that included conceptual designs of spacecraft of the future.

"The book included illustrations of the space shuttle and many space vehicles that now have been conceived," he said. "From that moment on, I wanted to work for NASA."

First he had to complete high school, where he belonged to the "High IQ" team, was a member of the National Honor Society and played bass in the orchestra, continuing a tradition he had started in grade school.

To get in with the popular kids, he again turned to music.

"I was in honors classes, so I was with the nerd crowd," he said. "But because even back then I also deejayed, I was also in with the cool crowd. So I had the best of both worlds."

After graduating with honors, he headed to Morgan State University in Baltimore, where his father had once run the ROTC program. There, he enrolled in a NASA engineering program and delved into the wonders of physics, his favorite branch of science, what he calls "the foundation of any engineering career."

He also made friends in the university's career-development department, and that led to interviews with agencies that came to Morgan to recruit.

"I was fortunate to be able to sign up for a NASA interview," he said. "There is no better place to work for an aerospace engineer. I put my hands on things that go into space. That's a wonderful feeling."

Nice perks

Although he loves his day job, his avocation has brought its perks. He is one of the hottest DJs in an area with clubs that are nationally known for their music.

He's been on the box when Beyoncé, Diddy and LL Cool J were in the house. He also was on the mike when the Democratic National Committee came through to drum up support in a past election.

The extra money he makes helps pay for a home in a gated community with its own production studio, membership in a country club and the custom suits he wears to functions outside of both his jobs.

For six years, he served as DJ for the NFL Players Gala held in conjunction with the Super Bowl. In February, he played records at the Legends of the NBA event, part of the NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, where he rubbed elbows with Julius "Dr. J" Irving, Magic Johnson and Darryl Dawkins.

He has his own Web site, scientificbeats.com, and a production studio where he is working with a singer whom he expects to do so well that he's considering a full-time career in music production. The singer, Leslee Michele, works by day as Leslee Cork, a public-affairs specialist at Goddard.

For a little boy from Greensboro who dreamed of working with the stars, he's accomplished his goal in more ways than one.