Let's Go to Space: BLUE-SKY Learning: Recent Episodes
Shawna Christenson
Are you an educator looking to inspire your STEM students? Are you a university or high school student who has dreamed of going to space? Or are you a space enthusiast? This podcast will explore the many ways students and teachers can engage with industry with a particular focus on CubeSats and student team formation with a BLUE-Sky learning philosophy. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/shawna-christenson2/support
Today we meet with Maria Nickel, a Kinesiology and STEM specialist teacher for over27 years. Although she has taught a variety of subjects K- 12, Maria is currently the STEM innovation program specialist K- 12 for the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada where she focuses a lot on space.
Maria has sent two SSEP experiments to the ISS- including the first elementary school experiment in Canada on Cancer and Manitoba’s first Jr. High Experiment on double exposure of radiation on ungrown Tomatosphere seeds. She also has created a science instrument for Manitoba’s first Cube Sat, IRIS, and is working on a second Cube Satellite for Artic Ice flow research
In addition to all her great work as an educator, Maria is the winner of Science Teachers Association of Manitoba- Innovative Group STEM work for the RAMWC 202 and was Inducted into the Space Camp Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
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Today Kevin meets with Takeisha Stokes. Takeisha has over a decade of government experience specializing in legislation and politics. With a masters in Government with a focus on International Politics, Takeshia is a born advocate, keeping people at the forefront of her mind in all she does. Currently, she works as a legislative analysts for the Florida House of Representative, which is how we met her during our most recent Space Day advocacy efforts. This episode will be a must listen for our policy lovers! As always, stay tuned after for the takeaway
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Today we meet with Rebecca Vieyra, a physics educator who coordinates the American Association of Physics Teachers' NASA HEAT team, a group of educators and researchers committed to advancing heliophysics education in formal classrooms. She is originally from Illinois, where she taught high school physics for seven years. She is a 2013 recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and is an alumna of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, where she was placed at NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate for one year. Since then, she served as the first K-12 Program Manager of the American Association of Physics Teachers, program manager for the Inter-American Teacher Education Network, and is now Director of Global Initiatives at PhET Interactive Simulations for the University of Colorado Boulder.
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Today, Kevin and I meet with two high school students from The Greene School in West Palm Beach Florida who have been makingspace one of their passion projects! Kenan Sato-Hua, is a 14-year-old 9th grader who participates on both the debate and aerospace team. He recentlypresented at the PocketQube conference in Glasgow, Scotland and joined advocacy efforts on behalf of space policy at the annual Space Day in Tallahassee. Kenanis trilingual, being fluent in Japanese, Chinese, and English which allows him to share his passions with many different audiences. Joining him today is 10th grader, Evan Barron. Evan is the team lead for the Greene Aerospace Team and is responsible for its website creation and design. Additionally, Evan spoke atthe International Space Development Conference in Texas. Both boys are presenting at American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsSci Tech Conference in Orlando this coming week and have a very bright future ahead.
As always, stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today Kevin and I meet with Dorina Girbovan has three Masters in Science and one Ph.D. in Physics. As the G100 Romania Country Chair for the Space Technology & Aviation Wing, she advocates the promotion of women in science and technology. She promotes space education for teachers worldwide as NASA’s International Ambassador.
She is the founder and CEO of Beyond The Stars Education, a NonGpvernemental Organization that aims to help Romanian students with disabilities access science and space educational resources, training, and space camps.
And Dorina has been a speaker and astronaut moderator in multiple science and space events worldwide. In 2023, she was the only Romanian speaker at the Space Exploration Educators Conference at Space Center Houston. As a certified trainer, she leads STEM teachers’ workshops, training events, and professional developments across Romania and the US. With over 23 years of experience teaching, in Romania, Canada, and the USA, her students won first prizes in multiple international science contests held by the Royal Society of Chemistry, COBIS, ESA, and NASA.
Dorina is a Physics Cambridge Assessment examiner, a Science curriculum developer, a Science and space curriculum expert, and a book author and she strongly believes that change needs to start with the teachers.
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In this solo episode, Kevin shares about the successes of this year's SmallSat Education Conference!
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Taylor Peterson is a third year PhD student studying aerospace engineering at theUniversity of Central Florida (UCF). Her current research looks at 1) osteoporosis in astronauts and 2) simulating cryogenic propellant boiling in microgravity. She is the recipient of a 2023 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, in which she proposed the idea of simulating and tracking cryogenic boiling in liquid transfer systems on spacecraft and space stations. She holds a bachelors in physics and has an extensive background in microgravity fluid related research experiments, including various payloads that have flown on parabolic flight campaigns and sub-orbital flights with Blue Origin. Along with this, she also holds a role as a flightcoach for the Zero Gravity Corporation and has flown on nearly 30 flights,including flights with real astronauts.
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Chet Knoer has been a lifelong space enthusiast and it all started with a visit to Space Academy at the age of 12. Now understand that As a child, Chet thought that to work in space meant you must be an inventor. They found out later that meant being an engineer.
Over the last 8 years, Chet has been a part of the University at Buffalo Nanosatellite Lab (UBNL), starting with integration and testing for the GLaDoS mission. Later they helped build the short cycle lab, and is now in the role of Senior Program Manager at UBNL. Presently Chet is completing their doctoral studies in Aerospace, specializing in Controls and Estimation, with a Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering, and a Masters in Material Design Innovation. Outside the lab, Chet is actively involved in supporting UB undergrad. We love Chet’s story and think you will as well.
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Holly Pascal is a driven Aerospace Software Engineer at L3Harris, a distinguished Fortune 500 company. She will be featured in WomLead Magazine and stands out as a member of the highly selective Engineering Leadership Development Program at L3Harris, showcasing her mission to create a positive impact through transparency, consistency, and paying it forward. Beyond her engineering prowess, Holly is an accomplished author with an upcoming book titled "The College to Dream Job Blueprint”. Her passion lies in guiding college students toward fulfilling career paths as she shares strategies and tactics for accelerated income and advancement. Holly's work encompasses public speaking engagements at colleges, mentoring, and her LinkedIn newsletter "Skyrocket to Success." As a professional, her journey is one of continuous learning, innovation, and empowerment. As a multifaceted technical engineer, she exemplifies the power of knowledge and passion in shaping one's own path to success.
Link to Oscar Curet's survey. Thttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfgk98vNq5VDFX-Xi8mGT0GRpOjhD8WEdWUlTERUyxmgPrLGA/viewform
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Today we meet with Catie Spivey, a Mechanical Engineer and graduate of Portland State University. Catie was the lead on PSU's first CubeSat which launched in 2022. During her senior capstone project, she worked on a prototype liquid fueled rocket airframe and found she really enjoyed that subject area. She then finished a Masters of Engineering at Portland State in a single year and was selected as a prestigious Brooke Owens Fellow at United Launch Alliance. She currently works at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. And of course there is a Kevin Simmons inspiration that I am sure he will share with us. Stay tuned after for the takeaways.
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Today we meet with a group of amazing ed tech innovators who help make teachers and student lives easier/ Evelyn McCulloch is the Director of Educational Technology at i-Tech Support, Inc. She supports schools throughout Florida helping them to build a positive digital culture through professional development. She is a Google Workspace for Education Certified Trainer and an Apple Teacher. Joining her are colleagues Michael Rinyu, Trish Evans and Brian Cox all of whom had experience in the cclassroom before joining ITech. We have had the pleasure of working with this group at our current school and know you will learn much about the ever changing ways technology improves classrooms. Stay tuned after for our takeaways.
ITech website: https://www.i-techsupport.com/educational-tech/
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Today we meet withChristine Shayim, a Junior at the University at Buffalo studying computer engineering, with a minor in mathematics. Outside of the classroom, she dedicates her time to working at the UB Nanosatellite Laboratory, as the Project Manager and the Flight Software Lead for POLAR. She is also the vice president of UB STEMinism, a club that serves as a professional development community for women of color in STEM. Learn more about what motivates Christine and her team’s satellite work in this interview, and join as after for our takeaways.
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Today we meet with Jillian Russell, a junior and Computer Science major at the University of Georgia. Now, Jilliam has always loved space, and she currently works at the UGA Small Satellite Research Lab with their beloved satellite, MEMESat- or the Mission for Education and Multimedia Engagement Satellite, The satellites mission is as a repeater in space that allows people to uplink and downlink memes to and from the satellite. With MEMESat-1 I work on our passive attitude determination and control system ( or ADCS) and the simulations for it. ADCS is just a fancy acronym to show how the team will ensure the satellite doesn't spin out of control during its mission. Right now, they are working on testing the components to make sure it will work once sent to space.
MEMESat-1 Instagram @memesatellite_1UGA SSRL
Instagram @ugassrlMEMESat-1
GoFundMe https://gofund.me/e82a0a3f
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This episode, we interview student Natasha Waldorf—she’s a senior majoring in physics and applied computer science at Whittier College, a small liberal arts college near Los Angeles. Due to the challenges of COVID lockdowns during her late high school and early college years, Natasha found online education made applying to internships and gaining research experience difficult; but Natasha made the best of her circumstances by working at a county park nature center in southeastern Pennsylvania learning about hiking trail maintenance and reptile husbandry. Though this may not seem relevant at first to Physics or computer science, the experience helped her to discover a love for the outdoors while developing her work ethic. Since then, she has gone on to intern at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Small Satellite Portfolio in Albuquerque, NM as well as Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL where she created tools for modeling sensor coverage and performance. Natasha reminds us that pursuing interests that may not always be specific “resume builders” can actually help set you apart in unexpected ways
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Today we meet with educator and engineer, Claudia Cortez. Claudia has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Management Technology from the University of Arkansas Grantham, a Master of Business Administration from University of Texas at Brownsville, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Brownsville. She currently teaches CTE Engineering classes at Porter Early College High School for the Brownsville Independent School District in Texas. Her professional experience includes teaching, estimation and contract accounting, project accounting, bookkeeping, and academic advising. She has participated in various professional development programs with NASA Liftoff, Limitless Space Institute, the US Naval Academy, University of Texas Austin, MIT, Project Lead the Way (PLTW), and the Texas State Teachers Association. As impressive as her background is ,you may be more impressed to hear how she never gave up on her dream to pursue space.
As always, stay tuned after for our takeaways
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Today we meet with Urooj Seemeen, CEO and Founder of E-Services & Technologies, a global organization with a mission to drive change through education in our world. As an engineer by profession and an educationalist by passion, Urooj has dedicated hr career to empowering individuals through learning and innovation. Along with a degree in computer engineering, Urooj is Certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt in education . She is a proud member of the Board of Trustees and is an International Representative of Destination Imagination Inc. which inspires and equips youth to explore their creativity and innovation through a structured creative process. In response to a growing tech world and the need for human connection Urooj launched a revolutionary platform called Chalk Talk. This platform aims to connect experts and professionals with learners from all corners of the globe, fostering real-time learning experiences.
Urooj is on a mission to empower individuals with the tools they need to succeed in the ever-changing landscape of the 21st century. And we are excited to share her BlueSky Learning philosophy all the way from Pakistan and we hope you will stay tuned for our takeaways.
ChalkTalk Website: https://chalktalk.world/urooj/
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Today Kevin and I meet with Prof. Hava Turkakin has always been fascinated by the secret works of the universe. Possessing a bachelor’s degree from the Black Sea Technical University in Turkey, and after teaching high school for several year, her desire to learn more about physics spurned her to continue her education further, earning her M.S. and Ph.D. in Space Physics from the University of Alberta. She even taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor at both Bucknell University and the University of Central Arkansas, before coming to Utica University.
Dr. Turkakin’s research interests include solar-terrestrial interactions, space weather, space plasmas, and plasma waves and instabilities in space. But she also loves reading, taking a nature walk, and spending time with her children. We know we will learn a lot from this episode and we hope you do too. Remember to stay tuned after for our takeaways.
LINKS:
The NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/heat/home/
https://www.utica.edu/people/hava-turkakin
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Today, we meet with Frank Soboczenski --an Assistant Professor in Artificial Intelligence at the University of York, an affiliate computer scientist at King's College London with links to Northeastern University. He is also the lead scientist for the NASA TechLeap Quantum Earth Observation high altitude balloon mission, a member of the NASA GeneLab Artificial Intelligence working group, a STEM scientist for NASA & NOAA's GLOBE program and member of the IBM Quantum Researchers Program. His research interests are in Machine Learning for earth and space science with a particular interest in explainable AI. Over the years Frank worked with multiple NASA centers and research groups such as Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Armstrong and Langley as well as having positions in law enforcement and other government agencies around the world. Science is Frank’s passion and he enjoys tackling challenging problems. In addition to loving his two-year old son, Frank has a passion for coffee—and chocolate, for which he will warn you to make sure you don’t leave anywhere near him. Stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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In this final installment lesson, Kevin teaches me about the steps to go from CubeSat idea to space using the CubeSat 101 handbook. Check out the lesson on Youtube Aerospace and Innovation Academy vodcast playlist!
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In this lesson, Kevin talks about the various kinds of subsystems that make up a CubeSat! If you are going to build one, you have to know the parts. Our students learn real-world aerospace in teams that meet as after school clubs. Your student can stand out today on resumes and college applications while getting experience in aerospace. Join Aerospace and Innovation Academy today. www. aerospacehigh.org
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In this second in our series, Kevin tells us more about the history of CubeSats by addressing early and interesting missions and helps explains their payloads!
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In this first of our minisode series, Kevin gives us a brief overview of the history of a CubeSat!
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Today, we meet with Kristine Poptanich, the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Launchpad23, an online education opportunity for families seeking to build the future-ready skills so often missed in traditional curricula. She previously served as vice president at an ed-tech startup, on the Maryland State Advisory Council on Gifted and Talented Education, and in the national security sphere in both the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. Government. She is a proud homeschooling mother of two, and spends her free time watching her girls rock climb. If you ever needed inspiration as a parent about how to kickstart your student’s passions, today is the day. Stay tuned after for our takeaways.
Launchpad 23 website: https://www.launchpad23.org
AIA website: www. aerospacehigh.org
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Todd Harrison is Managing Director of Metrea Strategic Insights. Prior to joining Metrea in May 2022, Mr. Harrison was a senior fellow and the director of Defense Budget Analysis and the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He has served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with both a B.S. and an M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics.
Todd has authored numerous publications dealing with trends related to military space systems, threats to space systems, civil space exploration, military compensation and readiness, and military force structure just to name a few. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies where he teaches classes on the defense budget and military space systems.
Link to AIA website for WCDT and Space Club: www.aerospacehigh.org
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Today we meet with veritable force to be reckoned with. Dr. Pandya’s experience is vast, which explains in part why many believe she is inline to be a future astronaut. She is a physician, aquanaut, scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS). But she is also a skydiver a pilot-in-training, a VP of Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, a Medical advisor at Above Space Development Corporation and a Fellow of the Explorers Club. She instructs an Operational Space Medicine course, and hosts the World Extreme Medicine’s podcast series. And just last year Dr. Pandya was named to the Explorers' Club's “50 Explorers Changing the World."
There is so much more to share about this impressive woman in STEM so let’s get right to the interview.
Dr. Pandya's podcast series.
Link to AIA website: www.aerospacehigh.org
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Dr. Don Platt is an Associate Professor at Florida Tech University and Director of Florida Tech's Spaceport Education Center. He has extensive experience in developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications, and rocket propulsion systems and. His areas of current focus are human space exploration and the adaptation to deep space, high performance small satellite systems and ways to utilize both human and satellite constellations as we move forward. Don is also the owner of Micro Aerospace Systems, Inc. and has built numerous subsystems and payloads for both spacecraft and ISS experiments.
He has degrees in Physics, Astronomy and Space Systems with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology.
MicroAerospace website
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Kevin and I look forward to talking with a great role model in aerospace: Rachel Garza. After receiving her degree in aerospace engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Rachel started her engineering career at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she worked as an astronaut instructor for the International Space Station program and served as a flight controller in the Mission Control Center. After 9 years in that role, she left TX to work as a systems engineer at GE Aviation in her home state of MI. She spent a year in that role before being hired into her dream job at Sikorsky Aircraft, working as a helicopter flight test engineer. Rachel is now a propulsion flight test engineering manager with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, in West Palm Beach, FL. She leads the team responsible for all aspects of propulsion system flight testing conducted on helicopters designed by Sikorsky Aircraft. Stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today we meet with avid space enthusiast Emily Carney. In 2010, Emily Carney started a spaceflight blog called This Space Available via https://space.nss.org/category/this- space-available/). She loves to tell the story that, one time, the late astronaut Gene Cernan (Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17 astronaut, also known as “The Last Man on the Moon”) once asked her, “what the hell is a space blog?” That was just the beginning of using social media as her platform to share her love of space.
In 2011, Carney wanted to start a Facebook group for those with similar interests but was struggling to find a good name. Her husband, Steve, suggested “Space Hipsters” as sort of a sarcastic placeholder, but the name stuck. The group grew more quickly than she could imagine, and as of May 2023 it totals nearly 43,000 members. Space Hipsters boasts members from all around the world, and includes space enthusiasts, writers, artists, scientists, engineers, aspiring astronauts, and even a few actual astronauts.
We look forward to being more ‘hip” on space and hope you stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today, we are rejoined by Andres Permuy, now a third-year Physics Major and Math minor at Georgetown University. Currently Andres is studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He aspires to receive a master's degree in Space Robotics to pursue a career in Orbital Robotics and Automation. Andres’ current goal is to work with automation that can be utilized in the space industry for extraterrestrial exploration and satellite maintenance.
Andres is gaining experience as a CV & Robotics intern for a company called Astroscale Japan. Back in the United States, he works with the national team at the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, leads the Georgetown University Space Initiative as the Co-President, and conducts space policy research at the Beyond Earth Institute. We can’t wait to hear what he’s been up to since our first episode, which you can find by going to episode 73 linked below.
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e6296e0e-f83b-4e35-b5d3-891b851b5067/episodes/71705ed8-a1ad-4a24-b604-f394c7e40a86/let's-go-to-space-blue-sky-learning-episode-73-a-university-talkie-and-techie-combining-policy-and-engineering
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Caius Reza is the Lead Business Executive at Alba Orbital, a Scottish company that builds and launches PocketQubes – PocketQubes, like what their name would suggest are tiny satellites small enough to fit in your pocket! After graduating from the University of Strathclyde in 2019, he joined the company and. handles the company’s marketing and business operations, as well as organizing launch campaigns with Alba’s launch team. Alba Orbital is based in Glasgow (Caius’ hometown) and was founded with the mission. of ‘democratizing access to space’ via PocketQube technology. PocketQubes are the ccworld’s smallest commercial spacecraft and can be as small as 5x5x5cm. Their small size dramatically cut down the cost to launch your own spacecraft, meaning more people than ever before can start their own space programs! Caius has helped plan and launch over 25 PocketQube launch campaigns, including missions for high schools and universities across the world. Having worked with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab, Alba Orbital is deploying an earth observation constellation for near real time earth observation services, helping to mitigate climate change and responding to natural disasters. Caius is excited to share his knowledge and experience with the STEM community. He believes that PocketQubes have the potential to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists.
Alba Orbital website
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Today we are joined by two new Wolfpack members from Buffalo, NY. Brian Bartelo is 13 years old and brother Sean is almost 11. While they have many interests, one of their main passions is space. Brian has an impressive resume already. He has presented topics such as mitigating space debris at AIAA Regional in Buffalo and, most recently, at Explore Mars' Humans to Mars Summit. He was part of the life support systems American team of students for the inaugural Mars Society's Student Challenge with Dr. Robert Zubrin. He is accelerated in his learning and is taking concurrent high school and college credit courses at Genesee Community College as part of the NY State ACE Homeschooling Program. He is hoping to study astrophysics and mechanical engineering at the University of Buffalo. Brian is also the founder and editor of his online school paper "Astra Nova Student Newsletter". Sean is interested in planetary defense and 3D design and printing. He has attended the Henry Ford National Invention Convention two years in a row as a finalist for his inventions and presentations. This school year, he has led teams that were semi-finalists in challenges such as Future City, Cities in Space, and the Mars Innovation Challenge. As a citizen astronomer, he has discovered 17 asteroids. He enjoys drawing, painting, and architecture. He hopes to study astronomy and engineering.
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Today we meet with Bev Berekian a middle school science and college level Earth Science. She has been teaching for over 17 years and began at the Community College level while she was earning a Masters Degree in Geology. Bev has participated in several space-related programs , and has presented and attended multiple conferences. She is a Department of Defense STEM Ambassador, a NASA/SETI Airborne Astronomy Ambassador, a Space Center Houston Teacher Crew Member, and a Space Foundations International Teacher Liaison. She is also an ISS National Lab Ambassador and a JPL/NASA Solar System Ambassador. Her current project is helping junior high school students to design experiments to fly in microgravity and she is working with Dr. Kevin Crosby of Carthage College and the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium to accomplish her space goals. We look forward to the conversation today and invite you to stay tuned after for the takeaway.
www.aerospacehigh.org
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Today we meet with Kirstin Bunting, a kindergarten teacher at Roosevelt Elementary on Florida’s Space Coast. Kirstin has a strong passion for STEM but especially all things space! She strives to educate and inspire the Artemis generation and beyond to appreciate and understand the world of space. Through her university course work, Kirstin is creating professional development in STEM topics so other teachers can also inspire their students to reach for the stars. In her free time, Kirstin enjoys spending time at the beach and of course watching rocket launches from her backyard or the parking lot of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.
Sign up for summer camp interest at our website:
website: www. aerospacehigh.org.
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In this episode, Kevin and I meet with Fraser Cain, a space and astronomy journalist and publisher of amazing astronomy content through his website,Universe Today ,In addition, Fraser is the co-host of the Astronomy Cast Podcast and hosts a long-running series of space and astronomy videos on YouTube. He lives under beautiful dark skies on Vancouver Island in Western Canada which no doubt are a source of continuous inspiration. Stay tuned for the duration and be inspired yourself and learn more about how you can follow Fraser’s work.
Aerospace and Innovation Academy website
Summer Session Camp Google Form Registration
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Today we meet with PAEMST recipient and teacher of the year for multiple organizations including the Civil Air Patrol, the Air & Space Forces Association and the AIAA , Megan Tucker. Ms. Tucker is a veteran STEM teacher of 19 years who loves to engage students in the Engineering Design Process as well as to have a growth mindset. Megan has written and edited national aerospace STEM curriculum for the Civil Air Patrol and has served as a Dean of Curriculum, a K-5 STEAM Specialist, and a professional development facilitator among many other impressive titles. She is currently designing national STEM curriculum with AVID, which drives student success through engaging, rigorous, and student-centered learning environments.
Megan is passionate about teaching through the lens of aerospace and loves using the latest technology to hook our young learners She says her job is all about providing real world situations where scholars have to use 21st Century Skills to solve a problem, and have fun while doing it!.
We are prepared to learn a lot and we know you will too.
Link to Civil Air Patrol:
Link to Aerospace & Innovation Academy website
Link to Summer Session Registration Form
Email the cohost or to find out more about AIA:
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While we know that space settlements of the future are a necessity, how we go about creating them frequently becomes a subject of debate. Most importantly, what countries will be represented in the settlements of the future, and can we insure we all work together to create a peaceful society in space? Today, we are joined by three very important people in the realm of this debate, with a focus on student voice.
Frances Dellutri joins us once again. In one of many roles, She is serves as National Space Society Director of Education. In this role she founded and facilitated the NSS Student spUN (space policy and Universalization) Debate program starting in 2017 Students ages 12-18 debate space policy on international teams
Frances is a life-long learner and educator. Her training as a chemist, project manager and science educator enable her to marry technical aspects of the NSS education programs with real-world opportunities for students.
Jordan Strudwick serves as the Project Manager for the National Space Society’s groundbreaking University Level International spUN Debate. A Howard University School of Law graduate, Jordan not only founded the pioneering Space Law Society, the first Space Law organization at any HBCU, but also played a pivotal role in establishing the first-ever Space Law course at an HBCU Law School.
A proud native of Washington, DC, Jordan's expertise encompasses an impressive range of fields, including technology startup companies, international development, and human rights. He is excited to help shape the the future of both the public and private space sector.
Representing the high school sector, Apoorva Bangalore Ravispravad is a sophomore college student pursuing Astrophysics and Astrobiology at the University of Florida.
Lots of great information for student, parents, and teachers alike so stay tuned after for the take away.
Important links:
spUN Debate Website: https://space.nss.org/spun-debates/
University Debate Website: https://spacedge.academy/course/view.php?id=296
University Direct Application Link: https://go.nss.org/spunapplication-univ
Jordan Strudwick's Email: jordan.strudwick@nss.org
Apoorva Raviprasad: apoorva.br@nss.org
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Michael D’Egidio grew up on Long Island, New York. He attended Columbia University in the City of New York where he majored in computer science. Michael has worked as a consultant for Sony Corporation of America producing graphics, copy, and web content for Sony.com, as well as a full-stack software engineer for a small e-commerce startup in Manhattan.
Michael has always felt drawn to the possibilities in education, so he made the move to the teaching world where he developed a robust and innovative computer science curriculum for a prestigious private school in Palm Beach County, Florida. His classes focus on programming languages and their utility in real-world applications such as game development, web application development and more. He was also instrumental in developing coursework in the use of TensorFlow, which is industry-standard software for machine learning and artificial intelligence programming.
Integral to Michael’s educational philosophy is the belief that all students deserve to feel a strong sense of belonging at school. Since 2020, Michael has been led school initiatives in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion where he coordinates student educational opportunities as well as professional development. In short, Michael sees computer science as a way to give back, to be a super hero so to speak helping students to view problems as a way to embrace grit, to affect change, and ultimately to have a voice. Stay tuned after for our takeaway.
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Today we meet with Jiangdou (Ginger) Chen. She is a Ph.D student at Florida Institute of Technology majoring in STEM Education with a primary focus on Computer Information Systems. A native to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, Ginger is dedicated to balance social equity and the advocacy of marginalized communities. Her dissertation details female astronauts' interest in STEM studies in relation to their career development. Ginger is passionate about encouraging more young women to enter the space industry. In addition to her academic pursuits, Ginger runs track, cross-country, and participates on the swim team for Florida Tech. As always, stay tuned after the interview for our take-awayl
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Today, we meet with Jackie Blumer-- a Nationally Board Certified educator with over 25 years of STEM experience. She currently teaches Earth/Space Science for 6th graders at Greenville Jr. High School in Illinois. Jackie is also the. St. Louis STEM Chair for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics(AIAA) and in early 2022 she received the National STEM Trailblazing Award from AIAA and Challenger Learning Centers.
Jackie was recently selected as a Limitless Space Institute Limitless Educator and was one of 20 educators worldwide to receive this honor. The mission of LSI is to inspire and educate the next generation to travel beyond our solar system and support the research and development of enabling technologies. We lookforward to hearing more and hope you stay tuned after for our takeaways.
Link to Limitless Space Institute:https://www.limitlessspace.org/
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Jen Jones is an 8th grade STEM teacher, a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison, a Solar System Ambassador, and a Space ward Bound Educator. She regularly presents on space topics to civic groups, libraries, and schools around northern Utah, and has hosted and organized 5 well-respected annual Space/STEM community outreach nights. Ms. Jones believes in teaching from a real world perspective to promote classroom engagement and to help fill the Stem Pipeline of the future. One example is NASA research project called Growing Beyond Earth which Jones will present to Teacher Liaisons at the Space Symposium in April.
Jenn and her students also work internationally for educational organizations such as African Independence Development or AID to help raise money and awareness for a modernized high school where Jenn could still help train teachers long after she returns home. And these are just a few of the many experiences she provides for her students. We see Jen Jones as one who emulates a BlueSky Learning philosophy and know you will enjoy this episode as much as we will.
Stay tuned after for takeaway.
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Today, we meet with Mark Wallace. Mark wrote his first computer program in 1965, and has written a lot of them since, using languages ranging from Assembler to SQL. His interest in zero defect software led him to study software engineering methods such as Structured Design and Object-Oriented Design, and ways to adopt them using Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools. In recent years, he has taught robotics to middle and high school students, and served as a judge in the World Robot Olympics and First Lego League competitions. He is now retired in Boynton Beach, but volunteers to teach computer programming to high school students through a Microsoft-sponsored charity. We met Mark recently while we were all judging student robot presentations and we were quite impressed. We know you will be too and we hope you stay tuned after for the takeaway.
Link for the Microsoft program mentioned in the podcast: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/teals/about
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Laurie Orth is a music teacher who teaches about space exploration and rockets in her music classroom. She believes the classroom is where the arts and sciences coexist to develop creative people today for the workforce of tomorrow. In 2019, Ms. Orth published space-themed music in a workbook called Rocket Recorder. Laurie is passionate about starting the STEM and STEAM pipeline for young people through the pathway of music, and she passionately believes educators can collaborate to teach across the curriculum for more engaging lessons. Im addition to her young students, Laurie e teacsh professional development for music, STEM and STEAM educators.As if that were not enough, she volunteers with the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, teaching her space-themed music curriculum and combining that with lessons about women in aerospace careers. She is also a volunteer with the Air & Space Forces Association as Chapter President for Savannah AFA. When she is not teaching or inspiring students through music, Laure is a professional singer in her community and even has her own podcast through The Space Foundation. We are sure this interview will hit the right notes and we hope you will stay tuned after for our takeaway.
Laurie's website: Www.laurieorth.com
Laurie's podcasthttps://www.spacefoundation.org/2022/01/14/space4u-podcast-laurie-orth-rocket-recorder-author-composer-educator/
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Today we meet with Wolfpack VIP member Colin Quinn, a freshman at Suncoast Community High School in South Florida. As part of the Wolfpack, he was part of the team working on the CapSat-1 mission and is in the process of developing his own CubeSat mission, which will aim to study cosmic radiation in space. Colin is an aspiringI aerospace engineer and we know he is well on his way to achieving that dream. As always stay tuned after for the takeaway.
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Today, Kevin and I meet with Edward Ellegood. Edward began his career as a space industry economist in the Florida Department of Commerce, while there he served as staff to a Governor's Commission on Space, which recommended that the state take a larger role in developing the space industry. He moved from Tallahassee to the Space Coast in 1990 to start-up the Spaceport Florida Authority (now Space Florida) as the nation's first space transportation authority. In 2001 he transitioned to start-up the Florida Space Research Institute as a spinoff of the Spaceport Authority. After FSRI and the Spaceport Authority were dissolved to make way for Space Florida in 2006, he joined Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as a Space Policy Analyst and Director of Aerospace Development. He has since worked with Starfighters Aerospace, Saalex Corp., SimIS Corp., and currently ICF Corp. He serves on the board of the National Space Club, Florida Committee, publishes the weekly FLORIDA SPACErePORT newsletter, and was inducted in 2022 to the Florida Space Worker Hall of Fame.
Link to his blog: http://spacereport.blogspot.com/
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Today we meet with three amazing young women, Sree Patnayakui, Abhi Soundarajan, and Celine Schauer. These girls, ranging from middle to high school are members of the Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team and have aspiring futures in STEM. Check out what motivates these girls to love space along with their current aerospace goals.
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In this special centennial episode, Kevin and I look back on the amazing accomplishments of our students in the various programs offered by the Aerospace and Innovation Academy. Join us as we celebrate an incredibly productive and successful two years of podcasting and providing real world experiential aerospace opportunities.
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Caeden Dooner is a 2nd year Aerospace Engineering student at the University of Central Florida. He started working on the AMARIS Lunar Rover with other Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team members while he was still in high school. In fact, one of our first interviews on this podcast (episode 2 to be specific) is when we first takjed with Caeden and his teammate Owen, whose now at UF.. The Rover will use components of CubeSat technologies and its mission is to mitigate lunar dust using electrostatics. In addition to an update on this long term project, Caeden shares insights into surviving your first few years in a rigorous engineering program.
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Today we meet with Theresa Robertson, who has been inspiring elementary and middle school students in STEM in for over 22 years. Theresa has a Masters in STEM coaching and is working towards her Education Specialist Degree in Educational Technology. Currently she is a STEM elective teacher in Missouri utilizing the well known program, Project Lead the Way, where she engages students with classes such as Flight and Space, Design and Modeling, and Computer Technologies.
Thersa has presented nationally for the Smithsonian Educator Summit and with the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Teacher Innovator Institute. In addition to these impressive accolades, she is also a Space Station Ambassador as well as a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison. While she has several kids at school, she is also the mom of college aged twins!
We are always inspired by passionate educators and we know you too will be inspired by Theresa Robertson. Please stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Jake Pearman is an undergraduate at Florida Atlantic University pursuing a mechanical engineering degree with an aerospace certificate. He is also the president of FAU’s Aerospace Experimental Association, a student-focused club dedicated to providing a platform for students to learn STEM in engaging projects.
Jake currently serves as the project manager, systems engineer, and software subsystem lead for a 6U CubeSat with the College of Engineering in partnership with Kennedy Space Center and the Florida Space Grant Consortium.
Outside of academia, Jake is an officer in the Air Force ROTC Detachment 155 out of the University of Miami, where he has held numerous leadership positions, including being the Cadet Wing Commander in Fall of 2022. Once graduated, Jake will attend Air Force pilot training and serve on active duty for 10 years.
We really enjoyed our time with Jake and hope you will stay tuned after for our takeaway.
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John Inness is a guidance, navigation, and control engineer at Marshall Space Flight Center supporting various projects including SLS, HLS, Solar Cruiser, SVGS, and more. He is originally from North Carolina where he went to North Carolina State University for aerospace engineering and co-oped at Marshall Space Flight Center while a student. Upon graduation, he began full time work at MSFC. In his spare time, John enjoys playing music, cooking and trying various foods, hiking, and ultimate frisbee. As always, stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today Kevin and I meet with Noor Daraiseh, an oceanography student at the Florida Institute of Technology. She hopes to achieve a phD, after which she would dive into oceanic climate research, which could also add insight into space research as well. Noor is very passionate about education and the power it has in our communities, and would ultimately like to be like to be a professor after fulfilling her research goals. In addition to playing the violin, reading, playing video/board games, and cooking, Noor intends to be able to spread not only education, but a passion for music and instrument learning across younger audiences. We hope you will stay tuned after for our takeaways!
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This is a replay originally airing in April 2021 as episode 12. Dr. Muckerjee continues to be a well-respected ally of the AIA!
Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee is an astronomer, faculty at the Univ of Central Florida, and the Director of the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium. This consortium is a state-wide association of universities, colleges, the Astronaut Memorial Foundation, Space Florida, Kennedy Space Center, and the Orlando Science Center. The Florida Space Grant Consortium supports the expansion and diversification of Florida’s space industry, by providing grants, scholarships, and fellowships to students and educators from Florida’s public and private institutes of higher education.
Dr. Mukherjee's education culminated at the Univ of Florida with a Ph.D. in Astronomy and his areas of interest are close binary star systems. Dr. Mukherjee is a strong supporter of STEM Education.
For almost 20 years Dr. Mukherjee has served as Director of the NASA sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) He has held numerous leadership roles including Director of the Florida Space Institute, Chair of the Southeast Regional Space Grant, and as a member of the National Space Grant Foundation Board of Directors. He's won numerous awards for excellence in outreach and published the book entitled "Close Binary Stars: A Pictorial Atlas" along with co-authors Dr. Robert Wilson and Dr. Dirk Terrell.
Dr. Mukherjee has been a true friend and supporter to both educators and students in the state of Florida for over two decades.
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As we continue our holiday replay-- check out this great episode with Frank DeBello from epsode 66!
Today, we meet with, Space Florida President and CEO, Frank DiBello. in May 2009 Mr. DiBello was chosen to lead Space Florida, which is the principal state agency for aerospace-related economic development, and the Space Authority for the State of Florida. In his position, he develops and executes programs designed to attract, retain and grow aerospace business across the state. Additionally, Mr. DiBello focuses on Florida aerospace workforce development and retention as well as international partnership development. Mr. DiBello holds more than 50 years of direct aerospace, defense and emerging space industry-related experience. Frank spent more than 20 years at KPMG, in various management positions, and served on President Reagan’s Grace Commission. For his service to the Nation in this Commission, he was presented with a Presidential Citation. Mr. DiBello formed SpaceVest, a Venture Capital Firm focused on investments in companies taking defense and space technologies to commercial applications and markets. Prior to Space Florida he served as President and CEO of Constellation Communications, International and was President/CEO of Florida’s Aerospace Finance Corporation (FAFC).
Mr. DiBello has been involved in multiple civic, social and industry volunteer organizations. He founded the Washington Space Business Roundtable and for his work as President of the Board of the USO Metropolitan Washington, he received the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Department of Defense’s highest civilian honor. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University, and did graduate work at American and George Washington Universities. Recently Mr. DiBello was inducted into the Space Satellite Hall of Fame.
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Dr. Paula do Vale Pereira is currently an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on technology development for space exploration, mainly through the use of Earth-orbiting small spacecraft and probes for the exploration of Ocean Worlds, such as Europa and Enceladus. She has worked on the development of three satellites, being the Assembly, Integration and Testing lead for the BeaverCube satellite, the lead operator for the DeMi satellite, and the lead Mechanical Engineer for both BeaverCube and DeMi. She has also worked on the development, testing, and modeling of melt probes for subsurface descent in the cryogenic vacuum ice found in icy moons in the outer solar system. Dr. do Vale Pereira holds several degrees including a Ph.D. in Space Systems Engineering and a M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today Kevin and I meet with Annalyn Connor is an undergraduate Aerospace student at the University of Central Florida, with a minor in Physics. Along with her fascination for space travel and sustainability, Annalyn hopes to preserve Earth by using knowledge from space missions and other planetary discoveries. She is currently conducting experiments at Exolith Lab using their Lunar and Martian simulants and believes that a sustainable and economical agricultural ecosystem is essential for the future habitation of other airless bodies. Her research involves the interaction of earthworms in Exolith's simulant regolith, in order to create a more fertilized soil for plant growth promotion. To enable life on the moon, Annalyn hopes to aid in a fully sustainable system that can use worms to break down astronaut secretion and food scraps, in turn providing nutrients for crop production.
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In this Special REPLAY episode we revisit our interview with Dr. Jin Kang who was a keynote at our first SmallSatEducation Conference.
Dr. Jin S. Kang (Suk Jin Kang) is an Associate Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy, and serves as the Director of the Naval Academy Small Satellite Program. His main research area is in small satellite technology development and was involved in development of four micro-satellites and numerous CubeSat satellites. He received his B.S. from the University of Michigan, M.S. from Stanford University, and Ph.D. from Korea Aerospace University (KAU) in Aerospace Engineering. After working for General Electric for two years, Kang taught at Korea Air Force Academy, KAU, and Drexel University before joining the Naval Academy faculty.
We continue to be proud to work with Dr. Kang and invite you to stay tuned after the episode fo
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Dr. Gregg Cannady is COO and co-founder of One voice for change, a Colorado-based non-profit whose Vision is to bring equal learning opportunities to children around the world. Gregg builds local, national, and even international communities to empower students via simple relationships and collaborations with industry and subject matter experts. Two of their most known international programs are the Martian Greenhouse and S2B2O, and we will hear more about the work he does with these programs today.
Interestingly, Dr. Cannady does NOT have a background in aerospace. Instead, he has a music background, having received a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado, a M.A. in Music Education from the University of Wyoming, and a B.A. in Music Education from Colorado State University. His work bringing students together to solve problems on Earth and eventually beyond shows that there is a place for all passions in space. As always, stay tuned after.
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Today we meet with Amber Imai-Hong, an Avionics Engineer and Outreach Specialist. Born and raised on Hawaii Island, Amber developed skills in robotics, astronomy, and tinkering while attending Wa ia kea High School which lead her to join a small satellite team in her freshman year at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she majored in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Electrophysics. She graduated with her Bachelors of Science in 2012 and has been working with the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory on spacecraft design, development, testing, operations, and community educational outreach. Over the past 14 years, Amber has worked on eleven satellite projects, three suborbital payloads, and has mentored several student teams who worked on the development of testing systems and spacecraft components. In May 2020, she became the Program Manager for the Artemis CubeSat Kit with the goalof developing a low-cost educational satellite kit for community college
and undergraduate students with no formal aerospace program. In July 2021, she won one of the Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief Grants to bring the satellite kit to middle and high schools across Hawai`i.
Hands-on science education and community involvement are very important to Amber. She is actively involved in the robotics and STEM community. Engaging students and their parents in science and technology is critically important to helping undeserved communities. Through her work with the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, Amber continues to work with teachers, parents, and community leaders, and robotics advisors to find new ways to bring science to the Aloha State.
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Michele Jamrozik received her PhD degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2003 form the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Michele has experience in both academia (research and teaching in speech, image, and video processing) as well as in industry (automotive software and electronics, computer vision systems, biotech/nanotechnology, etc.). More recently, Michele completed the Interdisciplinary Space Master at the University of Luxembourg. Michele is currently a research associate in the SnT computer vision group CVi2 at the at the University of Luxembourg where she is working on AI solutions for space and fraud detection. Dr. Jamrozik is a member of the IEEE Computer and Signal Processing societies.
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After this weekend's success at the SmallSat Education Conference, we were excited to catch up with members of the BigRedSat, which was the vision of the late John McClure. While he did not live to see his dream come to fruition, we are honored to have met him and to continue to see the lives he has touched.
John McClure was the President and CEO of Sicuro Technology, which specialized in satellite and radio communications. Mr. McClure had over twenty-five years of experience in the IOT or internet of things space, leading the development and business team for the General Motors OnStar subsidiary-- the original large scale IoT commercial business. As an information technology senior manager for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) John provided leadership for $4.2 billion of products and services.
As an entrepreneur John created three technology startups in the software and systems integration industry, providing services to many markets including logistics, aerospace, as well as commercial and general aviation. Mr. McClure also Provided leadership for the State of Ohio’s Economic Development program which provided millions of dollars in investment capital for new technologies emerging from the state’s universities and medical centers.
Kevin met John through a shared love of CubeSats. In fact, John McClure was largely responsible for the initial formation of Nebraska's first CubeSat team, the BigRedOne, in 2020. The BigRedOne team was the first in Nebraska selected by NASAs CubeSat Launch Initiative almost two years ago.
Stay tuned for our takeaways after the show.
bigredsat.org: BigRedSat website
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Today we are honored to meet with the esteemed Kate Tobin-- a science journalist with a long track record in television news. She was a Producer with the CNN Science and Technology Unit from 1991 to 2008. She then formed her own production company and was Executive Producer of the National Science Foundation’s “ Science Nation” series from 2009 to 2019. She currently produces, shoots and edits stories for the PBS NewsHour, working in partnership with her long-time colleague Miles O’Brien. She is honored to have won two National News & Documentary Emmy Awards, one for the CNN Breaking News Program “In Nature’s Wake,” and the other for the PBS NOVA Film “Manhunt - Boston Bombers.” She holds a Bachelors degree from Agnes Scott College with a double major in Biology and English.
Link to PBS show on DART
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Today we meet with two very inspirational space enthusiasts. Dr. Sonny White has accumulated 25+ years of experience working in the aerospace industry with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, NASA, and now with the Limit less Space Institute. He currently serves as Director of Advanced Research and Development at LSI. Among his numerous awards are the NASA Medal for Excellence in Achievement for his role in building and delivering the Thermal Protection System robotic inspection tools, to support the STS-114 mission. Additionally He was awarded the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal for his role in exploring and incorporating advanced power and propulsion concepts into human spaceflight architectures. Dr. White holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Rice University, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Wichita State University, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of South Alabama.
He is joined today by Kaci Heins, a professional science educator with over 18 years of experience and who is now an Education Specialist with the Limitless Space Institute. Prior to joining LSI, Kaci spent 13 years in the classroom, and five years as the Education Director at Space Center Houston. She has flown twice with student experiments on the “Zero G” plane, sent student experiments to the International Space Station, and launched over ten high-altitude balloon launches with successful recoveries. Kaci received the 2020 Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award, the AIAA Educator Achievement Award, and the Air Force Association National Teacher of the Year Award.
Stay tuned to learn more about how you, too, as a n educator can be part of the limitless space initiative and stay tuned after for the takeaway
https://www.limitlessspace.org/
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Today we interview sophomore student, Maxwell L. Friedman, the Lead Engineer of the A3Sat. A3 stands for Acquire, analyze and apply and is a CubeSat emulator meant to teach students how to build and develop space technologies. Max has worked on the A3Sat project since his Junior year of high school After graduating first in his class, Max decided to attend the Worcester Polytechnic Institute where is is studying Robotic Engineering. Max continues to work on the A3Sat as well as other collaborative CubeSat based projects like our own AMARIS Rover and the WPI Satellite Development Club. He is one fascinating engineer and we hope you will stay tuned after for takeaways.
Check out the podcast interview with John Moore here.
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Today we meet with Kaye Ebelt-- an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, pilot, and nationally known educator. She has multiple Bachelor and Masters degrees from the University of Montana, Montana State University, and Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts and she currently teaches Elementary Science, Aeronautics, and Engineering at the Greene School in West Palm Beach, Fl. Kaye is also a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison, and the recipient of Montana's Gifted and Talented Teacher of the Year, and she was a finalist for the Presidential Award for Math and Science Teaching. An avid licensed airplane and glider pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Ebelt is the current STEM Curriculum Director of the Civil Air Patrol. Kaye graciously invests in the future generation of pilots serving as director of youth programs for the Treasure Coast 99s and the Treasure Coast Soaring Club. And, as always, stay tuned after for the takeaway!
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Amanda Grodman is an 11th-grade student at Florida Atlantic University High School in Jupiter, FL, where she is participating in a dual-enrollment program and striving for a degree in Biology. During her time working with the AIA, Amanda has written several of the "Let's Go to Space" blogs reflecting the weekly podcasts, and has also co-authored/illustrated the "Let's Go to Space" children's book that was published in 2021. In addition, she is coordinating the Inaugural SmallSat Education Conference's art contests for students and educators. In her free time, Amanda enjoys volunteering, weightlifting, and creating many forms of art and both Kevin and I have had the pleasure of being her middle school teachers, so we know first hand how dedicated to excellence she is with everything she does. Stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Our listeners know that aerospace is not just about being an astronaut or engineer—both of which are fine career options. In fact, almost any field here on Earth will be needed as we becoming space faring nations. Including, yes, you guessed it, lawyers..
Today, we meet with Michelle Hanlon—who IS a space lawyer. Ms. Hanlon is Co-Director of the Air & Space Law Program at the University of Mississippi School of Law. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of both the Journal of Space Law and the Journal of Drone Law and Policy. Michelle co-founded For All Moonkind a nonprofit that is the only organization in the world focused on protecting human history in outer space. For All Moonkind is a Permanent Observer to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. As if all that wasn’t enough to make her an expert in today’s conversation, Michelle is also President of the National Space Society and founding partner of ABH Space Law.
For all our “talkies” out there who love policy work, this is an episode you won’t want to miss and we hope you will stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today we meet with 19 year old Leeloo Schindelhauer. As a German student, Leeloo attended a STEM based high school where she participated in many extracurriculars including math club. She currently pursues aerospace engineering studies at Technical University of Munich But her love of space became evident about four years ago as she participated in a student internships at DLR, the German Space Agency and even attended Space Camp. LeeLoo has participated in the European Space Design Competition and International Space Design Competition where she also serves as a volunteer. Recently, she also attended Space Rush conference at KSC where we were privileged to meet her.
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Today, we meet with Michael Starch-- a flight software engineer working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In the decade that Michael has worked at JPL, he has contributed to a number of JPL missions including several deep space CubeSats and the Mars Helicopter “Ingenuity”. Now Michael is the Cognizant Engineer and Community Manager for the OpenSource flight software framework F´. We are excited to chat with him today about his contributions to space and we hope you will stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today in this special episode I talk with Kevin about the first annual SmallSat Conference coming to the Kennedy Space Center Oct 29-30. We discuss why there was a need for such a conference on the East coast as well as talk about what attendees can expect. Remember students and teachers may attend for free! Head to SmallSat Education. Org to register before it’s too late. And of course you can check the show notes for that link
https://www.smallsateducation.org/
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Today we meet with Zachary Clarke—a masters student at Utah State University who works as a Systems Engineer for the F-16 Fighting Falcon. As such,Zach is pursuing his degree in systems engineering with an emphasis in the space environment. Zach has worked as the head system engineer for the student developed satellite mission: ACMES, where he managed twenty undergraduates in their efforts to design a one year mission observing the atmosphere with cryocooled instruments. Zach is a strong team member who loves contributing to the community through mentoring opportunities. When Zach isn't engineering or presenting, he hangs out at home in Logan, UT with his wife Hailee, and their two year old son, August.
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Today we meet with two more extraordinary middle school students who are doing real world aerospace. Argyrios Deanie Vaitsos is entering 8th grade while Dylan Kiesling is entering the seventh. Both boys are finishing up at the same private school in Palm Beach Gardens and are looking at promising high schools in the future. Deanie shares about his team’s work on building a paraglider with the intention of retrieving HAB payloads while Dylan Kiesling discusses his work both with xenobots—live robots made from frog cells as well as how digitial engineering makes space application more approachable for students. These students contine to build impressive resumes based around their particular passions, and we can help your students do the same. To find out more, please visit our website at aerospacehigh.org or our social media links: FB: @Go2space. Youtube: Aerospace and Innovation Academy.
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Today we meet with Brandon Pearson, the director for NearSpace Education, the newest non-profit entity associated with NearSpace Launch. We have met with many NSL professionals in the past, but today, we learn more about how HABS can be used in the classroom. Brandon has a unique understanding of the classroom having been a high school science teacher for seven years where he focused primarily on biology as well as STEM class that centered around high altitude balloons. He also taught at an international school in Senegal. Currently working on his Masters in STEM curriculum and Instruction, Brandon is helping to shape the future of not only Indiana’s STEM workforce, but the nation's. Stay tuned as always after the episode for our takeaways.
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Our series highlighting Wolfpack Students and their research has covered, up to this point, some of our high school and university students. Today, we hear from two S. Florida middle school students, both of whom will be starting the 8th grade this coming school year but who are doing incredible research related to space and their individual passions. Arnav Joseph is the lead on two biological papers that will be presented in Athens at the COSPAR conference. His work is investigating bacteria that could be potentially useful in recycling and food supply for astronauts on The ISS or future long term missions. He also is looking into the best growing conditions for lunar colonies. Daniel Levy has a passion for artificial intelligence in its many forms and his work on the use of Micro:Bits as an early coding tool will be implemented in upcoming HAB and CubeSat missions. Whoever thought middle school students couldn’t do this level of work should think again. Of course, stay tuned after for our takeaway, and for information on how your student can join the WCDT.
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Today we meet with two South Florida members of the Wolfpack, both of whom are rising juniors in their respective high schools. Theodore Ouyang, a student at Suncoast High School, has been working for several years on his CubeSat proposal, the FlipSat, which seeks to address the mitigation of bit flips in space. When his proposal was not selected by NASA’s CSLI for funding, teammate William Mayville, who attends American Heritage, made it his mission to solve the funding issues that preclude many capable students and teams from achieving a launch. Today we will learn how the combination of their efforts may change the way CubeSats can be used as a disruptive educational tool.
For information on sponsoring FlipSat and WOLF-C: click here
For information on attending the SmallSat Education Conference here:
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Today we meet with recent UF grad, Haley Boles. Haley earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell Science. Before transferring to UF, she attended her local community college where she earned my Associate of Arts with Honors as well as her Certificate of International Studies. Haley loves the fields of both space biology and astrobiology which is reflected in her research experience. She is a three -time NASA intern as well as an active undergraduate researcher at UF. She has participated in many other NASA programs including National Community College Aerospace Scholars, or NCAS, the L’SPACE Academy, and the Space Chile Challenge. During her free time, Hayley also enjoys restoring vintage gaming systems, tending to my 100+ houseplants, and baking. Hers is a fantastic story and we hope you will stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Tarek A. Elgohary, an assistant professor in the UCF’s mechanical and aerospace engineering department. He is the director of the Astrodynamics and Space Robotics Laboratory. Before joining UCF, he was a postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M and a visiting scholar in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the American University in Cairo and his master's degree and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University. His research interests are in astrodynamics, optimal control, robotics and space situational awareness. We look forward to a long relationship with Dr. Elgohary as our Wolfpack continues to dream of the Amaris Lunar Rover, and , as always, we hope you will stay tuned after the episode. https://mae.ucf.edu/ UCF website
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Today, Kevin and I meet with Andres Permuy, a third-year Physics Major and Math minor at Georgetown University. He aspires to receive a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering/Robotics to pursue a career in Advanced Robotics and Automation. Andres’ current goal is to work with automation that can be utilized in the space industry for extraterrestrial exploration and excavation. Currently, Andres helps lead the Georgetown University Space Initiative as the Co-President and conducts space policy research at the Beyond Earth Institute. We look forward to working with him on several projects including the Amaris Lunar Rover. Stay tuned after for our take away.
Georgetown University Space Initiative
Aerospace and Innovation Academy website
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Today Kevin and I meet with Sara Alvarado who is a current economics and industrial engineering undergrad working towards her masters in Industrial Engineering at The University of Central Florida. In addition to her school load, Sara works at Universal Orlando Resort as an Industrial Engineer, Hailing from Colombia, she always dreamed big but knew her options were limited in her home country. The US has given her the career opportunities and the reach to empower many more to look up and imagine what could be, and she has kickstarted this by being the national chair of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). SEDS is a student-run non-profit that fosters the development of the interdisciplinary future leaders in space, with close to 100 chapters nationwide. This year Sara has taken a total of 18 students, with over half from Minority Serving Institutions, to the Satellite and ISDC conferences in Washington, DC where they have presented, networked, and even gotten internships on the spot. Sara sees her future job to be in space tourism, and is excited about helping many others become spectators of our blue dot.
SmallSat Education Conference
Aerospace and Innovation Academy
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For those who follow our social media or are part of the Aerospace and Innovation Academy family, you know our students do real-world experiential aerospace on a regular basis. Students find a place in the industry to capitalize on their passions and interests. Today’s two featured students have taken these opportunities to a whole new level. Paul Kiesling, a freshman at Exeter Academy, returns to share about his current research and entrepreneurial endeavors while Jasmin Schauer, a college student at Florida Atlantic University’s Honors College, discusses her work with osteoblasts as well as her presentations at recent conferences.
In what we hope to be a series, we will interview students who are actively engaged in setting their personal bars high in order to pursue their futures. As always, stay tuned after the episode for our takeaway!
AIA website: www.aerospacehigh.org
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Today Kevin and I meet with Megan Wnek who is entering her 4th year as an Aerospace Engineering student with an Electrical Engineering minor at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. She has interned as a structural engineer for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics on the F-35 program and most recently, Northrop Grumman Space Systems as a systems engineering intern. During her time at UF, she has been involved in and led teams for multiple industry-sponsored design competitions including the NASA Student Launch Initiative, the NASA Tournament Lab Exploring Hell competition, and the Fairchild Growing Beyond Earth maker contest, in which her team placed in the top 5. Megan is passionate about exploration and its importance to the world and is striving for a career that will make the earth a better and safer place for future generations."
We hope you will stay tuned after the episode for our takeaways.
Aerospace and Innovation Academy website: www.aerospacehigh.org
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In an ongoing effort to prepare our students for their futures, today Kevin and I meet with Joseph Blassberg. Joe began his counseling career at American University in Washington, D.C. then went on to serve as the Director of College Counseling at Milken Community Schools in Los Angeles.. There, he implemented a college counseling curriculum and provided students and families with grade-level workshops, panel discussions, and college essay workshops. Most recently, Joe was the Director of College Counseling and Academic Dean at The Buckley School in Los Angeles, CA, Mr. Blassberg's accomplishments at Buckley are many; he guided thousands of students successfully through the academic advising and college process, and he also brought new programs and innovations such as the annual college application and essay workshop, PSAT 8/9, and assisted in the redesign and revision of the Upper School profile and the college counseling materials. During his time at Buckley and Milken, Mr. Blassberg helped to place students in some of the world’s top colleges and universities including Amherst, Brown, Cal Tech, Cambridge, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, McGill, MIT, Oxford, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Williams, and Yale.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Blassberg has visited over 500 college campuses in the United States and abroad. He has also participated in the Institute on College Admissions sponsored jointly by Harvard University and The College Board, and he has presented at conferences and sat on committees for the National Association for College Admission Counseling
Mr. Blassberg has now joined The Greene School in West Palm Beach, Fl as the Director of College Counseling as the school begins its high school journey this Fal/The Greene School family is sure to benefit from his wisdom, and we know our listeners will as well. Stay tuned.
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Today, we meet with Karolina Rivera-Osorio, a young lady with an avid interest in STEM with a particular focus on the psychological effects of living in space. Karolina was an intern at NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate supporting the Mars sample Return Mission. She participated in Human Factors creating the first Lunar Transport Modules for Incapacitated Astronauts for Johnson Space Center while studying Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Recently, Karolina spent the last 7 months in France researching “The Psychology of Sustainable Agriculture for Future Martian Astronauts,” using hydroponics/microgreens in a Mars analog. In addition to her interest in these areas, Karolina is also a scuba diver and pilot, and she loves gardening, music and traveling. It was fascinating hearing how she blended her many passions into a career field and we know you will be likewise impressed
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Today we meet with Kevin Johnson, a Systems Engineer at Jacobs supporting the Artemis Program for NASA based out of the Kennedy Space Center. As a first generation college student born to a single teenage mother and raised under the poverty line, Kevin spent his early years working in the food service industry, honing a hard working and team oriented skillset to succeed. This also led to him planning for the future, a 20 year career target that is dedicated to being a lead for the human mission to Mars.
After graduating from Penn State University with Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering, he spent 10 years at Boeing as an engineer supporting the entire Rotorcraft program lifecycle: from proposal to production, sustainment, and R&D efforts. Eventually after taking a brief stint as a contractor for Lockheed Martin's Navy Nuclear Propulsion team; it was then that Kevin took a dream opportunity to work in the space industry
Along the way, Kevin gas taken time and effort to give back and has been volunteering in local communities since he was thirteen. Recognized by Boeing for his community give back, receiving the "Community Outreach" award, he spent over 7 years as an instructor for the "Girls in Science and Technology" program (GiST)
Kevin is also an active member in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) serving on the Cape Canaveral Council, which is where he met our Kevin, and is a and a volunteer/judge for both FIRST Robotics and the International Science and Engineering Fair Kevin was recently accepted to the PnD aero engineering program at a husband to a very patient wife, and a proud father to two young children.
We know you will love his story as he inspires us with his vision and advice
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Today, we meet with, Space Florida President and CEO, Frank DiBello. in May 2009 Mr. DiBello was chosen to lead Space Florida, which is the principal state agency for aerospace-related economic development, and the Space Authority for the State of Florida. In his position, he develops and executes programs designed to attract, retain and grow aerospace business across the state. Additionally, Mr. DiBello focuses on Florida aerospace workforce development and retention as well as international partnership development.
Mr. DiBello holds more than 50 years of direct aerospace, defense and emerging space industry-related experience. Frank spent more than 20 years at KPMG, in various management positions, and served on President Reagan’s Grace Commission. For his service to the Nation in this Commission, he was presented with a Presidential Citation. Mr. DiBello formed SpaceVest, a Venture Capital Firm focused on investments in companies taking defense and space technologies to commercial applications and markets. Prior to Space Florida he served as President and CEO of Constellation Communications, International and was President/CEO of Florida’s Aerospace Finance Corporation (FAFC).
Mr. DiBello has been involved in multiple civic, social and industry volunteer organizations. He founded the Washington Space Business Roundtable and for his work as President of the Board of the USO Metropolitan Washington, he received the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Department of Defense’s highest civilian honor. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University, and did graduate work at American and George Washington Universities. Recently Mr. DiBello was inducted into the Space Satellite Hall of Fame.
Register for Summer Sessions at the Aerospace and Innovation Academy here: https://forms.gle/YFqTyviJRtzipKX19
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Dr. Anand “Sunny” Narayanan is currently a Research Professor at Florida A&M AND - Florida State University (FAMU-FSU). As a first-generation, immigrant, Indian American from a disadvantaged background, Sunny has held a life-long interest in encouraging diversity through educational outreach and interdisciplinary projects. Sunny holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Medical and Space Physiology, and B.S. degrees from West Virginia University in Mechanical Engineering and Biology.
Sunny took his first professional steps with NASA, supporting systems engineering computational projects at the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility, completing team-based design-build-fly projects through NASA’s Microgravity University program, and conducting nanotechnology biomedical research as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar.
He continued his academic steps at Texas A&M University, supported by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute for his doctorate to study physiological adaptations of astronauts during their journey in space.,
Now as a Research Professor, he continues his support of NASA’s space program, leading and supporting multiple biomedical studies investigating the physiological effects of deep space radiation, Lunar, and Martian gravity, relevant to our human space exploration goals as we return to the Moon and beyond through the Artemis program.
Finally, Sunny is encouraging of individuals from all backgrounds demonstrating interest in aerospace careers. He is involved and serves as an advisor for organizations including Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, Zed Factor Fellowship, Global Brigades, Space Generation Advisory Council, Lymphatic Education & Research Network, to inspire and support the next-generation of STEAM leaders.
Check out the Aerospace and Innovation Academy website here: www.aerospacehigh.org
Register for Summer STEM Sessions HERE:
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Dr. Jin S. Kang (Suk Jin Kang) is an Associate Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy, and serves as the Director of the Naval Academy Small Satellite Program. His main research area is in small satellite technology development and was involved in development of four micro-satellites and numerous CubeSat satellites. He received his B.S. from the University of Michigan, M.S. from Stanford University, and Ph.D. from Korea Aerospace University (KAU) in Aerospace Engineering. After working for General Electric for two years, Kang taught at Korea Air Force Academy, KAU, and Drexel University before joining the Naval Academy faculty
We are so excited to learn more how aerospace and the military connect and as always stay tuned for takeaway after show
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Today we are excited to get an update on the BigRedSat, a CubeSat we first learned about last year.In fact two early podcast episodes (found linked in the show notes) served as an introduction to this team which included middle- university level students as well as an interview with one of their biggest supporters, John McClure. Sadly, John passed this year but his dream for a CubeSat in Nebraska is still in the works
But today we meet with John Helzer: the special systems team lead for AXP, which is mentoring the Big Red Satellite team's middle & high schoolers. He is currently a junior specializing in Mechanical engineering at the university of Nebraska Lincoln. He is joined by one of their high school students, Robert Schmidt. As always, stay tuned after for the takeaway.
Link to Episode 17 The Legacy of John McClure and BigRedSat
Link to Episode 19 BigRedSat student perspectives with Joel Murch-Shafer and Elsa Meyer
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Today, Kevin meets with Nicholas Marshall, a Junior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach Fl . There, he is studying Aerospace Engineering with an Aeronautics Track. Nicholas is an active member of Design Build Fly at Embry-Riddle, and he recently participated with our group as part of this yea’s American Insitute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Congressional Visit Day. A proud Eagle Scout, Nicholas hopes to work on military aviation projects upon graduation.
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Today’s guest, Craig Glover, was raised in a community much like those in the Palm Beach County community he now serves. His experience growing up in an economically challenged area has helped him recognize his many blessing, and to survive several life challenges. Currently, Craig is excited to serve others as the Executive Director of Northend RISE.
RISE is a resident-driven, family and systems based non-profit movement, dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty for the residents of the Northend, Coleman Park and Pleasant City communities. RISE works to improve quality of life by focusing on education, employment, housing and wellness..
Mr.Glover is a builder and community servant. He’s also a serial entrepreneur, has over 20 years of experience in executive healthcare leadership roles, helped build multiple billion dollar brands and specializes in start-ups. Craig earned his B.S. degree from Florida A&M University and M.B.A. from the University of Miami. His civic involvement includes: steering committee member of Healthier Neighbors; member of Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2019; Advisor to the APOLLO National Institute of Health study and; he was recognized as a 2018 Everyday Hero by the Black and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. He and his late wife Bonnie were married for 36 years and produced two wonderful sons, Matthew and Benjamin. Kevin and I are big fans of the work Mr. Glover does, and we know you will be after this podcast. As always stay tuned after for our takeaways.
https://www.northendrise.org/
AIA Summer Sessions registration link
AIA webpage
AIA FB: @go2space
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Today Kevin and I meet with Kadija Rahman and Amina Zulfi, founders of The Little Martians. Kadija is an Information Technology Engineer and certified STEM Educator in Teaching Primary Science and Amina, an electronics engineer turned educator, is a certified STEM activity designer and STEM curriculum planner.
The Little Martians was founded with the objective of building a strong maker community in India, starting from a young age. The group inspires bright students and mentors them to find meaningful footing in this challenging world, forming a path for Indian youngsters to explore and grow.
As always, stay tuned after the episode for our takeaways.
Little Martians FB: https://www.facebook.com/thelittlemartians/
AIA Summer Sessions registration and information link: https://forms.gle/k44Hv7ZFvpnPa4aC7
AIA website: www.aerospacehigh.org
AIA FB @Go2Space
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Mr. Patrick H. Stakem has been fascinated by the space program since the Vanguard launches in 1957. He received a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University, and Masters Degrees in Physics and Computer Science from the Johns Hopkins University. At Carnegie, he worked with a group of undergraduate students to re-assemble, modify, and operate a surplus missile guidance computer, which was later donated to the Smithsonian. He was brought up in the mainframe era, and was taught to never trust a computer you could lift.
He began his career in Aerospace with Fairchild Industries on the ATS-6 (Applications Technology Satellite-6) program, a communication satellite that developed much of the technology for the TDRSS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System). He followed the ATS-6 Program through its operational phase, and worked on other projects at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center including the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), some of the Landsat missions, and Shuttle. He was posted to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for Mars-Jupiter-Saturn (MJS-77), which later became the Voyager mission, and which is still operating and returning data from outside the solar system at this writing. He initiated and lead the international Flight Linux Project for NASA's Earth Sciences Technology Office. He is the recipient of the Shuttle Program Manager's Commendation Award, and has completed 42 NASA Certification courses. He has two NASA Group Achievement Awards, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Program Award.
Now he supports International collaborative open-source projects, and STEM Programs.
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Today Kevin and I meet with Amy Trujillo, a professional educator and author with 20 years experience working with students from elementary school through adults. Currently she is the Instructional Coach at Orlando Science Schools where she oversees STEM, as well as oversees the gifted plans for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Ms. Trujillo is also n innovator and advocate for the needs of diverse learners. She believes in integrating science, technology, engineering, and math into all lessons so students grasp the concepts as well as gain the skills they need for the future workforce.
Over the course of her career, Amy has received numerous awards and earned several certifications. Among these are the Global Math Ambassador, National Geographic Certified Educator, LEGO Education Master Educator, Nearpod Certified Educator, Kahoot Gold Coach, and a Google Certified Educator. Currently Amy is the president of the Florida Association for the Gifted, the past president of the Florida Association of Science Teachers, and is the new NSTA Area Five Director.
As always, stay tuned after the interview for our takeaways.
FLAG Website: https://www.floridagifted.org/
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"Let’s Go to Space: BLUESKY Learning" is part of a larger educational initiative called the Aerospace and Innovation Academy, which seeks to provide unique and distinctive stem opportunities for passionate middle and high schoolers. While we often highlight careers in aerospace, today’s podcast is the third in a series where we have been hearing from parents of students who have incredible resume builders to hear how they believe the program has impacted their child.
Today for episode 57 we meet with Mr. Bill Mayville and Mr. Paul Kiesling.
Paul Kiesling is the father of two active Wolf Pack Students, Paul Jr who is currently a 9th grader at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Dylan Kiesling, a 6th grader at the Weiss School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Paul is a Global Co-Head of Implementation and Operational Due Diligence at a International Asset Management Company and has a career that has taken him all over the world. Paul feels that the Wolfpack provides innovative global opportunities for its students and fosters a framework for success that the students can apply in all facets of life.
Bill Mayville is a successful entrepreneur, civic leader and 10 year military veteran rising to rank of Captain and earning awards and recognition. Today, Bill is president of Workaway International. This company recruits and provides staff for residential country clubs, ensuring that the clubs have qualified, trained, drug-free domestic and international workers to support their operations. He successfully led and sold numerous companies prior his CEO position at Workaway international. He is a graduate of Furman University and earned an MBA from Florida International University.
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Let’s Go to Space BLUESKY Learning is part of a larger educational initiative called the Aerospace and Innovation Academy, which seeks to provide unique and distinctive stem opportunities for passionate middle and high schoolers.
While we often highlight careers in aerospace, today’s podcast is the third in a series where we have been hearing from parents of students who have incredible resume builders to hear how they believe the program has impacted their child. This is our second episode in the series.
Dr. Ruhi Ahmed currently serves as Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Government Affairs at two companies: FLAG Therapeutics Inc.and at Asceneuron She has nearly 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology. Dr. Ahmed earned her B.S. in Biology and M.A. in Biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin, and her M.S. in Regulatory Sciences and Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Southern California.. Today, she is the proud mom of seventh grader Argyrios Vaitsos who spoke recently at the Hawaiian International Conference of Education
Gary Vescio is Managing Director of SOUND Wealth Management Group which is a leading financial management and advisory group affiliated with Raymond James. He is also a former executive of a Fortune 200 technology firm and holds an MBA from the University of Miami. He and his wife Jackie are the parents of 3 boys - the oldest, Michael, who is currently enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was an inaugural member of our Cube-Sat program; and twins Elliott and Tyler who are members of the team today.
SHOW NOTE: Mr. Vescio appears about halfway through due to a log-in issue.
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Today: we bring you Episode 55: Parent Perspectives: Supporting Student Success in the AIA with Eran Levy and Stephanie Welch. Mr. Eran Levy has a bachelors in business and computer science. He is an expert in sales and marketing strategy and is the lead for customer success at Cisco along with being a dad of two, including son Daniel who recently spoke at the Hawaiian International Conference of Education. Mrs. Stephanie Welch is a mother of 3 with a bachelor's in both psychology and dietetics. She is currently focused on pursuing her passion for dietetics, but in her spare time, she accompanies Owen, a senior on his international trips to Beijing, Dubai more.
As always, please stay tuned after the episode for our takeaways, and check us on out FB @Go2space
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We are fortunate to have interviewed several amazing educators during our time producing this podcast. Today, we add another rock star to that list: Frederick Hermann has been teaching at the MakuaLani Christian Academy on the big island of Hawaii for twelve years. While his passion is aerospace, Frederick holds a BA in English with a minor in mathematics and a Masters in Special Education. Before becoming a high school teacher, Frederick taught GED in prison in NC; tutored adults in reading, math, and police tests; and was lead teacher for a hispanic after-school program. Now, with his leadership, his students have achieved amazing feats including winning the International Grand Prize in 2021 for the National Space Society’s space settlement contest. Additionally, they received top honors in NASA’s HUNCH contest for their work on a food bite dispenser.
This year, Frederick was recognized for his work in space education by the national space club as the Space Educator of the Year, and he and his students are currently working on a ground station that will help our two teams collaborate by receiving telemetry from a Cube Sat.
We were excited to meet him an his students face to face at the Hawaiian International Conference on Education this past January, and we look forward to more work with him. As always, stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today, we meet with seventh and eighth grade members of the Aerospace and Innovation Academy, our parent company, to discuss one aspect of the unique opportunities our students are eligible to undertake to help separate them from their peers. Argyrios Deanie Vaitsos, Michael Mikati, and Finley Strauss are middle schoolers who have written several technical papers and have even presented at international conferences including the IAC in Dubai, and, most recently the Hawaiian International Conference on Education in Jan. Today, they will share about why they take on adult style responsibilities and how doing so has helped to prepare them for their next steps in life.
If you or a student you know is interested in doing this kind of experiential STEM work, please check out our website at www.aerospacehigh. Org or our social media sites on FB and IG.
As always stay tuned after the show for our takeaways.
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Today we meet with Dr. Pradeep Shinde. Dr. Shinde received his PhD from Florida International University in Mechanical Engineering and is the CEO of SpaceLoon™, a company being built at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's MicaPlex. He has expertise in High-Altitude Balloons and CubeSat instrumentation and has received four awards from NASA-FSGC (NASA-Florida Space Grant Consortium) over the course seven years which helped him with his entrepreneurial goals.
SpaceLoon™ (Space Balloon Technologies) Corp. was founded in 2018, Since then, the technology has been matured by field demonstrations and commercialization risk reductions. SpaceLoon has attracted some investments from friends and family, has verbal confirmation from a few angel investors, an active NSF I-Corps grant and an active NSF SBIR Phase-I submission. At present SpaceLoon is engaged with the student ballooning program with the support from NASA-FSGC
Dr. Shinde has mentored several students in the acquiring of aerospace skills and he pioneered the culture of electric vehicle development by leading competitions for his teams. We look forward to partnering with him in the future and as always, stay tuned for our takeaway.
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Today we meet with Matt Voss, the Chief Operations Officer for NearSpace Launch, Inc.
Matt has an extensive professional entrepreneurial background including an MBA in Management and Marketing with 15+ years’ experience in fast-paced dynamic environments.
He has managed and directed million-dollar budgets and held a key role in their aerospace startup in 2006.
He has a passion for developing an effective and influential business culture, has excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and is able to work effectively cross-functional teams. Kevin and I are huge fans of Matt—NSL in general has always willing to work with our students to help them realize their space aspirations
Their website: https://www.nearspacelaunch.com/
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Jim Plaxco is a digital artist, creative coder, public speaker, and web consultant. Prior to entering the field of digital art, Jim was an information technology professional and software engineer working for Fortune 100 companies, included AT&T and IBM. In March 2019 Jim became the National Space Society’s Director of Information Systems and in October 2019 became the NSS Data Protection Officer.
Jim has been a space activist since the mid-80’s when he became a member of the National Space Institute, the predecessor of the National Space Society. and is currently President of the Chicago Society for Space Studies. He is also the creator of the Chicago Society for Space Studies Speakers Bureau which provides space-related educational presentations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and across northeastern Illinois.
Jim also serves as a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, NSS Space Ambassador, and serves on the Enterprise in Space Board of Advisors. Jim received his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University.
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Doc Chaves is director of corporate communications for LI-COR Biosciences, a world leader in technology for measuring global climate change and cutting-edge instrumentation for molecular biology research. His main job is translating English to English…helping engineers and scientists share knowledge with a broader audience. He is a volunteer leader for the Big Red Satellite Team, Nebraska’s first team to be selected by NASA to design, build and fly a CubeSat and who were featured in an earlier podcast—you can see link in show notes.
Website for LiCor: https://www.licor.com/
Link to episode 17 with John McClure here:
Link to episode 19 about BigRedSat here:
Website for Aerospace and Innovation Academy: www. aerospacehigh.org
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Today we meet with Eric Harkleroad— a systems engineer for APeX Systems in New Jersey. He holds a Master of Engineering in Mechanical & Aerospace and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics both from Princeton University and he previously served as a crew member for a two-week rotation at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS).
A long time Space Ambassador for the National Space Society, Eric gained an interest in engineering due to attending NASA Space Camp in elementary school and taking part in math and science clubs during grades 7-12.
He is also a lifelong fan of science fiction; stories from the Star Trek universe and books by Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Phillip K. Dick provided early inspiration.
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Today we meet with Julia Brodsky, a STEM education researcher at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, and a Forbes Education contributing author. Ms. Brodsky was not only an NASA astronaut instructor, but she worked as an independent school teacher, an informal math education book author, and an educational consultant for gifted students. Additionally, she is the homeschooling mom of a special needs child (and two other kids). Her academic training is in astrophysics and science education. As the founder of the Art of Inquiry - an interactive online science program for curious pre-teens - Brodsky introduces students to space exploration, astrobiology, cognitive science and AI as means for developing their scientific reasoning, systems thinking, and questioning skills.
Art of Inquiry website https://www.artofinquiry.net/about
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Today we meet with ,Matt Orvis who graduated with a Bachelors degree in Physics in 2013, with an Masters in 2015. Since then he's been working with NearSpace Launch building satellites and other space subsystems as a project engineer. Working in a small business, Matt has the privilege of operating in a variety of tasks, including proposal writing, mission design, system layout, assembly/integration, mission operations, data analysis, and writing publications. He's also married with 2 kids, which has proven to be more challenging than building spacecraft.
Matt and NearSpace Launch has been especially instrumental to the development of the WCDT and we know you are going to love today’s episode as much as we do.
NSL website: https://www.nearspacelaunch.com/
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Today Kevin and In meet with Rayon Harris, an Aeronautical Design Engineer at Lockheed Martin’s Skunkworks residing in Southern California. Prior to his experience at the Skunkworks, Rayon was an avid member of AIAA’s UCF student branch and obtained his Aerospace Engineering degree in 2019. As an active member of AIAA national since 2015, Rayon has engaged in various AIAA activities from student design projects, college executive leadership, volunteering, mentorship as well as advocating for the aerospace committee in Capitol Hill. When he is not working, Rayon enjoys spending his free time working out, traveling to new places, watching sports and hanging out with friends. From some very humble upbringings of Lakeland & Miami FL, Rayon has never forgotten where he came from and always dedicates time and effort to give back to his community and inspire the future of aerospace.
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Today we meet with Chris Kapp. Chris is Vice President of Compression in the energy group AF Global. He has 25+ years experience with nearly all aspects of turbo machinery in nearly every area of Oil & gas as well as industrial applications. Starting out abroad, Chris started up a joint venture company, Demag Kirloskar Compressors. He then Immigrated to the US and he worked for Cooper Energy Services / Rolls-Royce Energy Systems in Mt. Vernon, OH as a director of marketing and director of product standardization for gas turbines and centrifugal pipeline compressors. Chris then worked for Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery (O&G) in Houston, TX.
Chris studied mechanical & aerospace engineering at universities in Aachen, Germany as well as in Trondheim, Norway and completed a masters of science/engineering. Chris has numerous publications to his credit and is a published author. His new book, “Selling Engineered Products” will be coming out soon.
Chris got the space bug early in life with his father working for the US Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB. He serves this passion currently as a National Space Society Ambassador.Take a moment to write a review to help us grow our audience organically and stay tuned after the episode for takeaways.
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Today Kevin and I meet with Loretta Hall, a freelance writer and nonfiction book author. She has been interested in space travel since her teenage years, when she followed closely the early NASA programs: selection of the Mercury Seven astronauts, the suborbital and orbital missions of Mercury and Gemini, and the Apollo steps toward a moon landing. About fifteen years ago, her latent fascination with space exploration resurfaced, and she has since concentrated on that subject. She has written nine nonfiction books, including five on the history and future of space travel. Loretta loves finding ways to participate in space activities without being an astronaut. That led her to write one of her books, The Complete Space Buff’s Bucket List: 100 Space Things to Do Before You Die. Her newest book, Higher, Faster, Longer: My Life in Aviation and My Quest for Spaceflight, was a cooperative effort to produce the memoir of Wally Funk, an icon in the fields of aviation and spaceflight. Loretta is a Certified Space Ambassador for the National Space Society, an officer of New Mexico Press Women, and a member of the Historical Society of New Mexico's Speakers Bureau.
Before we begin, please take a moment to give us a review if you listen on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon as that allows the algorithms to help us reach a wider audience. We really appreciate your support, and as always stay tuned
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Today we meet with Ted Tagami. Mr. Tagami is the CEO and co-founder of Magnitude. Io, which was created to bring learning right to the edge of human discovery and exploration with their ExoLab experiments about the International Space Station. Ted also is the education chair on the User Advisory Committee of the ISS US National Lab. Stationed in San Francisco, Tagami started Magnitude in 2013 understanding that many things were changing, including the learning landscape. The possibility of new tools that would enable learner agency were becoming apparent including Microcontrollers, sensors, entire systems on a chip,Machine learning, 3D printing, and desktop genomics to name just a few. In short, Tagami aspires to bring about the highest return on education. And we know this interview will inspire our listeners to do the same.
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Today we meet with Stevan Akerley, a retired aerospace engineer from Pratt & Whitney, with more than 40 years of manufacturing and engineering experience with automated equipment and measurement sensor systems in manufacturing applications. He also has experience in precision manufacturing, machine measurement, CAD CAM software development, quality assurance, and tool and equipment design. He holds a BS degree in industrial technology, and an MBA degree in Management Information Systems and International Business.
Akerly was one of the finalists and award winners of the Space Ambassadors, Phase 1 Program, and is currently serving as a Space Ambassador Program Director for the National Space Society. He has even taken graduate level classes at the Kepler Space Institute.Before we begin please take a moment to like, share and subscribe to our podcast. These simple steps will help us reach more likemindeed followers. As always, stay tuned for our takeaway.
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Today we meet with John D. Moore, an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow. John also served in the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Geosciences 2009-2011. Currently he is the founder and Executive Director for the Institute for Earth Observations in New Jersey. Prior to his fellowship, he developed and was an instructor at he the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a four-year CTE high school, focusing on the development of applications of satellite data, remote sensing, and computer visualizations at the pre-college level. He has numerous publications and is a contributing author in the “Einstein Fellows Best Practices in STEM Education”. John is the founder and developer of the A3Sat Project. And worked with Kevin early on to bring CubeSats into the forefront as a disruptive educational model. Stay tuned after for our takeawyas and be sure to check the show notes for important links mentioned.
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Today, we meet with Ken Ruffin. Ken is a Senior Environmental Engineer for one of the largest electric utilities in the USA, with over 25 years of experience in air quality inspections, consulting, permit applications, and compliance in both public and private organizations. But his passion for science doesn’t stop at the end of his workday. Mr. Ruffin is also the President of the award-winning National Space Society of North Texas (NSS-NT). For the fourth time in the last eight years, NSS-NT has earned the #1 NSS Chapter in the World Award! During public events, monthly meetings, and news interviews, Ken informs audiences of all ages and backgrounds about "the latest and greatest information in space travel and space development".
Make sure you stay tuned after the interview for our takeaways as well as information about the next iteration of SPACE CLUB starting in January. And of course, please take a moment to like, share, and subscribe to our podcast so we can continue to grow our audience organically.
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Larry Bartoszek, is a licensed engineer with Physics and Mechanical Engineering degrees from the Univ of Illinois. He is a member of numerous professional societies related to engineering, welding, and the International Space Elevator Consortium.
Larry worked at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory from 1983 to 1993. In his work at Fermilab he was responsible for the design of many accelerator and detector projects, including a 150 million dollar Hadron calorimeter and many other accelerator and detector projects.
Larry is the owner of Bartoszek Engineering, a world-wide consulting firm which specializes in mechanical designs for the nuclear and high energy physics research community world-wide.
The neutrino horn his company designed for Fermilab holds the world record for surviving over 400 million pulses at 170 Kiloamps of current. He also helped build the 2.5 meter Sloan Digital Sky Survey Telescope.
In 2004, Larry started working on the Space Elevator as a and has given presentations at several Conferences. He became a Director on the Board of the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC) in April, 2021.
We look forward to learning more about this fascinating research and hope you will stay tuned after the interview for our takeaways.
Website Bartoszek Engineering www.bartoszekeng.com
Bartoszek's work can be viewed here: http://bartoszekeng.com/se_calcs/se.htm
Check out one of his published papers: “Design Considerations for Space Elevator Tether Climbers”, ISEC Position Paper # 2013-1
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Today, we are excited to meet with Dr. Ben Van Dusen, a professor of science education at Iowa State University where he runs the Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) platform. LASSO is funded through the NSF and is a free online resource supporting teachers in how to use research-based assessments to determine the impact of their courses on student content knowledge, attitudes, and identities. A focus of his research is the impacts of oppression on science student outcomes and how the quantitative methods that are commonly used by researchers may be obscuring academic inequities. A former high school physics teacher and Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, Dr. Van Dusen has a lifetime of educational acumen. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his children and playing a round of disc golf.
Please remember to subscribe, like, and share our podcast with your friends and family. Doing so will help up grow organically and as always, stay tuned for our takeaways after the interview.
LASSO can be accessed here
FB for Aerospace and Innovation Academy here
website for Aerospace and Innovation Academy here
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Today, it is my pleasure to interview one of my most influential teachers--my 8th grade science teacher Jeff Johnson. Jeff grew up at the start of the space age and was heavily influenced by Sputnik 1, John Glenn and the vast media onslaught of TV and media that emerged shortly thereafter. .In his early year’s Jeff created space scrapbooks with articles he found and his love was fueled even further by watching the Apollo 11 landing with his family.
Although Jeff’s interest in science was nurtured in high school, it was a serendipitous meeting at a softball game with an educator that led him to teaching and he soon began an internship in Columbia Missouri before moving to Florida. It was in Florida where Jeff recalls his first in person space shuttle launch with non other than Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, on board.
Johnson went on to apply and be accepted as the first NEWMAST (NASA Educational Workshop for Math and Science Teachers) cohort - at the Kennedy Space Center where, for two full weeks, he got to see many behind-the-scenes aspects of the space program, including meeting an astronaut and seeing space shuttle Challenger up close as it was being prepped for a mission. He also began implementing the science fair both at his school and at Florida State Science and Engineering Fair.
After a move to Wisconsin, Jeff became a high school chemistry teacher and attended highly-regarded National Science Foundation Workshop for High School Chemistry Teachers but noted the increasing demand for internet connection and computers in the classroom. He shifted his professional focus to supporting technology as a teaching tool which ultimately led to working for a software company helping schools transition to the technology demands.
These days, Mr. Johnson recently relocated to New Mexico where he enjoys bird watching and photography. He looks forward to getting a telescope to take advantage of the darks skies in his new home, and to reconnect with his love of space.
Please stay tuned after for our takeaways.
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Today, Kevin and I meet with Joshua Jones of Jacobs Technology. Mr. Jones has a masters degree in mechanical engineering from University of North Florida and is currently working on his masters in mechanical engineering at UF. In addition to his work for Jacobs, Josh donates his time as the VP of the Missile Space and Range Pioneers, a group of retired and current aerospace enthusiasts., Josh also enjoys gaming, traveling, and building PCs. He will share with us how he came to be interested in engineering as well as share advice for our student listeners in an area of engineering for which they may not be familiar.
And, before we begin, please take a moment to subscribe to our podcast if you have not yet done and please share and review. Doing these simple steps will insure our podcast audience grows organically.
And as always stay tuned for our takeaways after the show.
AIA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Go2Space
Missile, Space, and Range Pioneers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SpacePioneers/
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Today we meet with Dr. Tess Caswell. Dr. Caswell is an Extra Vehicular Activity or E. V. A Operations Engineer at NASA. Her work helps to plan spacewalks and prepares astronauts to conduct them. Dr. Caswell holds a bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a PhD in Planetary Geology from Brown University. She has previously worked as an Environmental Systems officer in mission control for the International Space Station, lived for a month in a simulated space station as part of NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog, and served as Lead Capsule Controller at the private aerospace company Blue Origin. She is a private pilot and in her free time enjoys flying small airplanes, exercising, or reading a good book.
And before we begin, please take a moment to subscribe to our podcast if you have not yet done and please share and review. Doing these simple steps will insure our podcast audience grows organically.
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Dr. Andreas P. (Andy) Bernhard is the Director of Aircraft Design at Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Corporation Company. In this capacity he is responsible for all technical aspects related to the design of blades, rotors, transmissions, airframes, propulsion systems, landing gear, and miscellaneous subsystems This includes developing and implementing next generation strategies & technologies and creating and maintaining effective processes and standard work.
Prior to this assignment, Dr. Bernhard was the Chief Engineer for the CH-53K KING STALLION providing overall strategic leadership for all technical activities of the program, including design development, integration and test, as well as product improvement roadmaps. Dr. Bernhard was also the Chief Engineer for the S-97™ RAIDER, responsible for all technical aspects spanning design, development, assembly and testing through first flight. From 2008-2013 he was the Chief Engineer for Sikorsky Aerospace Services, responsible for all aspects of Aftermarket Engineering from 2008 to 2013.
Dr. Bernhard graduated from University Johannesburg South Africa) with A Bachelors in . Aeronautical Engineering in 1992 and from the University of Maryland with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 2000. His research was on smart rotor technology including hover testing of blades with active tips, active twist and trailing edge flaps. He holds 5 patents, has authored 12 peer reviewed Journal Articles and over 20 Conference papers. He has also won numerous awards including most recently Vertical Flight Society Technical Fellow (2021) and University of Maryland, Aerospace Department Distinguished Alumni (2020),
Outside of work, Andy is an avid private pilot, is a now recreational (and former competitive) cyclist, and has just recently revisited playing water polo.
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Dr. Liz Knowles began her career as an elementary school teacher in Connecticut but spent most of her career (29 years) at Pine Crest School in South Florida. She earned a master’s in reading and a doctorate in Curriculum Development and Systemic Change both from Nova Southeastern University. Early in her career, she was Director of Professional Development and Curriculum where she assisted more than 300 faculty members with curriculum mapping, launched a teaching certification program, offered in-service classes, and oversaw several school accreditation processes.
Beginning in 1997, she completed the first of her 14 books, The Reading Connection: Bringing Parents, Teachers, and Librarians Together. This text, like her subsequent publications, serves parents, librarians, and educational professionals by offering tips and titles aimed at promoting children’s literacy.
After leaving Pine Crest she served as Director of Content (K-12) for Kaplan Virtual Education and then as Head of Studies, Director of Professional Development, and Diploma Program Coordinator at Boca Prep International School an International Baccalaureate School in Boca Raton. She also spent several years writing curriculum and applications for charter schools in Palm Beach County.
Today, through Cognitive Advantage, LLC and www.cognitive-fitness.com. Dr. Knowles teaches classes, small groups, and private lessons.
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Today, Kevin interviews Shawna Christenson about how she got involved with the Aerospace and Innovation Academy considering her background in English and Debate. Shawna holds a BS in secondary English education and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. She has been teaching well over 20 years in both the public and private sector and was chosen as the National Speech and Debate Association's Middle School Coach of the Year in 2020. She believes in our BLUE-SKY philosophy by taking communications beyond the classroom and into the real world through legislative advocacy and technical writing with her students. She is the "talkie" side of the "techies and talkies" and believes helping students participate and find success in unique, distinctive opportunities early on not only helps students imagines future possibilities but also helps separate them from their peers on high school and college applications. In addition to her work with the AIA, she began Aerospace Public Policy Institute in 2018 and is an officer for both the Missile, Space, and Range Pioneers as well as the Palm Beach section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
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Today Kevin and I meet with the inspiring Carolyn Kost. I had the opportunity to be hired by Carolyn in 2012and she has been a constant source of insight with regards to curriculum and the college process ever since. For well over twenty years, Carolyn has helped families find the right academic, social and financial fit for their college bound students. Carolyn is an admissions reader for a prominent university and frequent presenter at national conferences. She was mentioned in The New York Times and reads college news all day every day. She has taught in five universities and attended ten, so her experiences offer not only perspectives for parents but also as a student. Her clients have gone on to all the Ivy and Ivy Plus universities like CalTech, Stanford, U Chicago, and MIT, all the Florida publics --which she believes are great viable options—as well as universities in Australia, the UK, Hong Kong, Canada, and all over Europe, which are far less expensive and often teach in English.
In addition to publishing well as over 100 articles for a variety of publications, she has co-authored On To College, a guide to college admissions, and What Are You Waiting For? A Workbook for Living Your Purpose, Path, and Passion. Her book Engage! Setting the Course for Independent Secondary Schools in the 21st Century, has been used as a textbook at Johns Hopkins Graduate School of education. Additionalyl, Carolyn is bilingual and has lived in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Trinidad She now lives in North Palm Beach with her husband, Frank.
Check out the links mentioned in the podcast here:
Reach out to Carolyn at Ckost@yahoo.com
Input "Common Data Set" and the name of a specific university and scroll to section C7 to see what that university values in its admissions process. Do not assume they all prioritize the same elements. That is not the case.
UF Student Outcomes: https://career.ufl.edu/gain-experience/student-outcomes/
"The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates. Federal Reserve Bank of New York. newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market/college-labor-market_compare-majors.html
Data tool for salaries, underemployment, unemployment by major. Updated often.
"Dream Jobs? Teenagers' Career Aspirations and the Future of Work." OECD. 2020. Report and videos. Dream Jobs? Teenagers' Career Aspirations and the Future of Work - OECD
Dream Jobs? Teenagers' Career Aspirations and the Future of Work - OECD
Data and research on education including skills, literacy, research, elementary schools, childhood learning, voc...
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As the Founder of The Harvey Academy, Nancy Harvey embraces the opportunity to share her enthusiasm for learning with her students and teachers every day. Nancy has over 25 years of teaching experience and holds a Masters in Elementary Education from Chestnut Hill College, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Villanova University, and a Florida Teaching Certificate. Her focus on a concierge education means she is determined to meet each student where they are at educationally and emotionally and helps them to overcome their learning difficulties. Because she believes so strongly in providing opportunities for each child, she brought Kevin and I on board. We look forward to building the AIA as a school track option within The Harvey Academy in the next few years.
As always, stay tuned after the interview to hear about current AIA offerings for your middle and high school STEM loving student.
Check out The Harvey Academy here: https://www.theharveyacademy.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheHarveyAcademy
Check out The Aerospace and Innovation Academy here: https://www.aerospacehigh.org/ and our facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Go2Space
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In this special edition, Kevin and Shawna recap some of the ways the Aerospace and Innovation Academy pivoted post-Covid to continue to provide unique STEM opportunities for students and teachers. For more information about what the Academy offers including after school programs and science fair consultation, please visit the website at www.aerospacehigh.org or the FaceBook page @Go2Space. You can also reach out to us via email at schristenson@aerospace-policy.org or ksimmons@bluecubesat.com.
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Today Kevin and I continue our focus on the AIAA with engineer and treasurer of the Palm Beach section Bruce Trembly. Bruce is a Systems & Software Engineering Section Leader with 35 years’ experience in jet & rocket engine development, test, analysis & validation with specialties in vehicle systems performance and engine test & analyses. His Experience includes thirteen years with Pratt & Whitney Large Military Engines, two years as Director of IRSC Technology Development & Training Center / Business Incubator and twenty years with Belcan Engineering Solutions including 15 years in positions of engineering management. Mr. Trembly has a B.S. Aerospace Engineering from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University which includes two years of cooperative education as student engineer). Mr. Trembly also boasts a M.E. Mechanical Engineering from Florida Atlantic University.
In addition to his impressive educational background, Mr. Trembly’s entire professional career has included membership with AIAA with the vast majority of that time (30 years) serving on the Palm Beach Section Council. But his outreach doesn’t stop there. Bruce is a mentor for FIRST Robotics working with a high school team as well as a referee for Orlando & South Florida Regional robotics tournaments.
Bruce is very actively engaged in his church, enjoys traveling and keeping physically active with a passion for SCUBA diving, and spending time with his wife and young adult children.
As always, stay tuned after the interview for our takeaways.
AIAA website: https://www.aiaa.org/
Aerospace and Innovation Academy website for after school club offerings: https://www.aerospacehigh.org/
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Today we meet with Since graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1977, Randy worked for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in West Palm Beach, Florida. His career began as a propulsion engineer gaining experience in a wide range of systems including gas turbine, liquid rocket, nuclear and hypersonic propulsion. During this time, Randy acquired two graduate degrees from University of Miami and gradually moved toward the business and program development side of the business.
This broad experience provided Randy with a deep understanding of the difficult technical, business and marketing balance needed to bring an idea from concept to reality. It has also allowed him to establish a diverse network of domestic and international contacts and friends.
Since retiring four years ago, Randy has continued to stay connected with aerospace issues by serving as the chairman of the Palm Beach Section of AIAA. Both Kevin and I are honored to be officers in AIAA under Randy’s leadership. For ways you can get involved in the AIAA and for our takeaways, stay tuned after the interview.
Randy Parsley: TedX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAHbaEhOzr4
AIAA home page: https://www.aiaa.org/
Aerospace and Innovation Academy website: https://www.aerospacehigh.org/
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Today we meet with Jennifer Davis, the director for the Palm Beach Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Ms. Davis was born into a science loving family in Dublin, Ireland, where her father was one of only four people to hold a PhD in organic chemistry. From a very early age, her father helped her to value education and hard work. This inspiration for science was reinforced when she moved to the US in 1981, and met her high school freshman biology teacher with whom she took every science class she could. Ms. Davis eventually obtained a Bachelor's degree in Biology although she spent the first part of her career training and breeding horses for Olympic equestrian teams. She began tutoring some of the those students in math and science, which changed the trajectory of her career.
Building upon her strong work ethic, a passion for organization and planning, and a deep love for all things science, Ms. Davis transitioned to teaching in 2003, and spent 9 years in both middle and high school science classrooms before joining the secondary science curriculum team in 2012. With her colleagues, Ms. Davis supports 35 middle schools and 27 high schools in delivering highly engaging and effective science instruction, including participation in the Science Fair. Ms. Davis loves the fair because of the creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance of every student who completes a project, and, in fact, Kevin credits her for a lot of his own student success with the fair. As always, stay tuned for our takeaways after the show, and if you have a student who is interested in the fair but needs some assistance, reach out to us at our email: schristenson@aerospace-policy.org
For more information on FALL courses and clubs with AIA: Go2Space on FB
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Today, we meet Sahadeo Ramjatan who received his Bachelor’s and Masters of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida. There he served as President of the Small Satellite Design club where motivated students learn about space exploration through various STEM activities . His dedication helped the organization to win 2nd place for Best Community Outreach from the AIAA Region II Conference. In addition, he performed internships at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center where he was a recipient of the NASA John Mather Nobel Scholarship. Sahadeo received the Belgian American Educational Foundation Fellowship (BAEF) and studied at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics in Brussels, Belgium for 1-year to examine the hypersonic radio blackout of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Schiaparelli mission using computational fluid dynamics. He is currently a PhD student at the University of Minnesota and his research is focused on modeling the ablation of porous materials to help in the design of planetary entry spacecraft heat shields. His research, academic achievement, and commitment to advancing equity and inclusion allowed Sahadeo to participate MIT’s Rising Stars in Aerospace virtual academic career workshop. Sahadeo is currently pursuing a minor in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and in his free time, he likes to practice Indian Classical Music and teach children aspects of South Asian cultures.
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Today we meet with Alpesh M. Patel who has spent the last three decades helping organizations drive their business development and revenue growth with strategies that blend technology, marketing, management and leadership. Over the past two decades in Palm Beach County, Alpesh has also served on numerous boards/committees and supported many nonprofits focusing on family literacy, entrepreneurship, leadership, and youth development.
Alpesh is now leveraging his experiences and intersecting his passions for serving clients, causes and community with creative problem solving to develop practical solutions for enriching lives. Pivoting his resources and his company, Alpesh initiated SeedingACCESS — a collaborative program that brings businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies together to invest repurposed computers with families in underserved communities.
We are excited to find ways to work with Alpesh to bring the AIA to students throughout our county and as always stay tuned after for our takeaways.
Alpesh M. Patel.com
leadershippbc.org
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Praba Soundararajan is a Neuroscientist and a Children's book author of a STEM series. He is also the Founder & CEO at Boon-dah, an EdTech Startup company located in Tampa, Florida. Growing up in India, Praba was a reluctant reader during his childhood and much of his earlier part of adulthood. After moving to North America to pursue an education in Neuroscience, he discovered why reading had been such a chore. He was a visual learner—and much of the material he had been given was not presented in a manner that was conducive to his learning style. With this knowledge, He started reading short stories, science, and engineering books that were pictorial. He then began to write stories for children with the hope of inspiring other young reluctant readers
Praba created Pumpus the Pumpkin and his pals to teach STEM through storytelling using characters relatable to children. His hands-on approach to curriculum makes his series particularly interesting to students of all learning styles, including the reluctant readers like he had been himself. Stay tuned after the show for our takeaways.
Boon-dah website: https://www.boon-dah.com/
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Stephen Portz is a nationally recognized leader in STEM Education and an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow. Steve is a pioneer in secondary engineering and manufacturing education – Creating the STEAM Engineering Academy in Brevard County, FL, developing curriculum standards, serving on state and national certification committees for software and testing, and working on a team to establish a national engineering credential for students. As an early adopter of 3D printing, Portz has a passion for giving students access to desktop manufacturing technologies and the democratization of product design. His work in this area has resulted in collaborative and curriculum design activities with America Makes, 3DSystems, Afinia Corp, and led to invitations to present at Florida State University, and the Olin College of Engineering in Boston. Portz is the recipient of the 2014 STEM Space Coast Educator of the year as well as the 2012 Florida Advanced Technological Education Center’s Manufacturing Educator of the Year. In 2015, Portz served on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) testing committee for Technology Education. He also serves on the STEM Teacher Leadership Network.
Link to Portz's white paper on STEM education: https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3410&context=space-congress-proceedings
Portz's Kindle book: https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-New-Millennium-Problem-Solvers-ebook/dp/B07J6NLDDD/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1623962325&refinements=p_27%3AStephen+Portz&s=digita
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Today we meet with Marcy Mabry—a senior mission manager at SpaceFlight Inc, with extensive engineering and project management experience in the aerospace industry.
In her current position she has overall technical, cost, and schedule responsibility for the Spaceflight customers. She works closely with spacecraft owners and operators, ensuring overall mission success, from mission assignment to post-launch, including onsite launch leadership. She guides her satellite customers to meet the technical and schedule requirements to successfully get launched.
Prior to her current position, Marcy was the VP for Business Development at Kaney Aerospace, an Avionics manager with Boeing's Commercial Airplanes, and a Space Shuttle Systems Engineer who supported the post-Columbia's Return to flight efforts. Earlier in her career she was an Air Force F-15 electronics technician.
Marcy has a Bachelor's degree in Avionics, a BS in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University, and an MBA from Webster University. She is active in the community and a performing rock-n-roll guitarist and vocalist. Kevin and his CubeSat teams have worked with Ms. Mabry to bring their flight dreams to realization. As always stay tuned after the show.
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In episode 17, we met John McClure, who among many outstanding achievement has been a big supporter of aerospace education. He was instrumental in the formation of Nebraska’s first CBT, and their satellite, the Big Red Sat will fly in a few years. Today, Kevin and I are joined by two members of that team to share more about how they formed a unique coalition of middle school, high school and university students who had a desire to go to space. We will Meet Joel Murch Shafer-- a junior at UNL majoring in computer and electrical engineering. He is also an active member of their Aerospace Experimental Payloads team or AXP and this is how their love of CubeSats began. Through their mentorship, our second guest,— rising ninth grader Elsa Meyer was invited to join. These two amazing individuals are great examples of how mentoring is a great educational tool as both the novice and more experienced members of their team both learn in the process of doing real world aerospace. We look forward to following them as they continue to build, design and launch cube sats.
Stay tuned after the show for our takeaway
aerospace-axp@unl.edu (for AXP website)
necubsesatteam@gmail.com (to reach Joel and the BigRedSat team)
Bigredsat.org (website for BigRedSat)
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Today we meet with our friend and former employer, Dr. Denise Spirou.
Dr. Denise Spirou is the founding Head of School at The Greene School, an independent PreK through 8th grade school for high-performing students in West Palm Beach, Florida. Dr. Spirou created the curriculum and culture at Greene nearly tripling enrollment in under three years. She joined the school after a 16-year tenure at another Florida private school for gifted children where she worked as a teacher and administrator, earning her credentials as one of the region’s leading educators.
Due to her extensive knowledge and experience, Dr. Spirou is in demand as an instructor for gifted coursework, workshops and leadership training. Her personalized connection with all her constituents from students, parents, and teachers makes her a powerhouse in academic leadership. Today, she will share her perspectives about how the right learning environment can make all the difference for any student with a. focus on the academically gifted, and she offers inspirational advice for teachers and parents of these exceptional children. As always, stay tuned after the episode for our takeaways.
The Greene School website: https://greene.school/
The Greene School FB: https://www.facebook.com/thegreeneschool
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John McClure is the President and CEO of Sicuro Technology, which specializes in satellite and radio communications. Mr. McClure also has over twenty-five years of experience in the IOT or internet of things space, leading the development and business team for the General Motors OnStar subsidiary-- the original large scale IoT commercial business. As an information technology senior manager for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) John provided leadership for $4.2 billion of products and services.
As an entrepreneur John created three technology startups in the software and systems integration industry, providing services to many markets including logistics, aerospace, as well as commercial and general aviation. Mr. McClure also Provided leadership for the State of Ohio’s Economic Development program which provided millions of dollars in investment capital for new technologies emerging from the state’s universities and medical centers.
Kevin met John through a shared love of CubeSats. In fact, John McClure was largely responsible for the initial formation of Nebraska's first CubeSat team, the BigRedOne, in 2020. The BigRedOne team was the first in Nebraska selected by NASAs CubeSat Launch Initiative earlier this year.
Stay tuned for our takeaways after the show.
bigredsat.org: BigRedSat website
https://www.aerospacehigh.org/. Aerospace and Innovation Academy website
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Looking for a great way for your STEM-loving middle or high school student to stay engaged this summer? Check out our offerings through the Aerospace and Innovation Academy's Summer Science and Space Sessions-- three distinct and unique virtual camps coming your way in July. Still time to register but don't delay. Deadline June 28th!
In this bonus episode, Kevin discusses Science Fair Iteration, Orbital Mechanics, and CubeSat Mission Planning offerings.
Link for registration: https://forms.gle/wUXjBLeLjgwyrcV7A
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Today, we meet with Kevin DiMarzio, the vice president of business development at RedWire. He leads a team of professionals in the identification and capture of new opportunities, customer engagement and retention, and business strategy focused on technology solutions. Their recent efforts include new material processing techniques, quality tool sets, and unique ways to use existing terrestrial methodologies in the microgravity and space environment.
Prior to joining Made In Space, the company that was recently acquired by Redwire, Mr. DiMarzio worked for Siemens Energy in the power generation sector primarily focused on the large gas and steam turbine industries. He holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelors of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Central Florida.
We met Mr. DiMarzio at the recent Edison Awards where both Kevins were panelists on the Future of Florida’s Space Economy segment. We are excited to talk with him today about 3D printing and additive manufacturing in space as well as how future engineers can get involved.
Learn more at Redwire's website: https://redwirespace.com/ and, you can check out our own new AIA website at https://www.aerospacehigh.org/
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The Aerospace and Innovation Academy is purposed to provide unique STEM opportunities for students and teachers. Some of these opportunities include speaking at prestigious conferences or with legislators. Today we meet with two students who have spoken on a national stage for Humans To Mars, but more importantly, who demonstrate that being comfortable public speakers has positively impacted their academic and future careers. In addition to speaking at Humans to Mars, both students are former TedX speakers, have participated in legislative blitzes, and are top debaters in their respective events.
Michael Evrard Vescio is a graduating senior at FAU who will be attending Penn for law in Fall. He was the first of our students to speak before Humans to Mars in 2017. Alexa Ernce is a junior at the same school where she has a passion for physics and calculus. She spoke on the women’s panel of Humans to Mars in 2019 and intends to pursue a career in astrophysics.
Stay tuned after the show for our takeaway and see the notes in the description for links to our episode with Janet Ivey of Explore Mars who sponsors Humans to Mars as well as a link to information on how your student can be involved with the AIA.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Go2Space
Podcast Episode EXPLORE MARS: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kTKwfRXPv01z57Hlfn3d1?si=GFGsvvggTmqU04FEdDvcAQ
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Today we interview Mike Miller, President of Sterk Solutions. Mr. Miller has served in both the public and the private sectors; boasting experience in engineering, research, technology transfer, business development, and operations. Sterk Solutions Corporation has supported radio and remote sensing licensing for small satellites for 15 years and has successfully helped launch 100 spacecraft. While his experience with radio spectrum management and licensing is exceptional, he is also a self-proclaimed nerd and collector of retro toys. Mike has been a great friend to Kevin and our CubeSat Development Teams, helping to guide the students in the licensing process for both the WeissSat-1 and CapSat 1
Stay tuned for our takeaways after the show, and if you or a student you know is interested in joining a CubeSat team, see the notes in the description for more information on the Aerospace and Innovation Academy
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Go2Space
Google form AIA Summer Sessions sign-up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdgdzyflqlE5Q-2w_-LSC4kiCbPVwP6KCI6XN69v-aZgMO-Qw/viewform?usp=sf_link
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In previous episodes, we talked about the importance of getting students involved in advocacy. You may recall our Episode 3 interview with Dale Ketchum of Space Florida, which promotes Space Day each year in Tallahassee. Then in episode 7, we spoke with Congressman Brian Mast of Florida’s 18th district, whom our students met with regularly during AIAA CVD each year. Today, we meet with four students who have been active participants in aerospace advocacy to get their perspectives on how talking to legislators has opened up opportunities and created new perspectives.
8th graders Beau Kimler, Paul Kiseling, and Anthony and Andrew Zhang have been both junior advocates as well as leaders along the way. They share with us tips for advocating for a cause you are passionate about and how teamwork is important in getting the job done. Although this year’s visits were virtual, the experience of impacting legislation is always positive.
Stay tuned after the episode for our takeaways and check out VODCASTS of our episodes on the Aerospace and Innovation Academy YoutTube Channel HERE: https://www.youtube.com/user/KSimBBTKE/playlists
For information about our Summer Science and Space Sessions for students, register here:
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Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee is an astronomer, faculty at the Univ of Central Florida, and the Director of the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium. This consortium is a state-wide association of universities, colleges, the Astronaut Memorial Foundation, Space Florida, Kennedy Space Center, and the Orlando Science Center. The Florida Space Grant Consortium supports the expansion and diversification of Florida’s space industry, by providing grants, scholarships, and fellowships to students and educators from Florida’s public and private institutes of higher education.
Dr. Mukherjee's education culminated at the Univ of Florida with a Ph.D. in Astronomy and his areas of interest are close binary star systems. Dr. Mukherjee is a strong supporter of STEM Education.
For almost 20 years Dr. Mukherjee has served as Director of the NASA sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) He has held numerous leadership roles including Director of the Florida Space Institute, Chair of the Southeast Regional Space Grant, and as a member of the National Space Grant Foundation Board of Directors. He's won numerous awards for excellence in outreach and published the book entitled "Close Binary Stars: A Pictorial Atlas" along with co-authors Dr. Robert Wilson and Dr. Dirk Terrell.
Dr. Mukherjee has been a true friend and supporter to both educators and students in the state of Florida for over two decades.
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Today, Kevin and I reconnect with Frances Dellutri, member of the NSS Board of Directors and its Deputy Education Director. In this role she founded and facilitated the NSS Student spUN (Debate program in 2017. Post Covid, she has pivoted to a completely virtual platform which allows students aged 12-18 from around the world to discuss ideas of universalization in space and the policies that should exist to facilitate.
Ms. Dellutri believes strongly in the NSS mission “to promote social, economic, technological, and political change in order to expand civilization beyond Earth, to settle space and to use the resulting resources to build a hopeful and prosperous future for humanity” in various professional venues. See their links below for teacher and student material and opportunties.
https://spacedge.academy/
https://space.nss.org/
https://space.nss.org/space-ambassadors/
https://space.nss.org/health-and-diet-contest-for-long-duration-space-flight/
https://space.nss.org/international-students-to-debate-space-policy-and-good-governance-at-isdc-2019/
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Episode 10: A Hero and Pioneer: The Inspiring Story of Gunther Karger
Today, we are honored to interview the esteemed Gunther Karger. Mr. Karger’s story is both amazing and diverse, starting with his birth and early years in Germany, where he narrowly escaped death on the last children’s transport out of Germany to Sweden. Shortly after his departure, his parents and grandparents were murdered by the Nazis.
After WWII, and moving from several foster homes and orphanages, young Karger was sent to the U.S. where he later joined the Air Force, becoming an instructor in aircraft radars. He earned a degree in electrical engineering at LSU and quickly advanced in the aerospace industry working in the missile and space program. Mr. Karger was one of three engineers which developed the world’s first communication satellite, and he served in a national security role reporting to the White House and Secretary of Defense during the Cold War. From there, Karger pioneered V/STOL aircraft for the commercial aviation industry and developed a computer model for forecasting revenue for Eastern Airlines, which he managed for 15 years.
Gunther is a Life Senior Member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and electronics engineers) and served as its Canaveral Chapter President during the Apollo program. He also is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society citing contributions during the early period of America’s space program. During the Cold War, Gunther s named “Outstanding Young Man of America” for his contributions to National Security. Currently, he serves on the Board of directors of Missile, Space, and Range Pioneers manages a hedge fund that specializes in the aero industry and has authored books on his time on Wall Street.
And now, here’s Kevin along with Gunther and his wife, Shirley, to share a little more about his fascinating life.
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This past year, I was fortunate to present two technical papers related to the importance of early childhood identity development in relation to STEM careers. One of the most interesting takeaways I learned from my research is that students as young as 5 begin to identify themselves in careers based on what they recognize or what they see. Have a parent in a STEM field? Children identify with that. If children don’t have this exposure at home, teachers can play an early role in that same development. The premise was that curriculums and teachers can do more to help students see themselves in STEM. Today, our guest does just that.
Monika Moorman is a 4th grade teacher from South Florida. Originally from Poland, Monika is a Nationally Board-Certified Teacher and has over 20 years of classroom experience. She’s been selected for a number of fellowships and has presented at numerous state and national conferences. Monika is a genuine STEM and environmental enthusiast and engages her students in numerous after school teams and activities, including Robotics, SECME, and the Solar Car Team. She volunteers as a Space Station Ambassador through NASA’s JPL. We are excited to have the chance to speak with her today.
After our interview, we learned that Monika was selected as Broward County's Teacher of the Year AND was inducted into the latest flight of Spaec Foundation Teacher Liaisons! Congratulations to this awesome teacher and mentor.
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Space Foundation Discovery Center is the Colorado's first and only dedicated space, science and technology center. It is an interactive, education-focused destination that advances STEAM concepts in the exciting context of space exploration, development and utilization.They also oversee a special group of educators to whom both Kevin and I belong, Teacher Liaisons. Teacher Liaisons are educators who use space-related education programs and principles in the classroom to act as advocates for space-based education in their schools and districts. Once selected for the program, TLs receive Space Foundation training and resources to further integrate space into their classrooms.
To tell us more about this program, we are joined by Jodie Guillen and Ruth Butler both of whom are responsible for creating professional development for Liaisons to and to implement programs and integrative field trips to enhance STEAM.
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Our special guest is Congressman for Florida’s 18th district Brian Mast. In addition to being an army veteran, Mast is in his third term of elected office. In 2017 our Policy Team students reached out to him to propose and idea for legislation that would increase awareness of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. Over the next few years, the students would work closely with the Representative’s legislative team to participate first hand in the legislative process, writing what came to be known as HR 109 and 2020's HR 85: CubeSats in Education.
Today, Congressman Mast takes time out of his busy schedule to discuss how students, teachers and the citizens at large can take part in advocacy. He is joined by former policy team member and current high school student Aadhya Shah who shares how her experiences on the policy team helped shape her future by creating an experience she will never forget. Stay tuned to the end of the show where Kevin reminds us of an upcoming contest for students and teachers in conjunction with Explore Mars.
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Today’s special guest is Janet Ivey, President of Explore Mars, Inc., and creator and CEO of the award winning Janet’s Planet. Ms. Ivey is committed to enriching the lives of children via education and live performances, TV, and online programming. With over 27 years in the children’s edutainment and space science outreach sector, Janet has captivated Nashville and beyond with her work. Today we will talk about how she gets kids of all ages and locations around the world to love space as well as how online learning in light of Covid has changed her approach to reaching kids.
Follow Janet Ivey: https://janetsplanet.org/
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Today we interview Chelsea Partridge, test engineer for Lockheed Martin Space at NASA's Kennedy Space Center where she conducts spacecraft systems testing on the agency's Orion spacecraft. She is also the president of the Missile, Space, and Range Pioneers––a community of engineers, astronauts, military personnel, and space enthusiasts that has been an institution at Cape Canaveral for over 50 years. She will share about her inspiration to become a woman in STEM and how she works to bridge the generations in the STEM pipeline.
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Vice President of Space Florida, Dale Ketchum, discusses his role in helping to bring aerospace companies to our state. Space Florida also advocates for the industry at our state capitol where our students join in each year to talk to legislators about space policy . This year's Space Day is Feb 22, 2021.
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High school junior Owen Welch and senior Caeden Dooner reflect on their beginnings with the CubeSatDevelopment Team and how it inspired their work on the Amaris Lunar Rover team. Both discuss how taking advantage of opportunities to expand your skillsets, even when daunting, is instrumental in academic and personal growth. The Amaris lunar rover is based on Cube-Sat technology and, their major area of focus is on lunar dust mitigation.
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High school Freshmen, Theo Ouyang and Samer Elhoushy talk about their involvement on the CubeSat Development Team and how being a part of real-world experiential aerospace activities as electives and after school programs helped them to stand out on high school applications as well as boasting adult-level resumes. They discuss the missions of the WeissSat-1 and the CapSat as well and we touch upon how you can get a team started today.
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Meet the hosts, Kevin Simmons and Shawna Christenson, as they share their educational philosophy that has helped student and teacher teams to launch satellites into space.
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