Thursday
Check-In
Registration will take place in the Friedman Hall Prefunction in the Rubenstein Forum. It starts at 5:30 PM CST and lasts until 7:00 PM CST.
Opening Keynote
7:00 – 8:15 PM CST
Friedman Hall, The Rubenstein Forum
We are kicking things off with our keynote speaker, Dan Hooper. Hooper is a thought-leader within the field of dark matter and the many mysteries in our Milky Way that captivate us and keep us exploring.
He received his PhD in physics from the University of Wisconsin, finishing his postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford. Since then, he has become a world-renowned cosmologist, particle physicist, Senior Scientist and Head of the Theoretical Astrophysics Group at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UChicago. He specializes in dark matter, neutrino astrophysics, and cosmic rays.
Friday
Morning Keynote
9:00 – 9:45 AM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
John M. Grunsfeld started his professional career in after graduating from MIT with a bachelor’s in 1980, followed by a master’s and doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago in 1988. Soon he became a NASA astronaut, accomplishing five space shuttle missions, mostly focused on repairing and maintaining the Hubble telescope from 1995-2005.
He has served as the Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, managing the science program for the Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescopes. Before retiring, he served as the Associate
Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA from 2012 to 2016. Grunsfeld’s background includes research in high energy astrophysics, cosmic ray physics and in the emerging field of exoplanet studies with specific interest
in future astronomical instrumentation.
Bio provided by NASA
Peering into the Universe
10:00 – 10:45 AM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
This panel will discuss the power of different types of telescopes used to study the universe around us. How have these telescopes developed? What information can we gather from these telescopes, and what about the universe can we learn? Come and learn from scientists and engineers how we’re using these telescopes to peer into the deep unknown.
Dr. John Grunsfeld
Astronaut
NASA
Dr. Geza Gyuk
Director of Astronomy
Adler Planetarium
Dr. Richard Kron
Professor
University of Chicago
How to Network
10:00 – 10:45 AM CST
East Lounge
Hosted by the University of Chicago Career Advancement Center
The Human Body in Space
11:00 – 11:45 AM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
Dr. Vanessa Farsadaki
Currently the preeminent thought-leader towards advancing the discipline of Space Medicine, Dr. Farsadaki is on track to become Greece’s first-ever Astronaut in history.
She is a highly sought-out expert in the fields of Radiation Exposure and Protection sciences. As the President and Managing Partner of Space Exploration Strategies LLC, Dr. Farsadaki’s impressive bona fides include advanced degrees in Biology, Genetics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Business Leadership.
Bio provided by Dr. Farsadaki’s LinkedIn
Research Symposium Judges
11:00 AM – 1:45 PM CST
Library
Dave Fischer
President
Liftoff Strategic Advisors
Jim Plaxco
President
Chicago Society of Space Studies
Ryan McLinko
CTO and Co-Founder
Astranis
Research Through
Instrumentation and Detectors
1:00 – 1:45 PM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
This panel will discuss how critical instrumentation and detectors are to the field of astronomy and astrophysics. As UChicago states, innovation and development of detector technology enable us to push measurements to higher precision and lead to new, innovative experiments, from the detection of gravitational waves in our universe to the detection and characterization of exoplanets. Come learn from scientists and engineers working on some of these experiments.
Jeff McMahon
Associate Professor
UChicago
Kaeli Hughes
Associate Fellow
UChicago
Samantha Usman
PhD Student
UChicago
Amy Bender
Physicist
Argonne National Lab
John Hood
PhD Student
UChicago
Resume Workshop
1:00 – 1:45 PM CST
West Lounge
Hosted by the University of Chicago Career Advancement Center
The New Right Stuff
2:00 – 2:45 PM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides
Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides is a public speaker, creator of SpaceKind leadership training, co-creator of Yuri’s Night, and an author on space exploration. She accumulated over five hours of weightless time as a Flight Director for Zero-G Corporation, and plans to travel to space as a “Founder Astronaut” on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo with her husband George T. Whitesides.
Whitesides received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Stanford and a master’s from Caltech, with a particular interest in astrobiology.
Life After SEDS
2:00 – 2:45 PM CST
East Lounge
Joalda Morancy
Aerospace Systems Engineer
Blue Origin
Frances Dellutri
Director of Education
National Space Society
Juan De La Garza
Oxygen Generation Test Engineer
Axiom Space
Owen Marr
Aerospace Systems Engineer
Blue Origin
NASA Internships
3:00 – 3:45 PM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
This panel will discuss the ways in which undergraduate students can get experience with NASA through internships and school projects. Hear from past project competitors and interns discuss their experiences and leaders who oversee these competitions, including NASA’s Associate Administrator for STEM Engagement.
Mike Kincaid
Associate Administrator
NASA STEM Engagement
Petar Matejic
RebelSat UNLV
Gavin Morey
RASC-AL UCF
Dr. Barrett Caldwell
Director
Indiana Space Grant Consortium
Space Policy
3:00 – 3:45 PM CST
Library
Mackenzie Hutcheson
Lead Policy Specialist
Stellar Amenities
Charles Mudd
Attorney
Mudd Law
Dave Fischer
President
Liftoff Strategic Advisors
Indiana Space Grant Consortium Presents:
How to Plan an Eclipse Party
4:00 – 4:45 PM CST
East Lounge
Dr. Barrett Caldwell
Barrett S. Caldwell, PhD is Professor of Industrial Engineering at Purdue and the longest-serving Director of the NASA Indiana Space Grant Consortium (since 2002).
He has a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of California, Davis, and BS degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics and Humanities from MIT.
Dr. Barrett leads the Group Performance Environment Research (GROUPER) Laboratory, which examines and improves how people get, share, and use information in settings including aviation, critical incident response, and spaceflight operations.
Space and Science Communication
4:00 – 4:45 PM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
This panel will discuss the process and importance of space journalism that covers many topics ranging from difficult to understand NASA policies, private aerospace developments, and important advancements in the astronomy community. What is the most effective way to broadcast complex space topics to generate excitement in and inform the general public?
Owen Marr
Systems Engineer
Blue Origin
Louse Lerner
News Office
UChicago
Dominic Tanzillo
Co-Host & Medical Student
Spherical Cows, Duke
Business Pitch Competition Judges
4:00 – 5:00 PM CST
Library
Brad Cheetam
CEO/President
Advanced Space
John Conafay
Co-Founder and CEO
Integrate Space Corp.
Ryan McLinko
Co-Founder and CTO
Astrania
Financing Space
5:00 – 5:45 PM CST
Library
This panel will discuss the developments in financing the aerospace industry. Learn about the difficulties in building a company interested in producing products for the next generation’s aerospace industry.
John Conafay
Co-Founder and CEO
Integrate Space Corp.
Ryan McLinko
Co-Founder and CTO
Astranis
Jeff Fiege
Chief Revenue Officer
Radian Aerospace
Black Holes
5:00 – 5:45 PM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
Dan Holz
Professor Dan Holz focuses his research on gravitational waves while being faculty in the Enrico Fermi Insitute, the Department of Physics, the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the Kavli Insititute for Cosmological Physics.
He received his A.B. in Physics from Princeton in 1992 and his PhD from UChicago in 1998. Professor Holz is a member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), the world’s largest gravitational wave observatory.
Astronaut Fireside Chat
6:00 – 7:00 PM CST
Max Palevsky Theater
This panel will discuss the life of an astronaut related to broad topics including the interpersonal aspect of living in space, the science completed in space, and the outreach astronauts do to help excite the general public about space exploration.
Sara Sabry
Astronaut
Alvin Drew
Astronaut
John Grunsfeld
Astronaut
Evening Social
8:30 – 10:00 PM CST
The Study at University of Chicago