2014 SSEP National Conference – Featured Talks and Family Science Night Presentation

 

1. Featured Presentation Descriptions

July 2, 2014

Welcome Keynote
9:00-9:20, Milestones of Flight Gallery

Title: Celebrating the Past, Embracing the Present, and Inspiring the Future:
Human Exploration, the Journey Continues

Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director [Bio]
SSEP National Program Director
National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE)

Abstract: We live in a moment in time. It’s the place where the accomplishments of those that came before us meet up with what will be undertaken by future generations. It’s a great place to be, especially if you’re part of the future generation. By learning about the past both in terms of what we know and how we’ve come to know it, and talking to those that work on the frontiers right now, you can choose to shape the future. It’s pretty powerful stuff. Standing on the shoulders of past generations, YOU are now the link between the past and future of human exploration.

 

Featured Presentation 1
11:20-11:35, Moving Beyond Earth Gallery

Title: Achieving Your Dream
Dr. Don Thomas
NASA Astronaut, STS-65, 70, 83, 94 [Bio]
Towson University

Abstract: When he was just six years old, Don Thomas watched the launch of the first American into space sitting on the floor in his school gymnasium. He knew immediately that he also wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up. Although he faced a number of setbacks along the way, thirty-three years later his dream came true as he launched aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on his first of four missions to space. Through his long journey to become an astronaut he learned some valuable lessons that he will share about achieving your dream in life.

 

Featured Presentation 2
12:15-12:30, Moving Beyond Earth Gallery

Title: Seven Very Cool Facts about the International Space Station
Jeff Manber, Managing Director [Bio]
NanoRacks

Abstract: A quick and rather funny overview of how working on the ISS is different than working here on Earth. Living and working in space is pretty cool, and SSEP student researchers are very much a part of this new frontier.

 

July 3, 2014


Welcome Address
9:00-9:20  Milestones of Flight Gallery

Title: Remarks by the Director
General John Dailey, Director [Bio]
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Article of Interest: Viewport – Good News From Space
“[SSEP] may be the most important development for the future of the U.S. space program.”
J.R. Dailey
Air&Space Smithsonian, AirSpaceMag.com, January 01, 2014

Reprinted with permission at the SSEP National Blog:
http://ssep.ncesse.org/2013/12/take-pride-from-the-director-of-the-smithsonian-national-air-and-space-museum-on-ssep-and-the-future-of-americas-space-program/

 

Featured Presentation 3
10:15-10:30, Moving Beyond Earth Gallery

Title: Research on the International Space Station
Diane Matthews, Education Manager [Bio]
Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)

Abstract: Learn about the research taking place on the International Space Station and the potential benefits to humanity.


Featured Presentation 4
11:25-11:40, Moving Beyond Earth Gallery

Title: The Curiosity Rover: Update from Mars
Dr. John Grant, Geologist [Bio]
Center for Earth and Planetary Studies (CEPS)
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)

Abstract: NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012, near the northern wall of Gale Crater. In less than 2 years, its exploration of the red planet has already led to many milestones and results, which will be discussed.

 

2. Family Night Program Description



Title: A Voyage that will Forever Change Your Perspective of Home
Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director [Bio]
SSEP National Program Director
National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE)

Abstract: When we venture beyond our home and explore a greater landscape—whether it’s the town beyond our house, or a planet beyond the Earth—we gain a deeper sense of our own existence. It’s a fundamental principle of exploration. To truly know and appreciate our home, we must leave it. So to truly know and appreciate a place called Earth, we must venture beyond it, and recognize the breadth and majesty of a greater universe.

From another vantage point—we are integrally connected to the universe, and it to us—so to know the universe is to know ourselves. And while we may seem small in its shadow, beauty has nothing to do with size—for the universe is revealed with something the size of the human mind.

You’re invited to the story of our existence—a race of explorers, 6 billion tiny souls strong. It is a story that ignites wonder about the universe, and a sense of pride in our ability to reveal its nature through both human imagination and ingenuity. It is a story that humbles us, and brings a sense of humility to our lives. It is a voyage that will forever change your perspective of home.

 

IMAX® Film: Hidden Universe 3D
An extraordinary journey into deep space, Hidden Universe 3D brings to life the farthest reaches of our universe with unprecedented clarity through real images captured by the world’s most powerful telescopes. Stunning, high-resolution 3D images of space allow you to peer deep inside the earliest galaxies and nebulae, watch stars being born in vivid clouds of gas and dust, tour the surface terrain of Mars, and witness images of distant celestial structures including awe-inspiring views of the Sun. Seen for the first time in IMAX 3D, these dramatic new images offer fresh insight into the origins and evolution of the universe.

 


The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S., and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with NanoRacks LLC, working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory. SSEP is the first pre-college STEM education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture.

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), and Subaru of America, Inc., are National Partners on the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S., and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with DreamUp PBC and NanoRacks LLC, which are working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory. SSEP is the first pre-college STEM education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture.