SESA 2020 – Program and Videos


Space Education and Strategic Applications Conference

Thursday and Friday October 15-16, 2020 (EST)
See full program, photos, bios, and videos here 
October 15 

Welcome and Introductions
Vernon C. Smith, Provost, American Public University System  

Session 1

Space Education
American Public University System’s Position and Commitment to Space Education
Moderator: Dr.Michael Ard, Program Director for Intelligence Studies and Associate Professor, American Public University System
Dr. Wally Boston, President Emeritus, American Public University System
Dr. Vernon C. Smith, Provost, American Public University System
Dr. J.D. Polk, American Public University System Board of Trustees Member, Senior Medical Officer, NASA
Dr. Ed Albin, Program Director of Space Studies, School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, American Public University System
Dr. Ahmed Naumaan, Dean, School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, American Public University System
Dr. Mark Riccardi, Dean, School of Security and Global Studies, American Public University System 

Session 2

Introduction: Melissa Layne, AVP Research and Innovation, American Public University System 

An Interconnected Cosmic Biosphere
Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, Honorary Professor and Director of the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, University of Buckingham
Space Entrepreneurship
A Space Economy: Space Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century
Dr. Gary Deel, Faculty Director for School of Business, American Public University System  

Session 3

Space Policy & Law
Assessment of the Utility of a Government Strategic Investment Fund for Space
Sara A. Carioscia, Johns Hopkins University

Orbital Dynamics for National Security Lawyers
U.S. Navy Lt. Jordan Foley, Georgetown University Law Center

National Space Policy: International Comparison of Policy and the ‘Gray’ Area
Larissa Beavers, American Military University 

Session 4

Space Engineering & Technology
Modeling and Simulation of a Long-Wave Infrared Polarimetric Sensor for Space Object Detection and Characterization
Kevin PohlAerospace Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Session 5

Space Ethics
Ethical Study of Space Exploration and Utilization
Organized by the Journal of Science Policy & Governance
Introduction: Adriana Bankston, Chief Outreach Officer, Journal of Science Policy & Governance (JSPG)
Moderator: Sara Crandall, Astronomy and astrophysics Ph.D. student, University of Santa Cruz & JSPG Associate Editor @SaraRCran
Panelists:
George Profitiliotis, PhD Candidate, National Technical University of Athens, Greece & Foresight Expert, UNESCO Chair on Futures Research in FORTH/PRAXITherese Jones, Senior Director of Policy, Satellite Industry AssociationChris Beauregard, Policy Advisor, National Space Council, Executive Office of the President

Session 6

Militarization of Space: Ongoing Issues
Organized by the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space
Moderator: Dave Webb, Chair for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the UK, VP of the International Peace Bureau, and patron of Scientists for Global Responsibility.
Bruce Gagnon, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space
Karl Grossman, State University of New York/College of Old Westbury
Aruna Kammila, Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, India
Tamara Lorincz, Ph.D. candidate in Global Governance at the Balsillie School for International Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University

Session 7

United States Space Port Authority, America’s Secure, Sustainable, and Efficient Gateway to Outer Space
Tim Chrisman, Founder, Executive Director of the Foundation For The Future
Michael Fitzgerald, Founder, Chief Architect, Galactic Harbour Associates
Michael Laine, Chief Strategic Officer of LiftPort Group
Allyssa Carson, Astronaut in Training with Possum Academy, Global Speaker, Future Mars Walker

October 16

Welcome and Introductions
Vernon C. Smith, Provost, American Public University System

Session 1

Space Military/Security
Why “DHS Should Consider Space as a Distinct Critical Infrastructure Node”
Dr. Mark T. Peters II, USAF, Retired

US Government Communications on Space Force
Dr. Bert Chapman, Professor of Library Science, Purdue University

Will a Global Reliance on Space Technology Inevitably Lead the United States to Conflict?
Ivàn Gulmesoff, MAS Aeronautical Science & Space Studies, American Public University System

Session 2

Roundtables
Partnerships: Inviting Space Studies Students, Faculty, Universities, Industry, Military, and Government to the Table
Sara A. Carioscia, Johns Hopkins University
Richard Howard, American Public University System

Session 3

Space Human Factors
Diets for Long-term Astronauts or Settlers
Dr. Gerald McLaughlin
Dr. Robert H. Lustig, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, and the Institute for Health Policy Studies at University of California, San Francisco, and Adjunct Professor of Research at Touro University-California
William Gardiner, Director of Analytech Laboratory, Chair for NSS Space Health and Medicine Committee
Dr. Susan Jewell, Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy & Research Science (MMAARS, Inc)

Session 4

Returning to the Moon
Michelle Hanlon, Associate Director of the National Center for Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi School of Law, and President and Co-Founder, For All Moonkind
Dr. John D. Rummel, Senior Scientist, SETI Institute
Dr. Greg Autry, Assistant Professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship, University of Southern California, and International Space University Center for Space Entrepreneurship, Florida Institute of Technology

Session 5 

Space Sciences
Synthetic Tracking of Near Earth and Main Belt Minor Planets
Ed Albin, Program Director of Space Studies, American Public University System

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Current State and Perspectives
Dmitry Bizyaev, Apache Point Observatory

James Webb Space Telescope: Preparing for Launch in a Pandemic
Carl Starr, JWST Missions Operations Manager, NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center

Session 6

Space Education
APUS Observatory and Student Engagement
Kristen Miller, Associate Professor of Space Studies, American Public University System

Space Education and Technology
Mars Exploration Rovers: The Excellent Adventures of Curiosity, NASA’s Mars Exploration Program
Todd Barber, Senior Propulsion Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Space Sustainability: The Role of the United Nations
Peter Martinez, Secure World Foundation

Closing Remarks and Announcements
Vernon C. Smith, Provost, American Public University System