Today we meet with Rodrigo Schmidt! Rod is an astrophysicist, space engineer and analog astronaut from Brazil. He is finishing his PHD at Purdue, where he is researching the development of space missions while applying AI to sandbox game environments like Kerbal Space Program. Rod is the also the co-founder of SEARCH, the first organization at Purdue dedicated to astronaut-related initiatives, as well as RocketPy, the official rocketry simulator from the European Rocketry Challenge. This interview only touches the surface of all that Rod is doing, but be prepared to be as impressed as we are!

1. Rod's personal website https://rodrigo-schmitt.github.io/
2. Translunar: https://www.translunar-esi.com/
3. Purdue SEARCH: https://purduesearch.github.io/
4. RocketPy: https://docs.rocketpy.org/en/latest/

Today, we meet with Daniel Portas Levy, a 10th grader at Florida Atlantic University High School, where he is also pursuing an undergraduate degree in mathematics. He has been a part of the Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team since middle school. He brought that early interest along with him as he entered high school where he joined their aerospace team, and he is currently their software lead. His primary focus is on the applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, particularly in space missions and aerospace education. He has shared his ideas with the scientific community at international conferences such as the Committee on Space Research, the Astrobiology Science Conference, and the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics' SciTech Conference. We look forward to catching up with Daniel and know that his work will inspire you to consider the future of AI and machine learning.

https://www.smallsateducation.org/ (link to SmallSat Education Conference mentioned in promo

Today we meet with Alex Castronovo, a 17-year-old student at Florida Atlantic University High School and long time Wolfpack member. Alex has demonstrated proficiency in software development, with contributions in neuroscience research as a research fellow at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. His work includes the development of a software tool for analyzing synapses in electron microscopy images. Alex's academic achievements extend to astrophysics and aerospace, with several publications in peer-reviewed journals and international conference proceedings. Some of his personal projects include Launchify, a web application providing customizable rocket launch notifications, and JANGL ], a Java graphics library simplifying 2D graphics development. Alex's awards, including first place in the QubitX Hacks competition, show his commitments in the fields of software development and scientific research.

Today, Kevin and I meet with the TheTERP RAPTOR team at the University of Maryland who are  leading an ambitious mission. What started as a class project has rapidly grown into a multi-institutional collaboration, bringing together researchers from UMD, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks to design and launch a 12U CubeSat for ahigh-speed flyby of the asteroid Apophis.  Their goal? To image Apophis, analyze its surface, and send ground-breaking data back to Earth. Guided by aerospace engineering professor Brent Barbee, the UMD team includes Adrienne, Kruti, Chinthan, Sean, Rahul, Ryan, and Cameron, a diverse group of Masters and PHD students. Their expertise spans orbital determination, machine learning, radio communications, and structures and mechanical modeling, and their prior experience includes work at NASA, Naval ResearchLaboratory, the FDA, ExoAnalytic Solutions, and UMD's Balloon Payload Program.  We are excited to learn more about how their student-led initiative evolved into a full-scalespace mission and we know you will be just as  inspired as we are by this amazing team.

In this first episode of 2025, Kevin and I discuss the amazing work of the Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team and how AIA (Aerospace and Innovation Academy) is beginning it's Spring trimester. Your middle-high school space-loving student can still join by visiting the website at aerospacehigh.org.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/moire/space-ranger

License code: FOJ02OAYEPOEJYD3

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.

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

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.

Today, Kevin and I meet with two high school students from The Greene School in West Palm Beach Florida who have been making

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.