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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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/

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.

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!

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.