Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak

"To me, it's always the human story," says NASA Chief Historian Dr. Brian Odom.

He's discussing the Apollo 11 Moon landing, which celebrated its 55th anniversary in July, 2024.

And the impact of the program, which was no less than revolutionary to education and the way the world reimagined the future.

Today, the lessons of the Apollo program still resonate, as NASA's Artemis program prepares to return humans to the Moon--and ultimately, to create a lunar outpost which may allow travel to Mars.

Brian talked about the circumstances which led to the Apollo Moon missions, the Apollo 11 launch h on July 16, 1969, and the lessons of the lunar landing and exploration which still resonate as NASA plans future space travel.

(Like to know more about the Apollo 11 Moon mission? Here's the link to NASA's history archive!)

"Life is so much more interesting and exciting when you're challenging yourself and you're trying to learn," says NASA Astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain Stephen G. Bowen.

And he most enjoys learning and challenging himself as a member of a team--in space.

So far, Steve’s career has included four flights to the International Space Station and ten spacewalks.

"There (are) just so many exciting things that you have the opportunity to work on," he says, of the research projects conducted aboard the ISS.

That research has included projects which may well impact future medical advancements, on Earth--such as 3D printing body parts!

But revolutionary research, miles above Earth, doesn't preclude having fun.

"Every day, there are enjoyable moments," Steve says. "There is no better feeling you’ll have in life, than achieving something or succeeding as a team."

On his most recent spaceflight, Steve served as Commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission. On March 2, 2023, he and his crew launched for the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. This particular mission marked his longest stay aboard the ISS: a total of six months.

Steve talked about his background, offered a look at life aboard the International Space Station and explained some of the ways astronauts’ work in space can improve life on Earth.

"I find that, often, art is a little bit dry," says artist, inventor and educator Niklas Roy.

BUT--no one could ever describe his work that way.

With the goal of making art accessible to people from all walks of life, Niklas creates fine art from technology. That translates to highly interactive installations, which often put guests into participatory experiences.

LED lights flash. Electronic music plays. Machines blow bubbles, take visitors on rides in fantastic vehicles, and challenge them to games.

Often, the guests get to use their own creativity: drawing in colored lights with a joystick, pulling strings to move paintbrushes across a canvas or adding their contributions to a whiteboard.

A sense of fun pervades his work, which he's exhibited worldwide. in numerous art exhibitions as well as science centers and public squares.

Niklas continues to break down the barriers to making art bot accessible and enjoyable by teaching reflective technology workshops and making his designs open-source. On his website, he shares his project plans, schematics and code with fellow creators. In addtion, he offers videos and tutorials on his YouTube channel.

Niklas talked about his creative journey at the intersection of art, science and technology, shared the stories behind some of his recent works and offered his perspectives on working as an an artist.

This post and podcast are not, in any way, shape or form, affiliated with, nor endorsed by, NASA. We are not employed by, or otherwise connected with, NASA. (We just enjoy reporting on all this cool stuff!)

What if you could build and operate a lunar rover?

That's exactly the opportunity which NASA offers students, from sixth grade to graduate school, with their annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge.

AND--they're just about to start hosting virtual information sessions for their 2024-2025 semester challenge!

NASA Program Specialist Dr. Vemitra Alexander says the first information sessions for the 2024-2025 school year will begin in August. Posted dates for the competition finals are April 11-12, 2025, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Here's a link to the 2024 handbook.

The challenge

NASA's HERC program challenges student teams to design and engineer vehicles capable of traversing the Moon's surface. Throughout the school year, the teams work on design, construction and troubleshooting.

In the process, students from public, private and home schools are honing their skills in communication, collaboration and problem-solving, while researching new technologies that may assist future astronauts.

Then, in the spring, selected student teams get to demonstrate the effectiveness of their vehicles. On a simulated lunar surface at Marshall Space Center, in Huntsville, Alabama, teams navigate their rovers, accomplish specific tasks and overcome obstacles.

Long-term benefits

Meanwhile, the skills students learn, while collaborating on the teams, are not for future space scientists alone.

"These are transferable skills," explains Dr. Alexander, who is the team lead on the HERC program.

"...You got to be able to communicate effectively, (and) you got to be able to collaborate, even in industry."

Dr. Alexander explained the HERC program, offered a closer look at what's involved for participants and discussed the ways NASA's HERC program is preparing students for the future.

Would you be willing to interact with a tarantula? A Madagascar hissing cockroach? A ball python?

If your initial reaction was, "Yikes!", Las Vegas Natural History Museum has a different perspective for you. And so do the staff at Ottowa-based Little Ray's Nature Centres.

This summer, LVNHM hosts the new traveling exhibit, "Wild World: Stories of Conservation + Hope", created by Little Ray's Nature Centres and Little Ray's Exhibitions. "Wild World" addresses some of the misunderstandings about the creatures in the exhibit's habitats, including snakes, turtles and tortoises, and legless lizards.

"I've always had a passion for animals, and...especially for misunderstood animals (like snakes, spiders and creatures like that)," says Paul Goulet, Little Ray's CEO and Founder.

Visitors to "Wild World: Stories of Conservation + Hope" get to learn about endangered species from all over the world.

The message is ultimately positive.

"Wild World".explores the ways caring people have launched conservation efforts, helping to save these animals from extinction.

Interactions spark new ideas

But don't expect just to look at some animals behind glass, as you listen to a lecture.

As is the custom for education at LVNHM, the exhibition and related activities will be highly interactive, very creative--and a lot of fun. Art sessions and storytelling will complement the lessons of conservation, allowing more arts-oriented visitors to make the science their own.

Staff onsite engage visitors with impromptu interactions with the animals. Often, guests will be asked if they'd like to touch one of the creatures.

And in overcoming any initial reservations, the visitors often come away with a new understanding of the nature of these animals--and how to protect them from current environmental threats.

Two educators' perspectives

"The best education moves you from knowing to action," says LVNHM Education Director Grace Njoroge.

"You can become aware, but you have to do something with it."

Add to that the element of fun.

"If my teachers made me laugh, I would listen," says Paul Goulet, Founder and CEO at Little Ray's Nature Centres and Little Ray's Exhibitions.

"And I figured out, very quickly, that if I could make children laugh about things that are fun, and biologically correct,...I had the opportunity to slip in some really key messaging that was super positive."

Grace and Paul talked about the new exhibit, discussed the creative process involved in teaching visitors about conservation and the ways they can take action, and shared some intriguing facts about some of the often-misunderstood animals in the "Wild World" exhibition.

This post and podcast are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional with any medical-related questions.

"Creativity's at the core of everything we do, whether medicine or space," says astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya.

And in approximately two years, she'll be exercising her creativity in microgravity--as Canada's first commercial female astronaut!

In June 2024, Canada's International Institute for Astronautical Sciences announced Dr. Pandya's appointment as Astronaut 002 on a first-of-its-kind suborbital research mission.

With teammates Kelli Gerardi and Dr. Norah Patten, Dr. Pandya is scheduled to fly aboard Virgin Galactic's new Delta spacecraft, with the goals of advancing human-tended microgravity research, in 2026. The mission, IIAS-02, follows a highly successful inaugural research spaceflight flown by Kelli Girardi, in November 2023.

We first had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Pandya in 2021. Among her many professional classifications, she is: a neurologist; Director of IIAS' Space Medicine Group, Vice-President of Immersive Medicine at Luxsonic Technologies, Inc.; and IIAS' Chief Instructor of Space Medicine and Extreme Environments.

And spaceflight was her dream, long before she completed her scientist astronaut training at IIAS in 2015.

Dr. Pandya talked about the upcoming IIAS-02 mission, shared some of the activities involved in team preparations and explained the applications of creativity in her daily work.

The following post and podcast are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional with any health-related questions.

Vitality ReAwakened could be described as a near-magical immersive community.

"We're all here to improve ourselves in some way," says Vitality ReAwakened Founder and EDVR Event Manager Anita Shenk.

"But we like to make it fun."

VitalityReAwakened currently hosts nine free weekly events in VRChat. Their offerings are highly eclectic: from aromatherapy education to a chess club, movie night, goal-setting and "simply a "Sunday Chill" meditation sessions.

And they're just about to gear up for their second VitalCon: a three-day, free virtual event in which, Anita says, inspires attendees to "dream--and explore their dreams."

An artist's epiphany

Anita's own dreams have expanded, since she discovered virtual reality.

Prior to Vitality ReAwakened, she says, she had no background as a worldbuilder or virtual-event host. But an introduction to VR would ultimately lead her to combine her backgrounds in applied design, education and holistic lifestyle coaching, with a new passion.

"I had to do (worldbuilding because it was just so much fun),'" Anita says.

"It's the thing that I want to do. It's an art form that I'm in love with, I'm good at it and it just helps me accomplish my goals in creating beautiful, magical experiences for people."

Accordingly, she began learning to host virtual events, while expanding her skills at creating the worlds that ultimately became Vitality ReAwakened.

And today, you're invited to come see what this community is all about: by attending sessions, exploring their worlds, or even leading sessions in your areas of expertise.

Anita talked about the creation of her virtual community, shared the best creative lessons she's learned about hosting virtual events, and issued some exciting invitations for their second VitalCon, for which planning starts in August.

Remember your high school graduation? The best vacation you've ever had? An exciting landmark event, or even a great professional conference you've attended?

Of course, you'll always remember every detail--right? Well--no

With our busy lives, memories tend to fade over time.

But Vivid-Pix CEO Rick Voight has created technology to preserve those stories.

Rick, who is a lifelong photography visionary and imaging technology expert, has invented three different types of software to facilitate storytelling through pictures.

His most recent, Memory Station, allows users to scan in their photographs and documents, include voice recordings of the stories behind the pictures--and even scan in objects from the occasion!

Rick's passion for scuba diving was the genesis of Vivid-Pix' first photo-editing product.

"The problem with underwater photos," Rick explains. "is that oftentimes the images will come through quite green...because the warm colors are filtered out of the light spectrum."

Accordingly, he and his team invented the technology which today is Land & Sea Scuba. Using AI, this software fixes underwater pictures, correcting the light to make them sharp and clear.

They next created Vivid-Pix Restore: imaging software which restores old photographs, slides and documents with one click. Memory Station, the newest technology, grew from Rick's discovery of the importance of documents to family historians.

But if anyone is a little intimidated by the technology, they needn't be.

"We've designed this for (nontechnology people)," Rick says. "(Our products are) very intuitive."

Rick shared the story of Vivid-Pix, explained how Memory Station works, and even shared some creative tips on taking great photos, and creating a memory keepsake from a special occasion!

For Putman XR Consulting owner Dr. Shannon Putman, immersive virtual reality is the next step towards more effective education.

"I never change the way my students learn. I change the way I teach," she says.

"And it's my job, as a teacher, to figure out how they learn best, and then make the content accessible for them."

Drawing on her background, both as a university professor and a special-education teacher, she is using immersive technology to expand that accessibility, while customizing education to specific classroom needs.

Earlier this year, Dr. Putman and her team deployed 2,450 headsets at high schools throughout Kentucky. While this particular project marked the single largest rollout of educational IVR (immersive virtual reality) in the country, she sees it as a beginning.

"The ultimate goal for me, at Putman XR Consulting, is to take this outside of Kentucky and...into any educational system that wants to improve their student experience," she explains.

Dr. Putman talked about her background, explained some of the ways immersive virtual reality can work for teachers (or in teaching situations in general--not necessarily classrooms alone!) and shared her vision for the future.

Over Coffee® is on one-week summer hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of our special-edition podcast, which explores what we're all about!

As a creative person, how might you use S.T.E.A.M.?

There are numerous opportunities.

Most creative work involves some blend of the elements of science, technology, engineering, art and math.

In this special-edition episode, we explore the various aspects of S.T.E.A.M. in a wide range of creative and innovative projects.