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SUMMARY:NASA Tech Talks: Rice Space Institute and the UK Consulate
DESCRIPTION:We want HOU! Join us to discover NASA’s toughest tech challenges—and apply your skills and expertise to solve them.This month NASA Tech Talks is partnering with the Rice Space Institute and the UK Consulate in Houston to bring you a special event featuring a delegation from the UK Science and Technology Network. We’ll get to hear from a panel of UK space experts followed by a very special fireside chat featuring Dr. David Alexander\, the head of the Rice Space Institute\, and Meganne Christian\, ESA reserve astronaut and senior exploration manager. Along the way\, we’ll learn about the exciting opportunities upcoming for UK-US space collaboration and ongoing projects at Rice\, the European Space Agency (ESA)\, the UK Space Agency (UKSA)\, and in Houston more broadly.Please join us after the talk for drinks and networking at Second Draught! \n  \nAbout the Speakers \nMeganne Louise Christian is a member of the 2022 European Space Agency Astronaut Group and Reserve Astronaut and Exploration Commercialization Lead at the UK Space Agency. In January 2025\, she began the first of three\, two-month Astronaut Reserve Training (ART) programs at ESA’s European Astronaut Center (EAC) in Cologne\, Germany.  Meganne completed her Doctorate at the University of New South Wales in industrial chemistry\, studying the design\, synthesis\, and advanced characterization of nanomaterials for hydrogen storage applications. She was previously a materials scientist at the National Research Council (CNR) in Bologna\, Italy\, and atmospheric physicist at Concordia Station in Antarctica. As scientist in charge of atmospheric physics and meteorology at the French-Italian research base\, she was responsible for various observatories\, including radiation\, meteorology\, stratospheric lidars\, chemical and physical atmospheric aerosols and infrared radiation for Antarctic clouds. \nDr. David Alexander is a professor of astrophysics at Rice University and a Rice faculty scholar at the Baker Institute. Alexander also serves as the Director of the Rice Space Institute. Alexander was awarded an OBE by her majesty Queen Elizabeth in June 2018 for services to the space industry\, received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2004 and was appointed a Kavli Frontiers Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences in 2006. He is former Chair of the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society and has served on many professional committees including the NASA Advisory Council’s Heliophysics Subcommittee\, and the NASA Solar Heliospheric Management and Operations Working Group.  He has been named a GlobalScot by the Scottish government and was an elected member of the Board of Directors of the American Astronautical Society from 2018-2022. He served as Chair of the inaugural Aerospace and Aviation Industry Committee of the Greater Houston Partnership\, has been on the Board of Directors of the Houston Spaceport Development Corporation since 2021 and was recently appointed to the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium Executive Committee.  Alexander received his Bachelor of Science in Natural Philosophy and Astronomy\, and his astrophysics doctorate from the University of Glasgow. \nMontgomery B. Goforth   has more than 40 years of experience as both Engineer and Manager in a variety of highly technical space and defense-related efforts.  After working for a small defense contractor specializing in anti-submarine warfare\, he joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1990.  He has held leadership positions in multiple JSC Directorates and Program Offices. In his previous role as Assistant Director of the JSC Engineering Directorate\, he established a framework to better focus Engineering’s efforts towards Human Spaceflight technology and systems development consistent with JSC and Agency goals for exploration. Mr. Goforth is now serving as Acting Director of the Business Development & Technology Integration Office at JSC\, and as the JSC Chief Technologist.  In these capacities he will be helping to expand the Houston Aerospace Community through the identification of opportunities to develop space/terrestrial technologies of interest to JSC and Human Space Exploration.  Mr. Goforth was born in East Texas\, raised in Southern California and Arizona\, and graduated from Rice University (BSME 1982\, MSME 1987). \n  \nAbout NASA Tech Talks \nIn these presentations\, occurring the fourth Thursdays of the month\, Mr. Montgomery Goforth and other aerospace subject matter experts will discuss the technology development challenges faced by NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the surrounding Aerospace community in our ongoing efforts as the hub of human spaceflight. Presentations will focus on the ways in which these challenges\, and the associated opportunities\, can be leveraged by Houston’s innovation community. We will continue to identify potential space/terrestrial technologies of interest to Human Spaceflight.  Past NASA Tech Talks have included topics such as: \n\nFrom Space to Startup: Leveraging NASA Technology and Innovation to Propel Your Growing Enterprise\nDisruptive Filter Technology for Spacecraft Water Treatment:  The New Promise of Graphene\nLunar dust capture using novel multiplexed inertial filter\nLunar Passive Fuel Cell Technologies:\nMicrobes in Space\n\n  \nAbout the Rice Space Institute (RSI) \nRSI was formed in 2000 as part of the merger between the former Physics and Space Physics and Astronomy departments.  In 2011\, the Wiess School of Natural Sciences began a program to strengthen Rice’s involvement in space-related research and to pursue a more formal partnership with the NASA Johnson Space Center under the auspices of RSI. \nRSI has taken a central role in fostering programs which have given rise to Rice’s international reputation in all areas of space research. As a world leader in space\, earth and astronomical sciences\, advanced technology and engineering\, public policy and business\, Rice University invests in efforts to further the development of new ideas and innovation in the broad area that is space exploration and utilization. \nRSI is a dynamic leader in bringing the community together to promote space research\, education\, policy and advocacy.
URL:https://iondistrict.com/event/nasa-tech-talks-15/
LOCATION:Ion\, 4201 Main Street\, Houston\, TX\, 77002\, United States
CATEGORIES:Aerospace,Founders & Startups,General Community
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