Athens will join the ranks of Barcelona and Beijing as host of the international space program.
Athens will be the latest host of International Space University’s Space Studies Program, an event previously hosted by major cities such as Beijing and Barcelona.
SSP, the nine-week graduate studies program, will focus on the evolution of space over time with workshops and projects including a rocket launch and a robot competition.
“The SSP hosting is a huge honor and a unique opportunity to interact, professionally and socially, with many of the brightest minds of several generations, who dream of the possibilities of space exploration,” Dennis Irwin, dean of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, said in an email. “Not only will we have the current and future space entrepreneurs on our campus for a significant period of time, we’ll have the pioneers of the past.”
Postgraduates and professionals will come to OU from a variety of countries to learn through lectures and activities.
Some include an open presentation in Baker University Center by four scientists, including Harrison Jack Schmitt, the only actual scientist to walk on the moon, and Sergei Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut who was the only human alone on a spacecraft for several months in space.
“Who knows, some really important breakthrough in life support in space or propulsion may be conceived over coffee in the ARC or over a craft brew in our downtown bars and restaurants,” Irwin said.
Participants will also travel to Cleveland to see NASA facilities and Wapakoneta to visit the Armstrong Air and Space Museum, Irwin said.
Part of the time will be used to work on projects with topics including rogue asteroids, the vision for what space will be like in 2040 and tracking fracking, said John Connolly, director of ISU’s 2015 summer SSP.
The total cost for OU to host the program is $75,000, about 10 percent of the total cost of the event, Irwin said.
“We’re actively fund raising, and we hope and expect that most if not all of those costs will be recovered from sponsorships,” Irwin said.
So far, NASA and Lockheed Martin have sponsored the event.
Ohio University has been working on hosting the program since 2006, when the university was first considered for the 2008 program, Irwin said.
“The SSP Director told me he was interested in Athens because so many astronauts were natives of Ohio or were raised in Ohio,” Irwin said. “He wanted the international community to see the culture that astronauts came from, in contrast to the East and West Coasts and big cities where they ended up.”
OU was officially selected to host in February 2013, said Steve Riesbeck, the 2015 program’s local director and Russ College grants coordinator.
“With the facilities, faculty and short distance to NASA Glenn, the amenities made for a very compelling package,” Connolly said.
OU placed ahead of locations in Asia and Europe for the 2015 spot, Connolly added.
“At the time that we first began to consider preparing a proposal, there were three core faculty of past SSPs working in the Russ College, so ISU knew we understood the requirements of the program,” Irwin said. “Everyone at the university should be proud of this.”
@kcoward02
kc769413@ohio.edu
