NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will speak at Baker Ballroom Wednesday as part of the International Space University program at OU.
Charles Bolden has been to space numerous times, but on Wednesday night he will be in Athens.
Bolden, who is the administrator of NASA, will be speaking in Baker Ballroom as part of the International Space University program that OU is hosting this summer.
John Connolly, the director of ISU’s space studies program, asked Bolden to speak at the event.
“Bolden is my boss and he enjoys very much talking to student groups and going to universities," Connolly said. “International Space University here at Ohio University is a perfect combination for him. I had no problems convincing him to come here, it really was just a matter of asking and he said yes.”
Bolden’s lecture will be live streamed on the university’s website.
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Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Bolden was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the 12th administrator of NASA in 2009, according to NASA’s website. Bolden’s job as head of the agency is to lead a nationwide NASA team to advance the missions and goals of the U.S. space program.
Before becoming the head of NASA, Bolden served in the Marine Corps for 34 years. His space flights have included the first joint U.S.-Russian space shuttle mission and the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Bolden earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical science from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968 and his master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1977.
The topic of discussion for Wednesday night’s lecture is not set in stone.
“He’s told us he has no prepared information, he’s not coming with a presentation or anything which is rare in the NASA world, usually we always come with fancy charts and graphs,” Connolly said. “I think he just wants to speak extemporaneously about whatever’s on his mind.”
Speaking points that Connolly thinks Bolden will discuss include asteroids, the moon, Mars and humanity in space.
“He’ll also be answering questions from the crowd, so if people have a particular question they would want to ask the guy who’s the head of NASA,” Connolly said.
The nine week ISU program is currently in week four.
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“The idea (of the program) is that everybody gets a taste of all the disciplines related with space, like engineering and science, policy and law and even the humanities,” Connolly said. “Everybody gets the international flavor as well because we have our faculty from all over, and we sort of teach in an international way because that’s the future of space programs.”
The over 100 participants of ISU hail from 30 countries, according to a previous Post report.
“This just goes with the fact that you guys here at Ohio University have done everything you could have possibly do to make us welcome,” Connolly said. “From the big banners that are hanging on buildings downtown to making a space-themed beer.”
Connolly said it was an “honor” to have Bolden come to Southeastern Ohio.
“There’s a lot of other places in the world he could be, and he’s chosen to share with the Athens community, the OU community and ISU,” Connolly said.
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