Ohio University kicks off events for the Summer Space Program of the International Space University being held this summer. The program began June 8 and will conclude Aug. 7
After ten years of hard work and planning, Russ College of Engineering and Technology Dean Dennis Irwin’s goal of having space focused scientists spend their summer at Ohio University is a reality.
For nine weeks OU is hosting the 28th Summer Space Program of the International Space University, which kicked off on June 8 and runs through Aug. 7.
This program touches on all aspects of space programs and enterprises through lectures and activities with astronauts. Some of the fields that are highlighted during the program include space sciences; space engineering; space policy, economics and law; space management and business; space humanities; space applications and human performance in space.
The International Space University is a private, non-profit institution whose central campus is located in Strasbourg, France.
Over 100 participants—from 30 countries—and more than 150 faculty members have flocked to Athens for the program. During their time at OU, they are staying in Adams Hall, Colleen Carow, senior director of communications for the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, said in an email.
The process for OU to be selected as the host of the ISU SSP didn’t happen overnight.
Irwin, who has served as a faculty member for ISU SSPs several times, worked for about ten years in order to bring an ISU SSP to OU’s campus, Carow said.
“It is a rigorous multi-year process that required a formal proposal and the collaboration of many units on campus who have come together in a strong, supportive team to prepare for and welcome ISU,” Carrow said. “ISU leadership has commented that the combination of academic facilities, the university’s connection to an aerospace organization, proximity to NASA Glenn Research Center, which is the SSP15 agency partner and the opportunity for a close-knit, community-oriented SPP all combined to make OU a great choice,” Carrow said.
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Each year, ISU asks for proposals from host sites from all around the globe.
“In 2012, Ohio University and a number of other organizations in cities around the world responded to ISU’s request, and a panel of ISU faculty members and administrators chose the Ohio proposal,” said ISU space studies program director John Connolly, in an email.
OU President Roderick McDavis sees this as a “tremendous opportunity” for both OU and southeast Ohio.
“We look forward to engaging with the global space community and supporting future space exploration through the use of our academic and research facilities,” McDavis said in an ISU news release.
The official kick-off for the SSP was the the opening ceremony which took place June 8 at Walter Hall. During the ceremony the participants, some dressed in traditional native clothing, walked in with their country’s flag, said Carrow.
Active National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut and United States Navy Captain Sunita Williams, an Ohio native hailing from Euclid, delivered the keynote address.
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Connolly, McDavis, Irwin, ISU President Walter Peeters and NASA Glenn Research Center Director James Free all gave remarks. ISU co-founder Peter Diamandis also spoke at the ceremony via a personal video address, Carrow said.
“It was an inspiring, ceremonial event that gathered the creative, talented and ambitious minds who are the future of space exploration,” Carrow said. “Many guests likened it to the opening ceremony for the Olympics.”
The program has a series of events lined up over the course of the next two months.
Thursday night, from 8:30-10 p.m. in Baker University Center, NASA astronaut and astronomer Jeff Hoffman will be giving a lecture about his time as a space telescope “repair man” for the Hubble Space Telescope, according to a Russ College news release.
"It’s the 25th anniversary of the launch of Hubble, so it’s a good time for a retrospective," Hoffman said in the release.
Through his talk, he will explain why the Hubble Space Telescope was built, the root cause of the issues that prevented Hubble from being able to properly focus, how the problem was fixed and more.
This lecture, in addition to most public ISU events, will be live streamed.
Four astronauts from around the world will discuss their experiences during the astronaut panel which will be held June 17 at 8:30 p.m. in Baker Ballroom, according to the Russ College of Engineering's website.
Science fiction author Mike Resnick, Emmy Award-winning producer John Beck-Hofmann, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Joe Pelton and production designer Daniel St. Pierre will be featured at the Arthur C. Clarke Panel which will take place June 24 in Baker Ballroom, according to the Russ College of Engineering's website. Pelton is the founder and vice chairman of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation. According to their website, the Foundation “was created to recognize and promote the extraordinary contributions of Arthur C. Clarke to the world, and to promote the use of space and telecommunications technology for the benefit of humankind.”
On August 6 in Baker Theater, the ISU participants’ will showcase their final projects during the team project presentations starting at 9 a.m, according to the Russ College of Engineering's website.
The program will wrap up on August 7 during the closing ceremony at 3 p.m.
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