Space Foundation Has Big Presence at AMOS

The Space Foundation will be front and center this month at the 11th annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) conference in Maui, Hawai’i. Involvement includes a reception for young space professionals, education programs for teachers and students and a keynote presentation by Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elliot Holokauahi Pulham. The conference runs Sept. 14-17.

New Generation Reception
As part of its New Generation Initiative, which provides professional development and networking opportunities for young space professionals, the Space Foundation is hosting a “Pau Hana” Networking Reception for New Generation Space Leaders on Sept. 15. The event will welcome conference attendees aged 35 and under, giving them an opportunity to relax and network after the first full day of the conference. “Pau Hana” means “after work.”

Education Programs
In partnership with the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), the Space Foundation will conduct two Audience with an Astronaut sessions for school children and a Space in the Classroom workshop for teachers from the Maui area. These two programs have been very successful at the National Space Symposium, the Space Foundation’s annual gathering of the global space community.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, the Space Foundation and the MEDB will give 300 students from seven Maui area schools the opportunity to listen to a former NASA astronaut CAPT Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., USN (Retired), ask questions about space travel and have their pictures taken with Curbeam. The students will participate in hands-on activities conducted by the Air Force Research Lab and then attend a session hosted by Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) on video animations using AGI’s Satellite Tool Kit software. The students will also have an opportunity to explore the AMOS Exhibit Center where they will see the latest in space surveillance technology.

On Friday, Sept. 17, the MEDB, AGI, and the Space Foundation will hold a Space in the Classroom teacher workshop for 25 local middle and high school teachers. This workshop will show teachers how to incorporate space activities into the classroom to get students excited about science. AGI will demonstrate how to use Satellite Tool Kit software to illustrate concepts such as orbits, orbital mechanics and technology in society. The Space Foundation will conduct hands-on activities where teachers will learn how use rocketry to teach things measurement, angles, trajectory and velocity.

The workshop is based on the Space Foundation’s Space Across the Curriculum courses, which teach a variety of space-related topics that teachers can then apply in the classroom.

AGI is a Space Foundation Platinum Member and a major supporter of Space Foundation education programs. The MEBD is a Space Foundation Patron.

The conference hotel, Wailea Marriott Resort, is donating the lunches and Presentation Services Audio Visual is donating AV equipment for the education programs.

During the programs, the Space Foundation is also informing teachers about the opportunity to apply for the Lucy Enos scholarship, which provides professional development opportunities for a qualified Hawai’ian educator, including tuition, fees, travel expenses, and lodging for the recipient to travel to Colorado Springs and participate in one of the Space Foundation Discovery Institute’s week-long Space Across the Curriculum courses. Watch the October issue of Space Watch for more details

CEO is Keynote Speaker
Space Foundation CEO Elliot Holokauahi Pulham will help kick off the final day of the conference with a talk on the state of global space, where he will discuss the increasing globalization of space, the need for collaboration and cooperation, and the impact of the United States’ new national space policy. Pulham’s remarks draw heavily upon data found in the Space Foundation’s The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity. The annual publication gives a comprehensive overview of the space industry, including financial, technological, environmental and sociological impact.

About the AMOS Conference
Devoted to space surveillance, the AMOS Conference presents a cross-section of military, contractor and academic participation in the field of space situational awareness. For more information, click here.

 

This article is part of Space Watch: September 2010 (Volume: 9, Issue: 9).