Caius Reza is the Lead Business Executive at Alba Orbital, a Scottish company that builds and launches PocketQubes – PocketQubes, like what their name would suggest are tiny satellites small enough to fit in your pocket! After graduating from the University of Strathclyde in 2019, he joined the company and. handles the company’s marketing and business operations, as well as organizing launch campaigns with Alba’s launch team. Alba Orbital is based in Glasgow (Caius’ hometown) and was founded with the mission. of ‘democratizing access to space’ via PocketQube technology. PocketQubes are the ccworld’s smallest commercial spacecraft and can be as small as 5x5x5cm. Their small size dramatically cut down the cost to launch your own spacecraft, meaning more people than ever before can start their own space programs! Caius has helped plan and launch over 25 PocketQube launch campaigns, including missions for high schools and universities across the world. Having worked with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab, Alba Orbital is deploying an earth observation constellation for near real time earth observation services, helping to mitigate climate change and responding to natural disasters. Caius is excited to share his knowledge and experience with the STEM community. He believes that PocketQubes have the potential to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists. Alba Orbital website --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today we are joined by two new Wolfpack members from Buffalo, NY. Brian Bartelo is 13 years old and brother Sean is almost 11. While they have many interests, one of their main passions is space. Brian has an impressive resume already. He has presented topics such as mitigating space debris at AIAA Regional in Buffalo and, most recently, at Explore Mars' Humans to Mars Summit. He was part of the life support systems American team of students for the inaugural Mars Society's Student Challenge with Dr. Robert Zubrin. He is accelerated in his learning and is taking concurrent high school and college credit courses at Genesee Community College as part of the NY State ACE Homeschooling Program. He is hoping to study astrophysics and mechanical engineering at the University of Buffalo. Brian is also the founder and editor of his online school paper "Astra Nova Student Newsletter". Sean is interested in planetary defense and 3D design and printing. He has attended the Henry Ford National Invention Convention two years in a row as a finalist for his inventions and presentations. This school year, he has led teams that were semi-finalists in challenges such as Future City, Cities in Space, and the Mars Innovation Challenge. As a citizen astronomer, he has discovered 17 asteroids. He enjoys drawing, painting, and architecture. He hopes to study astronomy and engineering. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today we meet with Bev Berekian a middle school science and college level Earth Science. She has been teaching for over 17 years and began at the Community College level while she was earning a Masters Degree in Geology. Bev has participated in several space-related programs , and has presented and attended multiple conferences. She is a Department of Defense STEM Ambassador, a NASA/SETI Airborne Astronomy Ambassador, a Space Center Houston Teacher Crew Member, and a Space Foundations International Teacher Liaison. She is also an ISS National Lab Ambassador and a JPL/NASA Solar System Ambassador. Her current project is helping junior high school students to design experiments to fly in microgravity and she is working with Dr. Kevin Crosby of Carthage College and the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium to accomplish her space goals. We look forward to the conversation today and invite you to stay tuned after for the takeaway. www.aerospacehigh.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today we meet with Kirstin Bunting, a kindergarten teacher at Roosevelt Elementary on Florida’s Space Coast. Kirstin has a strong passion for STEM but especially all things space! She strives to educate and inspire the Artemis generation and beyond to appreciate and understand the world of space. Through her university course work, Kirstin is creating professional development in STEM topics so other teachers can also inspire their students to reach for the stars. In her free time, Kirstin enjoys spending time at the beach and of course watching rocket launches from her backyard or the parking lot of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. Sign up for summer camp interest at our website: website: www. aerospacehigh.org. Be a Patreon supporter here! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

In this episode, Kevin and I meet with Fraser Cain, a space and astronomy journalist and publisher of amazing astronomy content through his website, Universe Today ,In addition, Fraser is the co-host of the Astronomy Cast Podcast and hosts a long-running series of space and astronomy videos on YouTube. He lives under beautiful dark skies on Vancouver Island in Western Canada which no doubt are a source of continuous inspiration. Stay tuned for the duration and be inspired yourself and learn more about how you can follow Fraser’s work. Aerospace and Innovation Academy website Summer Session Camp Google Form Registration --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today we meet with PAEMST recipient and teacher of the year for multiple organizations including the Civil Air Patrol, the Air & Space Forces Association and the AIAA , Megan Tucker. Ms. Tucker is a veteran STEM teacher of 19 years who loves to engage students in the Engineering Design Process as well as to have a growth mindset. Megan has written and edited national aerospace STEM curriculum for the Civil Air Patrol and has served as a Dean of Curriculum, a K-5 STEAM Specialist, and a professional development facilitator among many other impressive titles. She is currently designing national STEM curriculum with AVID, which drives student success through engaging, rigorous, and student-centered learning environments. Megan is passionate about teaching through the lens of aerospace and loves using the latest technology to hook our young learners She says her job is all about providing real world situations where scholars have to use 21st Century Skills to solve a problem, and have fun while doing it!. We are prepared to learn a lot and we know you will too. Link to Civil Air Patrol: Link to Aerospace & Innovation Academy website Link to Summer Session Registration Form Email the cohost or to find out more about AIA: --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

While we know that space settlements of the future are a necessity, how we go about creating them frequently becomes a subject of debate. Most importantly, what countries will be represented in the settlements of the future, and can we insure we all work together to create a peaceful society in space? Today, we are joined by three very important people in the realm of this debate, with a focus on student voice. Frances Dellutri joins us once again. In one of many roles, She is serves as National Space Society Director of Education. In this role she founded and facilitated the NSS Student spUN (space policy and Universalization) Debate program starting in 2017 Students ages 12-18 debate space policy on international teams Frances is a life-long learner and educator. Her training as a chemist, project manager and science educator enable her to marry technical aspects of the NSS education programs with real-world opportunities for students. Jordan Strudwick serves as the Project Manager for the National Space Society’s groundbreaking University Level International spUN Debate. A Howard University School of Law graduate, Jordan not only founded the pioneering Space Law Society, the first Space Law organization at any HBCU, but also played a pivotal role in establishing the first-ever Space Law course at an HBCU Law School. A proud native of Washington, DC, Jordan's expertise encompasses an impressive range of fields, including technology startup companies, international development, and human rights. He is excited to help shape the the future of both the public and private space sector. Representing the high school sector, Apoorva Bangalore Ravispravad is a sophomore college student pursuing Astrophysics and Astrobiology at the University of Florida. Lots of great information for student, parents, and teachers alike so stay tuned after for the take away. Important links: spUN Debate Website: https://space.nss.org/spun-debates/University Debate Website: https://spacedge.academy/course/view.php?id=296 University Direct Application Link: https://go.nss.org/spunapplication-univ Jordan Strudwick's Email: jordan.strudwick@nss.org Apoorva Raviprasad: apoorva.br@nss.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Michael D’Egidio grew up on Long Island, New York. He attended Columbia University in the City of New York where he majored in computer science. Michael has worked as a consultant for Sony Corporation of America producing graphics, copy, and web content for Sony.com, as well as a full-stack software engineer for a small e-commerce startup in Manhattan. Michael has always felt drawn to the possibilities in education, so he made the move to the teaching world where he developed a robust and innovative computer science curriculum for a prestigious private school in Palm Beach County, Florida. His classes focus on programming languages and their utility in real-world applications such as game development, web application development and more. He was also instrumental in developing coursework in the use of TensorFlow, which is industry-standard software for machine learning and artificial intelligence programming. Integral to Michael’s educational philosophy is the belief that all students deserve to feel a strong sense of belonging at school. Since 2020, Michael has been led school initiatives in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion where he coordinates student educational opportunities as well as professional development. In short, Michael sees computer science as a way to give back, to be a super hero so to speak helping students to view problems as a way to embrace grit, to affect change, and ultimately to have a voice. Stay tuned after for our takeaway. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today we meet with Jiangdou (Ginger) Chen. She  is a Ph.D student at Florida Institute of Technology majoring in STEM Education with a primary focus  on Computer Information Systems.  A native to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, Ginger is dedicated to balance social equity and the advocacy of marginalized communities. Her dissertation details female astronauts' interest in STEM studies in relation to their  career development.  Ginger is passionate about encouraging more young women to enter the space industry. In addition to her academic pursuits, Ginger runs track, cross-country, and participates on the swim team for Florida Tech.  As always, stay tuned after the interview for our take-awayl   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today, we meet with Jackie Blumer-- a Nationally Board Certified educator with over 25 years of STEM experience. She currently teaches Earth/Space Science for 6th graders at Greenville Jr. High School in Illinois. Jackie is also the. St. Louis STEM Chair for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and in early 2022 she received the National STEM Trailblazing Award from AIAA and Challenger Learning Centers. Jackie was recently selected as a Limitless Space Institute Limitless Educator and was one of 20 educators worldwide to receive this honor. The mission of LSI is to inspire and educate the next generation to travel beyond our solar system and support the research and development of enabling technologies.  We look forward to hearing more and hope you stay tuned after for our takeaways. Link to Limitless Space Institute:https://www.limitlessspace.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Jen Jones is an 8th grade STEM teacher, a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison, a Solar System Ambassador, and a Space ward Bound Educator. She regularly presents on space topics to civic groups, libraries, and schools around northern Utah, and has hosted and organized 5 well-respected annual Space/STEM community outreach nights. Ms. Jones believes in teaching from a real world perspective to promote classroom engagement and to help fill the Stem Pipeline of the future. One example is NASA research project called Growing Beyond Earth which Jones will present to Teacher Liaisons at the Space Symposium in April. Jenn and her students also work internationally for educational organizations such as African Independence Development or AID to help raise money and awareness for a modernized high school where Jenn could still help train teachers long after she returns home. And these are just a few of the many experiences she provides for her students. We see Jen Jones as one who emulates a BlueSky Learning philosophy and know you will enjoy this episode as much as we will. Stay tuned after for takeaway. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today, we meet with Mark Wallace. Mark wrote his first computer program in 1965, and has written a lot of them since, using languages ranging from Assembler to SQL. His interest in zero defect software led him to study software engineering methods such as Structured Design and Object-Oriented Design, and ways to adopt them using Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools. In recent years, he has taught robotics to middle and high school students, and served as a judge in the World Robot Olympics and First Lego League competitions. He is now retired in Boynton Beach, but volunteers to teach computer programming to high school students through a Microsoft-sponsored charity. We met Mark recently while we were all judging student robot presentations and we were quite impressed. We know you will be too and we hope you stay tuned after for the takeaway.   Link for the Microsoft program mentioned in the podcast:  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/teals/about --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Laurie Orth is a music teacher who teaches about space exploration and rockets in her music classroom. She believes the classroom is where the arts and sciences coexist to develop creative people today for the workforce of tomorrow. In 2019, Ms. Orth published space-themed music in a workbook called Rocket Recorder. Laurie is passionate about starting the STEM and STEAM pipeline for young people through the pathway of music, and she passionately believes educators can collaborate to teach across the curriculum for more engaging lessons. Im addition to her young students, Laurie e teacsh professional development for music, STEM and STEAM educators.As if that were not enough, she volunteers with the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, teaching her space-themed music curriculum and combining that with lessons about women in aerospace careers. She is also a volunteer with the Air & Space Forces Association as Chapter President for Savannah AFA. When she is not teaching or inspiring students through music, Laure is a professional singer in her community and even has her own podcast through The Space Foundation. We are sure this interview will hit the right notes and we hope you will stay tuned after for our takeaway. Laurie's website:  Www.laurieorth.com  Laurie's podcasthttps://www.spacefoundation.org/2022/01/14/space4u-podcast-laurie-orth-rocket-recorder-author-composer-educator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today we meet with Wolfpack VIP member Colin Quinn, a freshman at Suncoast Community High School in South Florida.  As part of the Wolfpack, he was part of the team working on the  CapSat-1 mission and is in the process of developing his own CubeSat mission, which will aim to study cosmic radiation in space. Colin is an aspiringI aerospace engineer and we know he is well on his way to achieving that dream. As always stay tuned after for the takeaway. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today, Kevin and I meet with Edward Ellegood. Edward began his career as a space industry economist in the Florida Department of Commerce, while there he served as staff to a Governor's Commission on Space, which recommended that the state take a larger role in developing the space industry. He moved from Tallahassee to the Space Coast in 1990 to start-up the Spaceport Florida Authority (now Space Florida) as the nation's first space transportation authority. In 2001 he transitioned to start-up the Florida Space Research Institute as a spinoff of the Spaceport Authority. After FSRI and the Spaceport Authority were dissolved to make way for Space Florida in 2006, he joined Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as a Space Policy Analyst and Director of Aerospace Development. He has since worked with Starfighters Aerospace, Saalex Corp., SimIS Corp., and currently ICF Corp. He serves on the board of the National Space Club, Florida Committee, publishes the weekly FLORIDA SPACErePORT newsletter, and was inducted in 2022 to the Florida Space Worker Hall of Fame. Link to his blog: http://spacereport.blogspot.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today we meet with three amazing young women, Sree Patnayakui, Abhi Soundarajan, and Celine Schauer.  These girls, ranging from middle to high school are members of the Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team and have aspiring futures in STEM. Check out what motivates these girls to love space along with their current aerospace goals.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

In this special centennial episode, Kevin and I look back on the amazing accomplishments of our students in the various programs offered by the Aerospace and Innovation Academy. Join us as we celebrate an incredibly productive and successful two years of podcasting and providing real world experiential aerospace opportunities. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Caeden Dooner is a 2nd year Aerospace Engineering student at the University of Central Florida. He started working on the AMARIS Lunar Rover with other Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team members while he was still in high school. In fact, one of our first interviews on this podcast (episode 2 to be specific) is when we first takjed with Caeden and his teammate Owen, whose now at UF.. The Rover will use components of CubeSat technologies and its mission is to mitigate lunar dust using electrostatics. In addition to an update on this long term project, Caeden shares insights into surviving your first few years in a rigorous engineering program. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Today we meet with Theresa Robertson, who has been inspiring elementary and middle school students in STEM in for over 22 years. Theresa has a Masters in STEM coaching and is working towards her  Education Specialist Degree in Educational Technology. Currently she is a STEM elective teacher in Missouri utilizing the well known program, Project Lead the Way, where she engages students with classes such as Flight and Space, Design and Modeling, and Computer Technologies. Thersa has presented nationally for the Smithsonian Educator Summit and with the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Teacher Innovator Institute. In addition to these impressive accolades, she is also a Space Station Ambassador as well as a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison. While she has several kids at school, she is also the mom of college aged twins! We are always inspired by passionate educators and we know you too will be inspired by Theresa Robertson. Please stay tuned after for our takeaways. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

Jake Pearman is an undergraduate at Florida Atlantic University pursuing a mechanical engineering degree with an aerospace certificate. He is also the president of FAU’s Aerospace Experimental Association, a student-focused club dedicated to providing a platform for students to learn STEM in engaging projects. Jake currently serves as the project manager, systems engineer, and software subsystem lead for a 6U CubeSat with the College of Engineering in partnership with Kennedy Space Center and the Florida Space Grant Consortium. Outside of academia, Jake is an officer in the Air Force ROTC Detachment 155 out of the University of Miami, where he has held numerous leadership positions, including being the Cadet Wing Commander in Fall of 2022. Once graduated, Jake will attend Air Force pilot training and serve on active duty for 10 years. We really enjoyed our time with Jake and hope you will stay tuned after for our takeaway. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support