Makers Meetup #16: Not Quite Science Fiction, an evening with NASA's NIAC
Details
For Makers Meetup #16 we will be hosting the leading researchers participating in NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts Program. We will be exploring the absolutely leading edge of space exploration technology. Speakers will include Katherine Reilly, Strategic Partnerships Manager NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) (https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/index.html), Dr. Jonathan Sauder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/) and Adrian Stoica, also of JPL.
The presenters will also be discussing a series of exciting mechanical challenges for makers to develop designs that would be able to survive and work on the surface of the deadliest planet in our solar system - Venus. Feedback from the attendees will help to guide NASA in the development of a national competition soliciting assistance from the community of Makers.
The moderator for the evening's program will be Dr. Basil Harris whose team recently won the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize (https://tricorder.xprize.org/).
The program and networking (including gourmet pizza) will kick off at 5:00 with a table-top Showcase featuring the presenting researchers as well as Circalux (http://getcircalux.com/), Airthinx (http://airthinx.io/), Emergency Information Systems (http://www.emergencyinfo.systems) and the Singh Center for Nanotechnology (https://www.nano.upenn.edu/).
The formal presentation will begin promptly at 6:30.
The program is free, but space is very limited, so sign up now to reserve your seat.
Our major sponsor is Arrow Electronics (https://www.arrow.com/en/products?wm_g_phyloc=9007272&wm_g_intloc=&gclid=CjwKEAjwudW9BRDcrd30kovf8GkSJAB3hTxFcJmWMGvq7IMP8-PPJdgM8ivf3d_BG1_faDW6gTSBEhoCtsHw_wcB&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=arrow+electronics&utm_campaign=us+-+brand+-+core) - underwriting the space and the food. Other regular sponsors include NextFab (http://www.nextfab.com/), Duane Morris (http://www.duanemorris.com/) and Ben Franklin Technology Partners (http://www.sep.benfranklin.org/) while the non-profit Merchants Fund (http://www.merchantsfund.org/) administers our finances. (http://www.dvirc.org/)Erica Minutella (https://www.ejminute.com/) manages our social media engagement.
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Kathy Reilly
Kathy Reilly manages Strategic Partnerships for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. She is a senior communications and media expert, Biologist/Microbiologist and award winning scientific and medical illustrator. Her strength is a diverse background in science, medicine, arts, communications, outreach and STEM education. She has previously worked as a Content Developer for the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry (MSI), the largest science and technology museum in the western hemisphere with over 14 acres of exhibits. Her expertise was the development of scientific and exploration exhibits with global content experts from many disciplines. She continues to be a member of MSI’s Senior Advisory Council. She has also worked with educational outreach programs to underserved students in "Mission to Mars: An Urban/Rural Collaborative To Inspire NASA's Next Generation” and developed the “NIAC: From Science Fiction to Science Fact” events which are showcased at major science and technology museums around the U.S. Her background also includes work at Yale University's Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry on the team that first visualized the molecular structure of the mechanism for brain neurotransmission. Most recently, she coordinated a partnership with World Book, Inc. that developed into an eight book series, “Out of This World”, about NIAC researchers that was released in August, 2017 and has been archived for future generations in the NASA Library.
Kathy also has a woman-owned business that takes complex medical, scientific and technical information/data and converts it into easy-to-understand images, graphics, videos and copy for many audiences at all technical levels.
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Adrian Stoica, PhD
Dr. Adrian Stoica got his PhD in 1995 with a thesis on robot learning by imitation, then moved to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and for the last 21 years has been involved in technology research and innovation in machine intelligence, human-robot interaction, and autonomous robots.
He is Supervisor of the Robotics Systems Estimation, Decision and Control Group. He is a NIAC Fellow, and for the last 4 years he has advanced concepts related to using TransFormers (as in shape changing robots) to redirect sunlight into shaded craters on the Moon, to power robotic equipment that would produce water and liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen that could be used as propellant for future flights to Mars and beyond. He is passionate about building a lunar power infrastructure that would enable a lunar economy.
He also has strong interests in building soft exoskeletons to improve mobility of the elders, and designing human-oriented intelligent machines.
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Jonathan Sauder, PhD
Dr. Jonathan Sauder is a mechatronics engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in the Technology Infusion Group, which seeks to bridge the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) "Valley of Death" for innovative concepts. Jonathan is the Principle Investigator on a Phase I and Phase II NIAC study "Automaton Rover for Extreme Environments", which explores how to enable a long-duration Venus rover using mechanical technology. He is also currently the Mechanical Engineering Lead on the RainCube Spacecraft, inventor of several patent pending deployable antennas and the Principle Investigator on two additional deployable antenna research projects. He completed a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California in 2013 focusing on how collaboration aids engineers in creating innovative designs and a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bradley University. Prior to receiving his Ph.D., he had worked in a number of R&D roles for companies like Mattel, Microsoft and technology startups.
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Basil M Harris, MD, PhD, FACEP
Dr. Harris is the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer for Basil Leaf Technologies.
Basil is a physician with a PhD in engineering. He has been actively practicing emergency medicine for over fifteen years, spending the last twelve at Lankenau Medical Center. For the third time in 2016, Dr. Harris was once again named an ER Top Doctor (http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Main-Line-Today/December-2016/Top-Doctors-2016/) by Main Line Today.
Despite his daily regimen of chaos in the ER, his engineering training is ever present. Basil’s years at Drexel University (Master of Science) and Cornell (PhD, Materials Engineering) hardwired him to think like an engineer and he is a constant tinkerer. He received his medical training at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Harris has research experience in medicine and engineering with over a dozen publications.
He and his co-founder, George Harris, are brothers who grew up in the Philadelphia region.
Organizations that have presented, sponsored or shown at our Meetup to date, include the following (11/25/17):
Adaptive Design (http://www.adaptivedesign.org/)
Airthinx (http://airthinx.io/)
AlaFlex (http://www.alaflexdesign.com/)
Annee London (http://www.anneelondon.com/)
Arrow Electronics (https://www.arrow.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAnvfDBRCXrabLl6-6t-0BEiQAW4SRUANMWH2clSGWVkgeQ7a_4CHGFCxSOAJwA8sw-OMTah4aAnwv8P8HAQ)
Baiada Institute (http://drexel.edu/baiada/)
Ballistic Curtain Cordon Systems
Basil Leaf Technologies (http://www.basilleaftech.com/) (Tricorder X-Prize winner)
Biobots (https://www.biobots.io/)
Biomaker Lab (UPenn)
Biomeme (http://biomeme.com/)
Biorealize (http://www.biorealize.com/#microbial-design-studio)
Bon Bouton by Flextrapower (http://bonbouton.co/index.html)
Bright Idea (http://brightidea.io/)
BucknBear Knives (https://bucknbearknives.com/)
BumpOut (https://bumpout.com/)
Canary Security Systems (https://canary.is/?gclid=CjwKEAjwsr-6BRCLvrj785rbhTsSJADjUxakQV_cHlKVNtNLAAN_4CWLYxxbYz2sgd1T3C1K6-vWlhoC6_fw_wcB?utm_source=meetcanary&utm_medium=ooh&utm_campaign=summer2015)
Chocamo (http://www.chocamo.com/)
Circalux (http://getcircalux.com/)
Climateon (http://www.climateon.com/)
Daisy Bluetooth Soil Moisture Probe (http://www.moedae.com/apps/daisy-bluetooth-plant-moisture-sensor)
Dreamit Ventures (http://www.dreamit.com/#meaningful-experience)
Drexel Center for Functional Fabrics (http://drexel.edu/excite/discovery/cff/)
Drexel Hyperloop Team (http://drexelhyperloopteam.com/blog.html)
Duane Morris (http://www.duanemorris.com/)
DVIRC (http://www.dvirc.org/)
Dxter (Tricorder) (http://www.basilleaftech.com/)
EAOS (https://www.byeaos.com/)
Franklin Institute (Science After Hours) (https://www.fi.edu/special-events/science-after-hours)
Futureworks Incubator (https://futureworks.nyc/incubator/)
Graphwear (http://graphwear.co/)
Guestof (http://www.guestofapp.com/)
Hax Hardware Accelerator (https://hax.co/)
Human Augmentation Venture
Iqinetics (http://iqinetics.com/)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/)
Just Bloomed (http://www.justbloomed.com/)
Kelby (https://gokelby.com/)
Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/)
Kittyo (http://kittyo.com/)
KRYSI (https://www.shopkrysi.com/)
Lia Diagnostics (http://www.liadiagnostics.com/)
Lightning Packs (http://www.lightningpacks.com/lightningpacks.com/Lightning_Packs,LLC%7C_Lightening_your_load,_lighting_your_way.html)
Loopit (http://www.redesign.studio/loopit.html)
Maker Media (including MAKE Magazine and Maker Faire) (http://makermedia.com/)
MANTA (Multi-purpose Autonomous Navigator & Trash Annihilator)
Mechanicards (http://www.mechanicards.com/)
MinkeeBlue (https://minkeeblue.com/)
Modos Furniture (https://modos.io/)
NEMCO (https://gust.com/companies/nemco)
New American Public Art (http://www.newamericanpublicart.com/)
Nucleus (http://www.nucleuslife.com/)
Nextfab (http://www.nextfab.com/)
Noria Air Conditioner (http://www.noriahome.com/)
Orange Maker (http://www.orangemaker.com/)
Outernets (http://outernets.co/)
OwlMedical (Turn Timer)
POWTI Innovations (https://www.powti.com/)
ProtoSauce (http://www.proto-sauce.com/)
Rapid Emergency Information (http://www.emergencyinformationsystems.com/)
Roar for Good (http://www.roarforgood.com/)
Robocandy (http://robocandy.com/)
Singh Center for Nanotechnology (https://www.nano.upenn.edu/)
Smartplate (http://www.getsmartplate.com/)
SOSV Accelerator VC (https://sosv.com/)
SpaceInk (http://spaceink.net/)
SPOR Chargers (http://www.sporchargers.com/#spor-energy)
Strados Labs (http://stradoslabs.com/)
The Merchants Fund (http://www.merchantsfund.org/)
Tozuda (http://www.tozuda.com/)
TrakBelt360 (http://trakbelt360.com/drupal/)
Unruly Studios (https://www.unruly-studios.com/)
Soltech Solutions (http://soltechsolutionsllc.com/)
Synotrac (http://www.synotrac.com/)
Tern Water (http://www.ternwater.com/)
TheraV (https://www.weartherav.com/)
United by Blue (http://unitedbyblue.com/)
Urban Leaf (https://geturbanleaf.com/)
Urban Manufacturing Alliance (http://www.urbanmfg.org/)
VUE Smart Glasses (http://www.enjoyvue.com/)
WaveBlock (http://waveblockcs.com/)
Wazer Waterjet (https://www.wazer.com/)
Wearlilu (http://wearlilu.com/)
xS4inc (https://xs4inc.com/)