Patti Grace Smith STEM Award
The Future Space Leaders Foundation received the The Patti Grace Smith STEM Award in 2022, which recognizes a student, teacher, or program who/that has demonstrated a commitment to scientific excellence and the expansion of knowledge for the next generation of commercial space pioneers.
Future Space Leaders partners with Students for the Exploration and Development of Space to provide grants to start chapters at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The Foundation
The Future Space Leaders Foundation (“FSLF”) is a tax exempt 501 c 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the career development of young space and satellite industry professionals. The Foundation organizes events and raises funds for grants to deserving graduate students and young professionals. FSLF works in cooperation with other non-profits, companies and government agencies on space-related educational events. FSLF is also actively promoting the professional development of young Americans targeting careers in the academic fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (“STEAM”).
Through its annual Future Space event, FSLF advances learning and fosters interaction among current space and satellite industry leaders with graduate students and young professionals. The Foundation made eight grant awards in 2013-2014 to outstanding American graduate students and young professionals enabling them to attend and present papers at major space-related symposia and conferences including the IAF International Astronautical Congress, SGAC Space Congress, AAS Goddard Memorial Symposium, NSC Goddard Dinner, Satellite 2014, SSPI Gala, AIAA Spotlight Awards and ISPCS.
Our Mission
To advance learning and professional enrichment of young space professionals and future leaders pursuing careers in the fields of space and satellites.
To stimulate the professional growth and enhancement of future space professionals and to foster cooperation and interaction among current leaders in the space field with graduate students and young professionals seeking to pursue careers in the fields of space and satellites.
To assist graduate students and young professionals in attending space and satellite industry conferences and events through grants covering legitimate travel and registration related expenses.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Bradley Cheetham, Advanced Space
Chairman
Sirisha Bandla, Virgin Galactic
Vice Chair
Jackie Cortese, Blue Origin
Treasurer
Lyn D. Wigbels, AAS
Awards Chair
Debra Facktor, AIRBUS U.S. Space & Defense, Inc.
Director
Joe Landon, Crescent Space
Director
Aaron Lewis, Arianespace
Director
Eric Stallmer, Voyager Space Holdings
Director
Brett Silcox
Director
Yasmine Almond, Voyager Space
Executive Director
Commitees
Awards Committee
Lyn Wygbels
Chair
Program Committee
Yasmine Almond
Chair
Outreach Committee
Tara Halt
Chair
Advisory Board
Clayton Mowry, Voyager Space Holdings
Chair Emeritus
Carissa Christensen, Bryce
Chair
Brett Alexander, Blue Origin
Richard DalBello, GXO, Inc.
Lori Garver, Founder of The Brooke Owens Fellowship
Pat Hynes, New Mexico Space Grant
William A. Klanke, Space Intel Report
Phil McAlister, NASA
James V. Zimmerman
Sponsors
2023
Past Sponsors
Partners
On July 12, 2023, the Future Space Leaders Foundation hosted a two-part event for its 12th annual Future Space event in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. The panels and some keynotes took place at the Hart Senate office which included a light fast casual launch at the Senate. The lunch event played host to a range of space company hardware pieces for display to attendees. The conference continued at a DC downtown rooftop for a networking and keynote reception. The day aimed at exploring cutting edge technologies and brave new applications poised to transform the space and satellite industry. Future Space 2023 part 2 raided funds to support educational programs and networking opportunities for graduate students and young professionals pursuing careers in the space and satellite industry.
Agenda
July 12, 2023 - Hart Senate Office Building
10:45am: Check-In
11:00am: Welcome Remarks from Future Space Leaders Chairman Bradley Cheetham
11:10am: Commercial Exploration Panel
- Moderator: Carissa Christensen, BryceTech
- Brad Cheetham, Advanced Space
- Joe Landon, Crescent Space
- Gus Miller, Blue Origin
- Karina Drees, Commercial Spaceflight Federation
12:00pm: Civil Space Remarks - Bob Cabana, NASA
12:30pm: Lunch & Space Experience
Accompanying a casual lunch, companies will bring hardware or displays to the Senate room for attendees to interact with during the lunch period. Company representatives will have the chance to present technologies or explain missions to conference attendees.
1:50pm: Remarks from International Astronautical Federation - Clay Mowry, President
2:15pm: White House Remarks - Diane Howard, National Space Council
2:30pm: Congressional Remarks - Senator Kyrsten Sinema
2:45pm: Civil Space Panel: On Orbit Activities – The Public, Private Perspective
- Moderator: Eric Stallmer, Voyager Space
- Carolyn Belle, Astroscale US
- Patricia Cooper, Constellation Advisory, LLC
- Caryn Schenewerk, CS Consulting
3:30pm: National Security Fireside Chat 1
- Travis Langster, Office of Under Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense
- Chris Beauregard, Future Space Leaders Fellow 2018
4:00pm: National Security Fireside Chat 2
- Col. Eric Felt, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, Department of Defense
- Debra Facktor, U.S. Space Systems at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc.
4:30pm: Congressional Remarks - Senator John Hickenlooper
4:45pm: Concluding Remarks - Chairman Bradley Cheetham
5:30-8:00pm: Reception at Downtown Location
Congressional Speaker - Representative Doug Lamborn
Past Future Space Agendas
Past Speakers
- U.S. Representative Jim Bridenstine
- U.S. Representative Ken Calvert
- U.S. Representative Trent Franks (AZ)
- Lori Garver, Former Deputy Administrator, NASA
- U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (NM)
- U.S. Representative James R. “Jim” Langevin
- Douglas Loverro, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon
- U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (FL)
- U.S. Representative Steven Palazzo
- U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher
- U.S. Senator Mark E. Udall (CO)
- U.S. Senator David Vitter
Grant Program
The Future Space Leaders Foundation (FSLF) is pleased to announce the 2023 Future Space Leaders Grant Program. Intended for U.S. graduate students and young professionals who are pursuing space- and satellite-related careers, the program will provide grants for participation in the 74th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, October 2 – 6. 2023. In addition to attending the IAC, Grant Recipients will also be involved in supplementary career development activities in Paris. These IAC-associated events include the Cross-Cultural Presentation Workshop, the United Nations/International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Workshop and the Young Professionals Workshop. These additional activities will necessitate Grantees’ presence in Baku, Azerbaijan, beginning on September 27.
Grant application submission has closed.
Congratulations to the 2023 Grant Winners
2023 Grant Winners
Dr. Elizabeth Barrios is an avionics materials failure analyst at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Working in the Avionics Division of the Space Systems Department, Elizabeth’s work focuses on the failure analysis of avionics components for NASA & its commercial partners, the DoD, and the FAA. She is also a co-founder of the A2MPERES Lab at MSFC where multiple researchers are focusing on the development of Advanced Avionics and Materials for Energy Research and Environmental Sensing. The work ongoing in this lab encompasses efforts for the in-space manufacturing efforts for printed electronics and sensors. Previously, she was a Materials Research Engineer with the National Institute of Aerospace focusing on the development of in-situ monitoring tools for the surface preparation of carbon fiber polymer composites for adhesive bonding and the atomistic modeling efforts for the development of all solid-state lithium ion batteries.
Srinivasa (Aditya) Bhattaru is a systems engineer working at Blue Origin, working on integration and development of human spaceflight vehicles. He currently works as an integrator on the Blue Moon lander project selected by NASA’s Artemis program, as well as supporting flight operations of the New Shepard vehicle as a crew systems chair; he has also worked on other human spaceflight programs at Blue, including the Orbital Reef program. Aditya brings valuable research experience in systems engineering, astrobiology, and planetary science, with a keen interest in working across interdisciplinary and international boundaries. He was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow and a recent graduate of the International Space University’s Space Studies Program. Aditya holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech and an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.
Julia Di is a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University, studying sensing and perception for robotic manipulation. She hopes that one day her robots will enable scientific exploration and improve the lives of many for the better. She has received a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation Fellowship, Women in Aerospace Scholarship, and an Aviation Week Twenty20s Award. She is also a Class of 2018 Brooke Owens Fellow, and a young professional mentor for the Zed Factor Fellowship and Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. She graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Mechatronics at Stanford University.
Shravan Hariharan is an incoming Advanced Concepts Systems Engineer at Blue Origin, and a recent graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a S.M. in Aeronautics and Astronautics. At MIT, his research focused on In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), specifically with the production of oxygen on Mars to support future human space exploration. He is a member of the Mars 2020 Science Team working on the MOXIE project, which is the first ever demonstration of ISRU on another planetary body. At MIT, he worked on utilizing ground-based laboratory testbeds to further characterize the MOXIE system and inform design of a next-generation Martian oxygen production plant. At Blue Origin, he will be working on formulating and evaluating concepts for permanently crewed lunar and on-orbit platforms.
Emma Louden is an astrophysicist, strategist, and speaker. She is a Ph.D. candidate in astrophysics at Yale University. She is passionate about future-focused strategy for astrophysics, engaging the public with space exploration, & philanthropic work focused on applying evidence-based solutions to solve the world’s most pressing problems. When not working on her Ph.D., she focuses on my STEM workforce project, Space to Sparkle, her podcast, & supporting the next generation of astronomers through the Summer Science Program.
Owen Marr is a Systems Engineer at Blue Origin working on the New Shepard program. He is dedicated to improving the accessibility of space through human exploration and commercial development. Owen works on several aspects of New Shepard including payload integration, astronaut devices, and mission development. He also works with the University Relations team at Blue to promote university collaborations and student recruitment. Outside of Blue, Owen is the Chair of SEDS USA's Young Professional Advisory Board where he advises and assists the student leaders of SEDS. Owen holds a BSE in Aerospace Engineering (2020) and a MEng in Space Engineering (2021) from the University of Michigan. As a student he was heavily involved with SEDS as the SEDScast host and as President of the Michigan chapter. Owen served as a graduate instructor for the Aerospace MBSE course series during his grad studies. Outside of space, Owen enjoys boating, snowboarding, and playing soccer.
Tobias Niederwieser is an Assistant Research Professor at BioServe Space Technologies within the University of Colorado Boulder where he serves as Principal Investigator on several grants for space life science experiments. Of particular focus is the in-space manufacturing of human pluripotent stem cells for regenerative therapy applications on Earth. Previously, he led the development of several novel facilities operating continuously onboard the ISS including science incubators, centrifuges, life support systems, as well as crew galley refrigerators and is currently developing similar facilities for commercial and lunar space stations. Additionally, Tobias was involved in a radiation biology experiment onboard Artemis-I conducting the furthest active biology experiment with sample return ever performed. He is honored to have been named a NASA Group Achievement Award recipient, an AIAA Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award fellow, and an Aviation Week Twenty20s awardee. Originally born in Austria, Tobias received his bachelor’s degree from the Technical University of Munich in Germany before moving to the United States for his master’s and doctorate degrees in bioastronautics and taking part in the International Space University’s Space Studies Program in Israel. In his free time, Tobias performs outreach for human spaceflight and enjoys using his Private Pilot Certificate.
2022
Manwei Chan is an NSF Fellow and PhD Candidate in Aerospace Engineering at MIT, studying responsive, remote sensing satellite constellations. He wants to mature the commercial space ecosystem, eventually allowing more people and projects to utilize space. For his Master's degree, he wrote a guidance algorithm that would allow satellite servicing vehicles to dock with a tumbling object. He is also a 2019 Matthew Isakowitz Fellow, and while at NanoRacks, developed strategies for commercial space station applications. He is also the current international coordinator at Voyager Space, where he is working on developing international governmental and academic partners for Starlab and the rest of the Voyager ecosystem. Outside of academics he is involved with STEM outreach, organizing the MIT Space Seminar, MIT SpaceTech, and SGAC Fusion Forum, events geared toward young professionals and designed to inspire future generations of space enthusiasts. In his free time, he likes to ski, hike, and play football (soccer).
Vera Demchenko currently works as a Systems Test and Verification Engineer on the Lockheed Martin's Orion Program. In 2019, she completed her Astrophysics BA at University of Colorado Boulder. Vera is a Class of 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow, a young professional mentor for the Zed Factor Fellowship and Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, and an active member of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). She is passionate about commercial space programs and space sustainability. Previously, Vera has interned at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as the Outreach Coordinator and has worked as a Public Presenter at the Fiske Planetarium. She encourages young people from all backgrounds to pursue their professional development goals and takes great pleasure in being a mentor for the next generation.
Skylar Eiskowitz is an Aeronautics and Astronautics PhD student in the Engineering System Lab (ESL) at MIT. She was a 2018 Brooke Owens fellow and is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Fellowship, which helps support her research on autonomous satellite communication networks. Prior to her graduate studies, Skylar received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and has interned at Avascent, the Aerospace Corporation, and Raytheon BBN. Skylar is also involved in a research project where she builds machine learning models for financial options, and loves to share her passions for space systems, optimization, and finance through mentorship opportunities. In her free time, she enjoys pursuing hobbies of surfing, basketball, and volleyball.
Sorina Lupu is a 3rd year PhD student at Caltech, studying aerospace engineering. She has two master degrees, one from Caltech in space engineering and another one from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne in Robotics and Autonomous Systems. Sorina is also an affiliate of the Keck Institute of Space Studies (KISS), a 'think and do tank' that develops revolutionary new science approaches, technology, and mission concepts. Sorina’s current research focuses on autonomy, control, and machine learning applied to robotics and spacecraft. Her research was published in prestigious journals such as Science Robotics. Before coming to Caltech, she led numerous teams during her master’s and bachelor's studies. For example, she led the first Swiss team to participate in the Spaceport America Cup, the biggest rocket competition for students, and the first Romanian team to participate in the REXUS/BEXUS rocket project. In addition, she won numerous awards like the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, given by Zonta International and the Anita Borg Women Techmakers given by Google.
Chris Nie is the Senior Business Development Manager for Advanced Programs at Sierra Space, a commercial space company building platforms in space to benefit life on Earth. Chris identifies new business opportunities across government and commercial markets in this role. Prior to Sierra Space, Chris worked at Lockheed Martin in business development for deep space exploration missions and as an engineer on multiple programs including Orion, LunIR, and GPS III. He worked at BioServe Space Technologies during his Master’s Degree and spent time as a co-op at NASA Johnson Space Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. He is active in the Space Generation Advisory Council where he previously managed the Space Generation Congress, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics serving leadership positions in multiple committees, the International Astronautical Federation, and is an alumnus of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. He is honored to have been named a Future Space Leaders Foundation Fellow, a Space Generation Leadership Award recipient, and an Aviation Week Twenty20s awardee as a rising leader in Aerospace and Defense. Chris graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences focused in Bioastronautics.
Cadence Payne (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. She's a member of the Space Telecommunications, Astronomy and Radiation lab where she specializes in CubeSat mission and payload design for Earth observing missions. Since coming to MIT, she’s been involved with 8 CubeSat missions, some of which she served as lead Systems Engineer and/or Project Manager. Her dissertation work involves the design of CubeSat-based hyperspectral imaging payloads that monitor fluctuations in ocean behavior to inform climate change mitigation strategies and climate models. Outside of academic endeavors, she's also heavily involved with Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), mentoring, and outreach initiatives at both departmental and institutional levels, as well as with Career Girls and #BlackInAstro. She extends these efforts as a member of the GEM, Matthew Isakowitz, and Patti Grace Smith Fellowship programs. Prior to coming to MIT, Cadence earned a B.S. in Space Science from Morehead State University in Kentucky, her home state. She also holds a S.M. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT’s AeroAstro department.
Esther Putman is a Bioastronautics Ph.D. student studying virtual reality astronaut training at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received a B.S in Neuroscience and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Kentucky in 2019. In 2021, she received a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and an M.E. in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has followed her passion for the future of humans in space as a Parabolic Flight Coach for Zero Gravity Corporation, a Research Payload Systems Engineer with Space Tango, and a Space Life Sciences Training Program Researcher at NASA Ames. She received a 2020 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and 2018 Women in Aerospace and Astronaut Scholarships. She was also selected as a 2018 Brooke Owens Fellow, where she worked with Earth Observation teams at Vulcan Inc. to address global issues in climate change and illegal elephant poaching. She advocates for research funding for the International Space Station by speaking to policy makers about how access to space improves life on Earth. Esther has a strong passion for STEM education and showing students how they can become involved in space exploration, leading hands-on STEM outreach activities with middle and high school students across the nation.
Jack Reid (he/him) is a PhD student working in the Space Enabled Research Group at the MIT Media Lab. His research focuses on the use of Earth Observation (EO) technologies for sustainable development. His IAC paper details the framework that he and his collaborators use to ensure that such EO applications are participative and targeted towards the needs of all stakeholders, not just the wealthy and powerful. In addition to his research work, he is very involved in advancing policies that benefit graduate students, including facilitating the recent launch of the Graduate Research and Development (GRAD) Caucus in the US House of Representatives. Prior to his PhD program, he completed a dual masters in Aeronautics & Astronautics and Technology Policy from MIT. His undergraduate was at Texas A&M University, where he received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in Philosophy.
Aaron Zucherman is a Matthew Isakowitz Commercial Space Fellow and Systems Engineering Ph.D. Candidate at Cornell University. His experiences in the space industry range include roles as an engineer, researcher, business developer, project manager and policy analyst at 2 Federal Research labs (The Aerospace Corporation and Los Alamos National Labs) and 5 private businesses (AeroVironment, Ecliptic Enterprises, Altius Space Machines, Twiggs Space Lab and Kentucky Dataseam initiative). Aaron is an active member in several space research groups and projects including NASA’s Small Satellite Reliability Initiative, the Space Generation Advisory Council, INCOSE’s Space Systems Working Group and the Small Payload Ride Share Association’s Multi-Manifest Design Specification project. Through these organizations, he has supported research on a variety of topics such as responsive space enterprises, spacecraft regulatory compliance, leveraging commercial terrestrial capabilities in space, enabling modular and interoperable space platform solutions, and the insertion of new and game-changing technologies and innovations into heritage organizations. As a 2021 graduate of NASA’s Planetary Science Summer School, and a mission manager for two academic Cubesat missions (NMTsat and Cislunar Explorers), Aaron’s academic experience spans from the study and design of Earth-orbiting and Interplanetary CubeSats missions and proposals, to the application of systems engineering methodologies, agile technology development processes and risk and cost analysis techniques to space technology development efforts. As of May 2022, Aaron has authored 19 published papers and has given over a dozen technical presentations at various conferences including the CubeSat Developers Workshop, AIAA Small Satellite Conference, IEEE Aerospace Conference, and International Space Development Conference. He is also an active mentor in several educational and professional development programs through the SGAC, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Scouts BSA. Aaron attended Morehead State University’s Space Systems Engineering MS program and graduated with honors from New Mexico Tech with an BS in Mechanical Engineering.
2021
Shayna Hume
Josh Ingersoll
Molly MacEachen
Ufuoma Ovienmhada
Simon Shuham
Andrew Swackhamer
Anna Voelker
2019
Tatem Burns
Liz De La Torre
Conor Duggan
Tanya Harrison
Caroline Juang
Steven Ramm
Dr. Todd F. Sheerin
Caleb Williams
Melodie Yashar
2018
Chris Beauregard
Stephanie Booth
Hiroshi Furyua
Emily Petersen
Barret Schlegelmilch
Lauren Smith
Jeffrey Stuart
2017
Deepak Atyam
Sirisha Bandla
John Conafay
Joshua W. Ehrlich
McClain Goggin
Peter Schulte
Anna Thomas
2016
Travis Doom
Alexander Gibson
Tara Halt
Kavya K. Manyapu
Tomoya Mori
William O'Neill
Javier Stober
Dr. Danielle Wood
Brittany Zimmerman
2015
Fr. Justin Atchison
Sarah Hefter Flanigan
Raphael Perrino
Jillianne Pierce
Julia Stalder
Paul Warren
2014
Alexander Burg
Anne Caraccio
Katrina Laygo
Samantha Marquart
Mandy Sweeney
2013
Jason Dunn
Paul Guthrie
Aaron Olson
Donate
The Future Space Leaders Foundation and our esteemed fellows depend on contributions from corporations and donations to provide these incredible opportunities to those who will lead us to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
If you are interested in supporting FSFL, please consider donating on a recurring monthly or annual basis. A donation of just $50 a month will provide promising young professionals the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the International Astronautical Conference. At IAC, they will have the opportunity to network with, deliver their exceptional research to, and learn from the international space community.
As a 501c3 organization your gift not only help enable future space industry leaders but the gifts are also tax deductible.