PREVIOUS SPEAKERS

Dr. Jon Olansen

Dr. Jon B. Olansen is the manager of NASA’s Gateway Program, leading a team of international and commercial partners in the design, development, delivery, and eventual operation of a space station in a unique lunar orbit. Jon has previously led the development of the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module, the Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Crew Module, and the Morpheus Project.

Dr. Olansen has over 34 years of experience, beginning his career at JSC as a Space Shuttle flight controller, supporting 32 missions in NASA’s Mission Control Center. After a leave to earn his Ph.D., he returned to JSC where he eventually became a civil servant and held numerous positions of increasing responsibility, including Deputy Chief, Avionics Systems Division and Manager, Engineering Directorate Planning & Control Office.

November 5, 2024 | 6:30-8pm @ CHEN 102

JOHN ZIPAY

John J. Zipay worked at the NASA - Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center for 37 years. During that time he was the first lead structural engineer on the International Space Station (ISS). Mr. Zipay has traveled the world working with engineers from Europe, Japan, Russia and all over the United States to integrate the structural components of the ISS. Mr. Zipay also worked as the Deputy Branch Chief of the Structures Branch managing 30 structural engineers whose responsibilities included the ISS, the Commercial Crew Vehicles (SpaceX Dragon and Boeing Starliner), the Gateway Space Station, the Artemis Program, and development of advanced space structures using inflatable technology.

October 3, 2024 | 6:30-8pm @ RICH 313

Morgan Wood

Morgan Wood is a Senior Systems Engineer for Lockheed Martin Commercial Civil Space located in Denver, CO. He primarily works on electrical test and verification for the Orion spacecraft, and has supported Artemis missions I-IV. Prior to Lockheed Martin, Morgan was a Captain in the US Army, serving as an AH-64D Apache helicopter pilot for eight years. Notable tours of duty include Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and the Republic of Korea. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also has a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University, where he conducted graduate research under Dr. John Valasek in the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory. Morgan enjoys outdoor recreation in the Rocky Mountains to include hiking, camping, and skiing with his wife and two children.

September 5, 2024 | 6:30-8pm @ CHEN 102

GEORGE SALAZAR

Mr. Salazar has over 40 years of experience in telemetry, communications, speech control, command and data handling, audio, displays and controls, intelligent lighting, project management, and systems engineering. He has been involved with the design of advanced telemetry, speech recognition, and intelligent computer systems of which he has received various patents.

Mr. Salazar has received numerous awards including the NASA Silver Achievement Medal, the John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award, and the NASA/JSC Engineering Directorate Legacy Award for his contributions to human spaceflight. His roles include the Displays and Controls Subsystem Manager for the Commercial Crew Program, responsible for astronaut crew interfaces of both the SpaceX Dragon crew vehicle and the Artemis Human Lander System Computer Human Interface System Manager. Mr. Salazar was also co-founder of the successful NASA/JSC Human Systems Integration (HSI) Employee Resource Group, with the key goal of infusing HSI into the NASA agency development process.

April 3, 2024 | 7-8pm @ MSC 2501

Steve Riley

Steve Riley is the Acting Chief of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, used for astronaut training and systems familiarization. Steve was born in Northern California and grew up in Northwest Houston. He began his career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1996 after graduating from Texas A&M University with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He supported assembly of the International Space Station as a Robotics Flight Controller from 1996 to 2010, and served as the Group Lead for Mechanisms and Maintenance Systems, coordinating maintenance and repair activities onboard the International Space Station, from 2010 to 2015.

March 6, 2024 | 7-8pm @ MSC 2501

Catch the Recording here: General Meeting Steve Riley

Dr. MICHAEL MARTIN

Dr. Martin has been working in the aerospace industry for 23 years as a test engineer, design analyst, flight controller, and a Principal Investigator for 14 government-funded projects. While with Lockheed Martin, he designed the propulsion sub-assembly for the Orion Service Module, led a committee that selected fasteners for the entire module, and was given an award for his work.

In his current role as Director of the Advanced Propellants group at Benchmark Space Systems, he manages a range of propellant and propulsion research to develop less expensive and more effective means of providing spacecraft thrust. His expertise is in utilizing computational models to reduce the design cycle duration by reducing the need for physical tests. He graduated in 2014 with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and holds degrees from the University of New Orleans. He is a Senior Member of AIAA and enjoys speaking to student organizations about space exploration.

February 7, 2024 | 7-8pm @ MSC 2501

Catch the Recording here: General Meeting Dr. Michael Martin

Dr. Michael Tice

I am a geobiologist and astrobiologist who draws upon techniques from experimental microbiology, geochemistry, and sedimentary geology. My aims are to advance understanding of the linkages between the evolution of life and its environment and to reduce impacts of energy extraction on water resources. My specific research interests over the next 5-10 years are focused on the structuring and evolution of microbial ecosystems over deep time, the remote field geology and astrobiology of Mars, and the use of paleo-geobiological models to minimize water use and improve water recycling during production of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs.

September 20, 2023 | 7-8pm @ Rudder Tower 410

Dr. Ana Diaz Artiles

Dr. Ana Diaz Artiles is an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University. Her interests focus on the engineering, biomedical, and human factors aspects of space exploration, including artificial gravity, spacesuits, space physiology, and human health countermeasures. At Texas A&M University, she directs the “Bioastronautics and Human Performance” research lab. She received her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2015, where she studied artificial gravity combined with exercise as a countermeasure for spaceflight-related physiological deconditioning. Prior to MIT, Ana worked for five years in Kourou (French Guiana) as a member of the Ariane 5 launch team. Dr. Diaz-Artiles has a background in aeronautical engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), and SUPAERO in Toulouse (France). She is a 2011 Fulbright fellow and a 2014 Amelia Earhart Fellowship recipient

October 18, 2023 | 7-8 pm @ MSC 2505

Catch the Recording here: General Meeting Dr. Ana Artiles

Dr. Daniel Selva

Dr. Daniel Selva is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he directs the Systems Engineering, Architecture, and Knowledge (SEAK) Lab.

Dr. Selva has a dual background in electrical engineering and aeronautical engineering, with degrees from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, and Supaero in Toulouse, France. He received a PhD in Space Systems from MIT in 2012. Prior to MIT, Dr. Selva worked for four years in Kourou (French Guiana) between 2004 and 2008 as an avionics specialist within the Ariane 5 Launch team.

Dr. Selva's research interests are somewhere between the intersection and the union of space systems, artificial intelligence, and engineering system design. Ultimately, Dr. Selva is most inspired by two things: everything space and the Systems scientists of the 1970’s such as Herbert Simon, who conducted multi-disciplinary research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, economics, statistics, and decision analysis.

November 15, 2023 | 7-8 pm @ MSC 2505

Catch the Recording here: General Meeting Dr. Daniel Selva

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