Rediscovering SPACE: A TEDxFSCJ Event
William Jackson, Social Media Team Member
of TEDxFSCJ http://tedxfscj.com

“Rediscovering SPACE,” a TEDxFSCJ community event, hosted at the Museum of Science and History (MOSH) in Jacksonville, Florida
William Jackson, M.Ed. and Dr. Jose G. Lepervanche, Social Media Team broadcasting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The knowledgeable panelists spoke about the future of SPACE travel, evolving careers in STEM, manufacturing in space, and traveling to distant planets and galaxies. The panelists shared their knowledge, experiences, and passion for the SPACE industry and discovery. They also discussed that minority children need to be exposed to careers in STEAM to allow them growth in careers that will allow educational progression, exposure to new and developing technologies, and equipping them to
have a voice and a place in future decision-making areas, where technology is the key to
advancement and success in life.

Taylor Richardson, a 7^th grade student and one of the awesome panelists, dreams of being an astronaut and is an advocate for literacy for inner-city children and STEAM education in schools, and is also active in her community of Jacksonville, Florida.

Taylor is an honors student at The Bolles School, and travels nationally speaking to youth, teens, and young adults about career choices in STEAM and building girls’ confidence to motivate them to dream big and reach literally for the stars in space exploration.

Other members of the panel represented private space industries, NASA scientists, engineers, and astronauts who will be flying into space in the future. SPACE allowed the audience to learn about constellations, future missions to deep space, the importance of the International Space Station, and humanity’s potential role in the galaxy and beyond.

There is great passion for the exploration of SPACE and the experimentation of manufacturing in weightless environments that offer new opportunities to discover and create new substances.

The development of new industries in science, engineering, and the passion for exploration helps to fuel industry, education, and coming commerce related to SPACE.

The passion for SPACE was seen in the audience as a video production of the formation of the stars, the importance of comets, and how deep space research influences life on earth.

The community is encouraged to take opportunities to visit the MOSH and learn more about how to apply that knowledge to future careers that broaden man’s understanding and take advantage of community events.

The panelists consisted of:
KATHLEEN O’BRADY
Lead Certification System Engineer for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program

CHELSEA PARTRIDGE
Engineer for Lockheed Martin Space Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

DR. MIKE REYNOLDS
Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Florida State College at Jacksonville and
the Executive Director Emeritus of the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California

TAYLOR RICHARDSON
Student at The Bolles School in Jacksonville and an accomplished science advocate.
She is a student space ambassador for The Mars Generation.

ANDREW RUSH
President and CEO of Silicon Valley-based Made In Space, Inc., the first manufacturing
company in space.

JENNIFER RULIFFSON
A NASA Solar System Ambassador who has hosted several events centered on space
and space exploration.

Resources:
TEDxFSCJ – http://www.tedxfscj.com