Blog 3

The ICSSA 2020 conference was held in the Hilton Arlington, in Washington D.C., USA on January 14-16, 2020. This conference is intended to raise awareness of the growing problem of orbital debris and develop mitigation strategies. 62 people from 10 countries were in attendance, with the furthest traveling from Egypt, India, and the Republic of Korea. This conference was very successful, and many interesting ideas were shared. Increased international cooperation between countries is the goal of the next conference, scheduled to be held in 2021.

A Focus Group Discussion Meeting on the Future of STEAM for Space took place at MIT, Cambridge on October 28, 2019. The focus group meeting was organized and chaired under the auspices of the International Academy of Astronautics by Prof. Dr. Liya Regel (Chair, IAA Study Group “STEAM for Space”) with the essential help of the office of Prof. Dr. Wesley Harris (NAE, IAA), AeroAstro Department at MIT. The Focus Group meeting brought together the fresh eyes of representatives from different organizations and countries. It showed the way to create novel approaches to advance STEAM for Space, and to make important steps in recognizing the importance of STEAM for education in general. Participants and guests received a special invitation for the one-day meeting, including a campus and lab tour, impressive poster presentations on research by MIT AeroAstro Department graduate students, and more.

Arthur Dula received the 2019 Social Sciences section Award on October 20, 2019 in Washington DC, USA.

Photo: from left to the right: Francisco Mendieta-Jimenez, Mexico, Marius-Ioan Piso, Romania, Arthur Dula, USA and Jean-Michel Contant, France.