Agenda
Wednesday, April 23
hear from academic and industry professionals about the emerging commercial space ecosystem
Workshop for Research in Low-Earth Orbit
Igniting the Global Ecosystem for the Future of Space Commercialization, April 23-24, 2025 at the Ohio Union
7:30 am-8:30 am
Registration & Networking
8:35 am-9:00 am
Starlab: Transforming Humanity in the New Era of Space Exploration
Brad Henderson
Chief Commercial Officer, Starlab Space
9:00 am-9:30 am
Keynote: The Future of Living and Working in Space
Larry Traxler
Senior Vice President for Global Designs, Hilton Hotels
9:30 am-10:00 am
Research and Education: The First Link in the Value Chain of Prosperity
John Horack
Professor, The Ohio State University
10:00 am-10:30 am
Networking Break
10:30 am-11:15 am
Research to Revenue: Turning Space Research into Market Generations and Innovations
Neeraj Gupta
Chief Innovation Officer, Voyager Technologies
11:15 am-12:00 pm
Next Generation Payload System for Microgravity Research and Commercial Utilization
Winfried Aicher
Project Manager, Airbus Defence and Space
Sammy Moseley
Technical Lead, Palantir Technologies
Courtenay McMillan
Mission Segement Lead, Starlab Space
12:00 pm-1:15 pm
Lunch
Featured Lunch Talk: Adrift: Navigating the Arctic with LEO Satellites
Zak Kassas
TRC Endowed Chair in Intelligent Transportation Systems, The Ohio State University
Dave Marsh
Technical Advisor, The Wilson Center
1:15 pm-2:00 pm
Science Parks as Space Hubs: Accelerating Innovation on Earth and Beyond and Overview of GWC Science Park
Shintaro Kubota
Senior Manager, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas)
Kohei Okamura
Director of Business Development, Starlab Space LLC
Manwei Chan
Director of International and Science Development, Voyager Technologies
2:00 pm-2:30 pm
Bridging Space Law and Emerging Frontiers: Governance, AI, Ethics, and Sustainability Beyond Earth
Lesley Jane Smith
Partner, Weber-Steinhaus & Smith
2:30 pm-3:00 pm
Lessons from the Lab: From Skylab to ISS and Beyond
Michael Johanson
Senior Vice President and Chief Growth Office, Parallax Advanced Research
3:00 pm-3:30 pm
Break & Networking Session
3:30 pm-4:00 pm
Keynote: An Astronaut's Perspective for Living and Working in LEO in the Post ISS Era
Dr. Kate Rubins
NASA Astronaut
Thursday, April 24
engage with leaders for high-quality technical sessions
Day Two
*Attendees will have the option to attend one topic for each of the three sessions
7:30 am-8:00 am
Breakfast & Networking
Session One - 8:00 am-10:00 am
Great Hall Room
Starlab Utilization
Session Chair: Brad Henderson
Chief Commercial Officer, Starlab Space
Senate Room
Quantum Information Science and Engineering in Space
Session Chair: Ronald M. Reano
Professor, The Ohio State University
Cartoon Room
From Concept to Orbit: AI Workshop for Space-Bound Payloads
Session Co-Chair: Kohei Okamura
Director of Business Development, Starlab Space LLC
Session Co-Chair: Jonathan Volk
Business Development Director, Space Solutions, Voyager Technologies
Session Two - 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Cartoon Room
Pioneering the Future: George Washington Carver Science Park Space Innovation Pitch Competition
Session Chair: Manwei Chan
Director of International and Science Development, Voyager Technologies
Senate Room
From Silos to Ecosystem: Redefining the Future Food System and Connecting Opportunities to Make it a Reality
Session Co-Chair: Angela Herblet
Program Analyst & Challenge Manager, NASA Centennial Challenges Program
Session Co-Chair: Ralph Fritsche
Retired NASA Kennedy Space Center Space Crop Production and Exploration Food System Project Manager
John Wetzel
Senior Program Manager, Sierra Space
Robert Morrow
Principal Scientist, Sierra Space
Jacob Scoccimerra
Strategy Lead, Interstellar Lab
Annie Shelton
PhD candidate, University of Cambridge
Flávia Fayet-Moore
CEO, FOODiQ Global
Dalia David
Chef and Co-Founder, Heritage Space Food
Great Hall Room
Starlab Internal Payload Platform and Payload Integration Workshop
Session Chair: Migo Jentsch
Mechanical Architect, AIRBUS Defence and Space
John Trzinski
Mission and Payload Systems Manager, The Ohio State University
12:30 pm-1:45 pm
Lunch
Session Three - 1:45 pm-3:45 pm
Great Hall Room
Space Life Sciences 2050: Bold Visions & Breakthroughs – An Interactive Future-Building Workshop
Session Chair: Luis Zea
Chief Scientist, Starlab Space
Hannah Roberts
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida
Cartoon Room
Advanced Materials and Manufacturing in Space
Session Co-Chair: Kohei Okamura
Director of Business Development, Starlab Space LLC
Session Co-Chair: Jonathan Volk
Business Development Director, Space Solutions, Voyager Technologies
Vanya Buvac
Business Officer, Goeppert LLC
Jiya Janowitz
CTO, Astral Materials
Senate Room
Bioastronautics: Astronaut Health & The Built Environment
Session Chair: Dave Williams
Director of Global University Research and Industry Partnerships, The Ohio State University
Michael Goodson
Research Biologist, Air Force Research Laboratory
Christopher Maurer
Principal Architect, redhouse studio architecture
3:45 pm-4:30 pm
Closing Remarks
5:00 pm
Conference Reception at the Varsity Club, open to all attendees
278 West Lane Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
Lodging
room blocks ARE NOW available at the following location, provided by Hilton hotels
Hilton Columbus Downtown
402 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215
Use this link to book at the Hilton Columbus Downtown for a DISCOUNTED RATE
For those who wish to forgo the room block, lodging is available at
The Blackwell Inn
2110 Tuttle Park Pl, Columbus, OH 43210
Parking
parking for the workshop will be available in the Ohio union south garage
Ohio Union South Garage
1759 North High Street Columbus, Ohio 43210
Sponsors
