National Science Foundation’s Susan Margulies to Keynote Conversation on Funding Space Research at ISSRDC
Seattle (WA), July 12, 2023 – A key leader from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will share a keynote conversation at the 12th annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference(Abbreviation: ISSRDC) The only conference dedicated exclusively to showcasing how the International Space Station is advancing science and technology and enabling a robust and sustainable market in LEO. This annual conference brings together leaders from the commercial sector, U.S. government agencies, and academic communities to foster innovation and discovery onboard the space station. ISSRDC is hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, manager of the ISS National Lab; NASA; and the American Astronautical Society. (ISSRDC). Susan Margulies, NSF Assistant Director for Engineering, will describe how fundamental research performed on the space station paves the way for future advancements and positively impacts humanity.
Through its Directorate for Engineering, the NSF aims to drive engineering discovery, inspire innovation, enrich education, and accelerate access to engineering research and education to help transform our world for a better tomorrow. With an annual budget of nearly $800 million, the NSF Engineering Directorate provides more than 40 percent of federal funding for fundamental research in engineering at academic institutions and distributes approximately 1,200 awards supporting research and education each year.
“NSF-funded engineering research on board the space station enables new discoveries and advances health care, clean energy, and other technologies,” said Margulies. “Through this partnership, researchers across the U.S. can access the unique microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. environment through the ISSInternational Space Station National Laboratory for experiments that ultimately benefit life on Earth.”
The NSF has a long-standing, annual collaboration with the ISS National Lab, allocating millions of dollars of funding towards space-based projects within the fields of tissue engineering, transport phenomena, and fluid dynamics. To date, 20 projects funded by NSF have launched to the orbiting laboratory, with many more to follow later this year and beyond.
ISSRDC 2023 will take place from July 31 to August 3, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Seattle, with Margulies’ keynote conversation taking place on the morning of Wednesday, August 2. This session will focus on the NSF’s support for fundamental research in microgravity through the ISS National Lab and NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as early results from those experiments. This ongoing collaboration enables access and opportunity on the orbiting laboratory that advances research capabilities and brings value to the science and engineering communities.
ISSRDC brings together leaders from the commercial sector, U.S. government agencies, and academic communities to foster innovation and discovery onboard the International Space Station. ISSRDC 2023 will showcase how the space station continues to provide a valuable platform for research and technology development that benefits humanity and enables a robust and sustainable market in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles..
The conference is hosted by the ISS National Laboratory, managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).); NASA; and the American Astronautical Society (AAS). Additional announcements on keynote speakers and various sessions will be forthcoming.
To learn more about ISSRDC, including how to register, exhibit, or become a conference sponsor, please visit the conference website.
Download a high-resolution photo for this release: Susan Margulies, NSF Assistant Director for Engineering
Media Contact:
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org
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About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory: The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation. Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website
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