Astronaut & Professor
Director Man Vechicle Lab MIT
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Dr. Garrett E. Reisman
Astronaut,
Director of Space Operations at SpaceX
Caltech
Founding Scholarship Advisors
Nicole Stott
Nicole Stott has explored from the heights of outer space to the depths of our oceans. In awe of what she has experienced from these very special vantage points, she has dedicated her life to sharing the beauty of Earth from space with others. She believes that sharing these orbital and inner space perspectives have the power to increase everyone’s appreciation of anobligation to care for our home planet and each other. A veteran NASA Astronaut, her experience includes two spaceflights and 104 days spent living and working in space on both the International Space Station (ISS) and the Space Shuttle. She performed one spacewalk, was the first person to fly the robotic arm to capture the free-flying HTV cargo vehicle, was the last crew member to fly to and from their ISS mission on a Space Shuttle, and she was a member of the crew of the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-133. A personal highlight of Nicole’s spaceflight was painting the first watercolor in space. Nicole is also a NASA Aquanaut, who in preparation for spaceflight and along with her NEEMO9 crew, lived and worked during an 18-day and longest saturation mission to date on the Aquarius undersea habitat. As an Artist, and now retired from NASA, Nicole combines her spaceflight experience and artwork to inspire creative thinking about solutions to our planetary challenges, to raise awareness of the surprising interplay between science and art, and to promote the amazing work being done every day in space to improve lives right here on Earth.
Chris Stott
Chris Stott is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of ManSat, the world’s largest commercial
provider of satellite spectrum. Chris serves on several industries for profit, and not for profit boards, and as the Chair Emeritus of the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), the
largest professional association in the global space and satellite industry. A graduate of the International Space University’s Master program, Chris also serves
on the University’s Board of Advisors and Faculty.
Scholarship Advisors
Brian Rishikof
Master of Science in Engineering (Aerospace) from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), a Master of Science in Physical Sciences (Space Science) from the University of Houston (Clear Lake) and a Bachelor of Engineering degree (Mechanical - Aeronautics Option) from McGill University in Montreal; in 2002 he worked in the department Space Systems Analysis & Design of the International Space University; in 1992 he was a candidate for the second Canadian Space Team; currently he is manager and technical lead at Odyssey Space Research, L.L.C.
David A. Broniatowski
David André Broniatowski, originally from Cleveland Heights, OH, is a PhD student in MIT's Engineering Systems Division. He has an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from MIT, as well as a master’s degree from MIT's Technology and Policy Program. He is also a graduate of the International Space University Summer Session Program, held in 2004 in Adelaide Australia. David has worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Human Space Exploration Initiative, the XPrize Foundation, NASA Headquarters, and the Avidyne Corporation. In addition to his interests in domestic and international space policy, David is also interested in hospital operating room processes, and methodologies for modeling large-scale complex systems. At the AIAA Space 2006 Conference, David presented a most interesting paper titled "Political Sustainability in Space Exploration Architectures."
Rachel Zimmerman Brachman
Since 2003, Rachel Zimmerman Brachman has worked on various Education and Public Outreach projects at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), including outreach for the proposed Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter mission and coordination of JPL’s Minority Education Initiatives summer internship programs. Currently she is working on Radioisotope Power Systems Public Engagement as well as Formal Education for the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan.
Rachel has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Brandeis University in Massachusetts, and a Master of Space Studies from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. Prior to joining JPL, Rachel worked at the NASA Ames Research Center, the Canadian Space Agency, The Planetary Society, and the California Institute of Technology.
Rachel has received international recognition for her innovations in the field of assistive technology. She is a founding member of the Space Generation Forum, and co-founder of the Women in Science Club at Brandeis University and the Association for the Development of Aerospace Medicine at McGill University in Montreal.
Leadership
Board of Advisors
Founders of the Ilan Ramon Scholarship Project
Michael Potter, Entrepreneur, Social Enterprise Advisor & Investor, & Documentary Filmmaker
Daniel Rockberger, Co-Founder,
Chief Engineer at NSLComm