The annual World Space Week wrapped-up this week, bringing together people from around the world to “strengthen the link between space and society through public education, participation and dialogue on the future of space activity.” This year’s theme, “Space and Sustainability”, encouraged attendees to consider the role of technological advancements in preserving the planet and exploring outer space. Prior World Space Week themes include “Women in Space” and “Satellites Improve Life.”
Space exploration has captured the imagination of people around the world for decades ever since the United States became the first first country to successfully land a human being on the moon in 1969, beating out the Soviet Union in what would become the Space Race of the 20th century. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) leads and executes American space exploration and research like the first Apollo 11 mission. Other agencies across the globe do the same, like Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Australia’s Space Industry, and India’s Space Research Organisation. Countries across the world frequently collaborate on joint space research, including current efforts like the International Space Station, the multinational space project that includes NASA, JAXA, Russia’s Roscosmos, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Countless scientific advances have arisen from U.S. and global space research efforts, many with benefits extending beyond space exploration.
The creation of memory foam technology, for example, was discovered by astronautical engineer Charles Yost in 1967 after working at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California. In the years since, memory foam technology has been used in a variety of other advances, from providing football players extra protection inside their helmets to making mattresses more comfortable. Another invention, the cochlear implant, which has improved the general performance of hearing aids, also arose from NASA’S research after Adam Kissiah Jr. developed the technology while working at the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. And the insulin pump, a critical tool to treat diabetes, stems from research discovered in the development of NASA’s Mars Viking spacecraft, which landed on Mars in the 1970s. Through each of these inventions, NASAs groundbreaking research has improved the lives of everyday people here on Earth.
Smith’s Dedication to STEM Access for Students of Color
Robert F. Smith, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, is a vocal advocate for expanding STEM opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities. Before studying chemical engineering at Cornell University, Smith interned at Bell Labs, a research and development company that produces a range of telecommunications components and equipment. He credits his internship experience at Bell Labs for opening his eyes to practical applications of science and technology. That curiosity for science and technological innovation stayed with Smith as he began his career as an engineer at Kraft General Foods after college, where he would later earn two U.S. patents for his work producing parts to improve coffee filtration.
Smith’s formative internship experience was in part what inspired him to become Chairman of Student Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit organization aiming to improve the economic mobility of students of color. Student Freedom Initiative supports programs at more than 20 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). A cornerstone of Student Freedom Initiative is the internXL program, which connects women and minority college students to paid internships at leading STEM companies and organizations. The internXL program provides participating students with a built-in network of like-minded peers as well as experienced mentors to begin their careers on the best possible foot.
Learn more about Smith’s other philanthropic endeavors including education reform initiatives.
