Speaker Database
Speaker Database
This speaker database contains the names of individuals who work in the space sciences area and are willing to speak with students about their research. Please feel free to contact any of the individuals below if you are looking for scientists to speak with your students in person or via video-conferencing. Consider adding yourself to our database if you would like to share your science with students!
Dr. Richard Barker
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
University of Wisconsin - Madison
dr (dot) richard (dot) barker (at) gmail (dot) com
Keywords: astrobotany; plants in space; education outreach; undergraduate education; biology in space; international space station; bioinformatics
Dr. Colleen Doherty
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry Department
North Carolina State University
cjdohert (at) ncsu (dot) edu
Keywords: plants, circadian rhythms
Dr. Kate Flickinger
Lab manager, research specialist, post-doctorate fellow
University of Pittsburgh, Emergency Medicine
holquistkl (at) upmc (dot) edu
Exercise physiology, cold sleep for long duration space flight, temperature manipulation, metabolic manipulation, forecasting / prediction of physiologic events.
phone 412 523 7557
Dr. Simon Gilroy
Professor of Botany
University of Wisconsin - Madison
sgilroy (at) wisc (dot) edu
Keywords: Marigolds on Mars - growing plants in space; Plants on the International Space Station; Biology in Space
Dr. Andrea Henle
Assistant Professor of Biology
Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin
ahenle (at) carthage (dot) edu
Keywords: space biology education; undergraduate space biology research; timelapse microscopy; gravitropism assays; arabidopsis; zebrafish; cancer research; project-based learning; bacteriophage; bacteriophage on the ISS
Dr. Paul F. Martino
Associate Professor of Biology, Chair of Biology
Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin
pmartino (at) carthage (dot) edu
Keywords: We study the psychological and physiological effects of anxiety, and behavioral inhibition in the presence of enhanced carbon dioxide; much like what is experienced on the International Space Station and what will be experienced on travel to Mars.
Dr. Gioia Massa
Life Sciences Project Scientist, Space Crop Production
NASA - Kennedy Space Center
gioia (dot) massa (at) nasa (dot) gov
Keywords: veggie, space crops
Jordan McKaig
University of Michigan and NASA Ames Research Center
Student/Intern, Biology Department
jmckaig (at) umich (dot) edu
Twitter: @jordanmckaig
Keywords: How to get involved in space biology; astrobiology; space policy; planetary protection; aerobiology; life detection in planetary analogs
Dr. Ralph Moeller
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Research Group Leader/Scientist
ralf (dot) moeller (at) dlr (dot) de
https://www.dlr.de/me/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1943/2742_read-7123/sortby-lastname/
Keywords: space microbiology, space radiation, biofilms, planetary protection, human microbiome, decontamination
Dr. Tasneem P. Sharma
Assistant Professor
Indiana University School of Medicine
Opthalmology
tpsharma (at) iu (dot) edu
Keywords: stem cells and human ocular model systems
Dr. Camilla Urbaniak
Research Scientist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA
Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group
camilla (dot) urbaniak (at) jpl (dot) nasa (dot) gov
Keywords: Bioinformatics for space applications; ISS research projects; Research and concept ideas for future missions to the moon; Mars adaptation of microbes and humans to space conditions
Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran
Senior Research Scientist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA
Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group
kjvenkat (at) jpl (dot) nasa (dot) gov
https://scienceandtechnology.jpl.nasa.gov/people/k_venkateswaran
Keywords: Microbiome; Space Flight; Planetary Protection; Astrobiology; Space Biology
Dr. Martha Vitaterna
Research Professor
Northwestern University
Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology
M-Vitaterna (at) northwestern (dot) edu
Keywords: Sleep and circadian rhythms; mouse genetics; microbiome