In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, as well as the 61st Anniversary of NASA, Wichita State University and the Wichita Space Initiative are pleased to host a symposium funded through the NASA Kansas Space Grant Consortium. This event will focus on communicating to the public the scientific return of over 60 years of NASA research. It will be open to the public, and will feature three sessions of talks, as well as competitions open to Kansas middle school, high school, and college students.

A keynote address will by given by Dr. Roger Launius, NASA Chief Historian 1990-2002.

Presentations should be suitable for inclusion in one of the symposium's three sessions:

Session 1: Celebrating the Scientific Legacy of NASA: We seek contributions which discuss the scientific, technological, and social significance of NASA initiatives other than Apollo, which could include historical missions such as Voyager and Mariner, but also ongoing missions such as MSL and InSight. Rather than focusing specifically on a single mission, a talk might instead summarize scientific advances by topic, e.g., the science of Mars, or of the outer planets.

Session 2: Celebrating Women's and Minority Contributions to the Space Program: We seek presentations discussing women's and minority contributions the space program, which could include talks summarizing women's and/or minority contributions to particular programs (Apollo, Voyager, etc.), or talks honoring the space research careers of specific women or persons of color.

Session 3: Celebrating the Scientific Legacy of Apollo: We seek contributions which discuss the scientific, technological, and social significance of the Apollo program, which could include discussions of lunar geology, life sciences, engineering, Apollo spinoffs, etc. Talks need not be purely retrospective but might instead highlight ongoing research, for instance, recent studies of Apollo lunar samples.

Proposals should be for 20 minute talks suitable for presentation to the general public. Special consideration will be given to proposals discussing Kansas contributions to (or impacts of) space research.

For submission instructions and additional information please visit the conference website: http://bit.ly/NASA-WSU-2019

Modest travel stipends are available on the basis of need. Please indicate in your submission if you would like to be considered for a travel stipend.

Questions should be addressed by email to Dr. James S.J. Schwartz at james.schwartz@wichita.edu