Dr. Robert Satcher is a prominent orthopedic surgeon, chemical engineer, and former NASA astronaut. After graduating from MIT and Harvard Medical School, where he excelled in chemical engineering and medicine, Dr. Satcher joined NASA, then made history in 2009 as the first orthopedic surgeon in space. A mission specialist for NASA’s STS-129 mission to the International Space Station, he performed two space walks. Upon retiring from NASA, Dr. Satcher focused on surgical oncology, signing on as faculty at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he specializes in treating skeletal metastatic disease and soft tissue sarcoma. Dr. Satcher is actively involved in various professional organizations and community initiatives.

Life in Space

罗杰,! 2024 is focusing on Life in Space! 等待, does that mean living things on other celestial bodies, missions to find microbes, or considerations about where else in our solar system could life be present? Or are we talking about life in space, like what is it like to be a human in space? The answer is yes! We are taking a look at "life" very broadly, including microbes, 植物, 动物, extraterrestrial life and homo sapiens, the only life form (that we know of!) that has intentionally left the Earth to explore what lies beyond. 

罗杰, VIII will start on Friday, February 16th with a variety of online speakers then transition to in-person events later in the day. There will be events at the 大急流城 Public Museum on Saturday, February 17th. 

Our confirmed guest list includes: Botanist and molecular biologist Mark Staves, scientist and STEM communicator Niamh Shaw, Europa Clipper Technical Lead Debarati Chattopadhyay, GVSU Herbarium director and analog astronaut Tim Evans, aerospace physiologist and cardiologist George Pantalos, and Starpath co-founder Mihir Gondhalekar. Learn more here!

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罗杰,! 会议

罗杰B. 查菲堡 was born February 15, 1935 in 大急流城, Michigan and went on to become one of the city’s favorite sons. An engineer, pilot and astronaut, 查菲堡 lost his life in the Apollo 1 accident on January 27, 1967. 这个事件, scholarly in nature and open to the general public, is co-organized by Grand Valley State University, the 大急流城 Public Museum 和 罗杰B. 查菲堡 Scholarship Fund. 罗杰,! seeks to honor 查菲堡 and highlight local research in a two-day celebration of space exploration.

罗杰,! 2024 is a series of Zoom and in-person presentations (exact format TBA) taking place on both Friday, February 16th and Saturday, February 17th. Speakers from a number of different fields will present, in science- and society-based talks and panels.