Resilience Symposium 2022:
In Awe of Space
REGISTRATION IS FREE
Your curiosity brought you here. Stay and register for this 2-day event to learn about the awe-inspiring work of current and former NASA employees as well as other space experts.
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Innovation. Curiosity. Resilience. Teamwork. Awe.
These terms are all synonymous with space experts at NASA and beyond. For the 2022 edition of the Resilience Symposium, we are bringing in space experts and sharing their knowledge with you.
Be intrigued by what they say and importantly let their words motivate you to enhance the resilience you already have in you.
And of course it is once again free.
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Everyone deserves to have positive mental health and that certainly includes you.
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See the schedule here.
Hosted in New York City, taking place virtually via Zoom.
An once again, 100% free again.
Hosted by:
Keynote Speaker
Jennifer Fogarty, PhD
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Chief Science Officer
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Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine
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She previously spent over 16 years with NASA supporting medical operations and the NASA Human Research Program (HRP), including three years as chief scientist and two years as deputy chief scientist.
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More on Dr. Fogarty (outside link)
Opening Remarks
H. Blair Simpson, MD, PhD
Interim Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons 

Interim Director, New York State Psychiatric Institute 

Interim Psychiatrist-in-Chief, NewYork Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Director of the Center for OCD and Related Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute/ Columbia University
More on Dr. Simpson (outside link)
Featured Expert Panelist
Dacher Keltner, PhD
Professor, University of California - Berkeley
Co-Director of the Greater Good Science Center
Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory
More on Dr. Keltner (outside link)
His new book: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
Space Expert Speakers
(in order of speaking)
Day 1
Lauren Blackwell Landon, PhD
Research Scientist
Team Risk Discipline Scientist, Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Element, Human Research Program
NASA​
More on Dr. Landon (outside link)
Tanya Harrison, PhD​
Director of Science for Impact, Planet Labs
Fellow of the University of British Columbia’s Outer Space Institute
Former Director of Research for Arizona State University’s NewSpace Initiative
Former NASA Mission Operations Specialist
More on Dr. Harrison (outside link)
Sara E. Whiting, PhD
Deputy Element Scientist-Spaceflight Analogs
Research Operations and Integration Element
Human Research Program
NASA Johnson Space Center
More on Dr. Whiting (outside link)
Graham E. Lau, PhD​
Director of Communications and Marketing, Blue Marble Space
Director of Logistics, University Rover Challenge
Research Scientist, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
Host, Ask an Astrobiologist
More on Dr. Lau (outside link)
Day 2
Alexandra (Sandra) Whitmire, PhD
Deputy Element Scientist for Human Factors and Behavioral Performance
NASA
More on Dr. Whitmire (outside link)
Shawn Domagal-Goldman, PhD
Branch Head, Planetary Systems Laboratory
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
More on Dr. Domagal-Goldman (outside link)
Yolanda Shea, PhD
Project Scientist
CLARREO Pathfinder
NASA Langley Research Center
More on Dr. Shea (outside link)
Michelle Hanlon
Space Lawyer
Co-founder For All Moonkind
Co-Director Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi
President of the National Space Society
More on Michelle (outside)
Kartik Sheth, PhD
Program Scientist
Astrophysics division within NASA's Science Mission Directorate
Expert Panelists
(in order of speaking)
Day 1
Jill Harkavy-Friedman
Senior Vice President of Research
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
More on Dr. Harkavy-Friedman
John Bale
Managing Director and Co-Founder
Fortem Australia
Steve Joiner
Dean, College of Leadership & Public Service
Executive Director, Institute for Conflict Management
Lipscomb University
More on Dean Joiner (outside link)
Day 2
J. John Mann, MD ​
Paul Janssen Professor of Translational Neuroscience in Psychiatry and Radiology;
Director, Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology Division, Department of Psychiatry;
Co-Director Columbia Center for Prevention and Treatment of Depression
More on Dr. Mann (outside link)
Michael Yansick
Supervisory Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Instructor, Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy
2022 Schedule
Day 1 - Wednesday, December 14​
(all times NYC/est. time)
Opening Remarks
8:45am - 8:55am
H. Blair Simpson, MD, PhD
Keynote: The Role of Human Space Exploration Is To Inspire and Unite
9:00 - 9:50am
Jennifer Fogarty, PhD
Human exploration has throughout time functioned as an inspirational endeavor that unites and at times galvanizes a community and culture toward a common goal. At times exploration also represents the most selfless and selfish act humans can engage in.
However, since the dawn of spaceflight, the ability of humans around the globe to visualize almost in real time what it means to journey to other planets among the stars has been a spectacular source of inspiration and unification. It’s important to reflect on and accept the responsibility of that power to inspire and unite.
Expert Panelist: Dacher Keltner, PhD
Session 1: The Awe of Teams in Space
10:00 - 10:50am
Lauren Blackwell Landon, PhD
Astronauts live and work together for many months in a stressful, extreme environment. I discuss the risks that may cause performance loss or interpersonal frictions, and how NASA selects, trains, and supports astronaut crews. With the right stuff, astronaut crews can be greater than the sum of their parts.
Expert Panelist: Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman
Session 2: Using Space to Save the Earth: NASA's Legacy in Earth Observation
11:00 - 11:50am
Tanya Harrison, PhD
When you hear "NASA," you probably think of rovers on Mars and satellites flying through the Solar System, but NASA also has an entire fleet of satellites helping scientists understand the Earth system. This discussion will focus on how space-based data is being used to directly help life here on Earth.
Expert Panelist: John Bale
11:50 - 12:10m
Lunch Break
Session 3: Building Resilience with NASA Spaceflight Analogs
12:10 - 1:00pm
Sara Whiting, PhD
In addition to spaceflight, NASA’s Human Research Program conducts ground-based studies to better understand physiological and behavioral resilience factors, and develop countermeasures that promote crew resilience, safety, and mission success.
Ground studies occur in several facilities including NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), undersea and polar research stations, prolonged head-down tilt bedrest, and parabolic flight. This session will detail these flight analog settings and highlight how NASA conducts experimental research into behavioral health and performance resilience.
Expert Panelist: Steve Joiner
Session 4: Connecting to the Cosmos
1:10 - 2:00pm
Graham Lau, PhD
The context with which we place ourselves in the universe is crucial to our shared collective understanding of what life is and our future here on Earth (and maybe beyond). In this talk, we’ll explore the perspectives of humanity through space exploration and astrobiology.
Expert Panelist: Norm Taylor
Day 2 - Thursday, December 15​
(all times NYC/est. time)
Session 5: Resiliency in Future Exploration Missions
9:00 - 9:50am
Sandra Whitmire, PhD
NASA has a history of successful spaceflight missions and astronauts are known for their incredible achievements and strength. In future exploration missions, however – including long duration missions to the moon and Mars –new challenges to behavioral health and performance of the crew, await. In this session, I’ll discuss “resiliency” in the context of future missions, and highlight ways through which research in behavioral health and human factors will help to support our exploration crews.
Expert Panelist: Mitch Rudin
Session 6: Are We Alone? Studying a thus-far-lonely universe, together
10:00 - 10:50am
Shawn Domagal-Goldman, PhD
We are entering an era of astrobiological exploration of the universe, where NASA and its partners are designing missions with the explicit goal of searching for signs of life beyond Earth. We will be sending spacecraft throughout the Solar System to search for habitable environments and search those environments for signs of life. And we have a concept for a powerful new space telescope that can search for globally habitable planets beyond the Solar System, and that was designed to see how common or rare Earth-like biospheres are.
Each of these studies is inherently complex, requiring a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the environmental context of any life detection. And each mission will be unique, with unprecedented capabilities. This means that in addition to scientific and engineering excellence, success will require excellence in team building and culture. The global teams that embark on this endeavor have the potential to re-define the view of our place in the cosmos.
Expert Panelist: John Mann, MD
Session 7: Unraveling Climate Change Mysteries from Space: The Testimony of Earth-Reflected Sunlight
11:00 - 11:50am
Yolanda Shea, PhD
For decades, NASA has collaborated with partners around the nation and the world to design state-of-the-art instruments that observe Earth from space. Always eager to push the limits, NASA and its partners are also designing new instruments with unprecedented accuracy that will give us a better understanding of how and why our global climate is changing.
Some of these instruments use Earth-reflected sunlight that travels back to space, which is a powerful tool that carries with it information about the physical aspects of our home planet. Scientists all over the globe have used and will continue to use Earth-reflected sunlight to illuminate the mysteries of our home planet’s evolving climate system.
Expert Panelist: Michael Yansick
11:50am - 12:10PM
Lunch Break
Session 8: Why We Care About Bootprints on the Moon
12:10 - 1:00pm
Michelle Hanlon
It’s hard to care about bootprints sunk in soil 238,900 miles away as humanity focuses on emerging from an unforgiving virus while coping with a geopolitical unease. But how humans treat those bootprints and the historic lunar landing sites upon which they are found will speak volumes about who we humans are and who we seek to become.
This presentation will discuss the importance of recognizing human heritage in outer space both in order to preserve our history, but, perhaps more importantly, to assure a successful and sustainable future as a multi-planetary species. Kinship emerges from heritage, and it is this kinship that must be harnessed as our generation makes foundational decisions about the governance of human activities in space.
Expert Panelist: Clare Fowler, PhD
Session 9: An Immigrant's Tale: From Mumbai to NASA
1:10 - 2:00pm
Kartik Sheth, PhD
While nearly all immigrant experiences highlight resilience, each is
different and has its own tale. I will share my journey and some
selected vignettes that demonstrate the importance of awe and how that
allowed me to be resilient time and time again.
Expert Panelist: Tania Kura
Read more on awe before the event:
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Your Daily Dose of Awe: Accessing Real Resilience (PsychologyToday.com)
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Why do we feel awe? (Greater Good)
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Why scientists say experiencing awe can help you live your best life (NBC)
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Researchers explore the science of awe (CNN)
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LOTS of Awe Research HERE
Watch and learn about awe before the event:
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What is Awe and the 8 Wonders of Life with Dacher Keltner
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Awe with Dr Jennifer Stellar: The Immune System, Body, & Mind
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Awe Research with Dr Shiota: Key Findings
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Resilience, Awe, & Our Connections to Others with Marianna Graziosi
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Awe, Science, & "Ah-ha" Moments with Megan Powell Cuzzolino, EdD
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Awe & The Overview Effect with Dr. David Bryce Yaden
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LOTS MORE VIDEOS HERE