WSU’s Cougs in Space student club and the WSU Palouse Aerospace Club will host a forum on Sept. 17 and 18 to provide an opportunity for students to network with alumni leaders in the space industry.
“The aerospace industry has unlimited potential and opportunities for Cougs of all majors,” said Sandi Brabb, director of career services for the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture. “We’re excited to support this program for students on the WSU campus.”
The forum will include a keynote address by Gary Lai, co-founder and CTO of Interlune, starting at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17. Lai was the chief architect for the New Shepherd, a rocket system developed for space tourism by the aerospace company Blue Origin. The event will be held in Spark G45 with a reception following hosted by the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.
On Sept. 18, there will be an alumni panel at 11 a.m. at the Academic Success and Career Center (ASCC) in Lighty 180. The panelists who will appear virtually or in-person will include Bonnie Dunbar (WSU Honorary Degree), retired NASA astronaut; Captain Kyle Norbert (’20 BS Physics), orbital test analyst for U.S. Space Force; Kelsey Buckles (’13 BS Mathematics), an aerospace engineer at Marshall Space Flight Center; Shane Sullivan (’20 EMBA), vice president of operations at SKYTRAC; and Matt Donovan (’02 BS Mechanical Engineering), senior director of New Shepard’s system architecture at Blue Origin.
The forum on the 18th will also include events throughout the day, such as resume reviews, an information session featuring Blue Origin at 4:30 p.m., and classroom visits.
