Opening General Session Keynote
Monday, February 28
8:00 - 9:00 AM Pacific; 9:00 - 10:00 AM Mountain; 10:00 - 11:00 AM Central; 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Eastern
Sian Proctor
Geoscientist, Explorer, Space Artist, and SpaceX Astronaut
Keynote Address
Space2inspire: A Renaissance Roadmap to the Future of Education
In today’s fast-paced gig economy, technology and the potential of exponential growth are changing the workforce and educational landscape. What does that mean for the community college system and the educational services needed to keep up with rapid change both on Earth and beyond? In this keynote presentation, Dr. Sian Proctor will discuss how her personal Space2inspire Renaissance Roadmap enabled her to go where few humans have gone before and experience a new orbital perspective of our planet. She will inspire the audience to reimagine both their future and the future of their students, their college, and their community with a new perspective on what it means to engage in preparation, persistence, opportunity, and responsibility as we strive for a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive (J.E.D.I.) space for all of humanity.
Biography
Dr. Sian Proctor is a geoscientist, explorer, space artist, and SpaceX astronaut. She is the mission pilot for the Inspiration4 all-civilian orbital mission to space. Proctor is also one of The Explorer’s Club 50: Fifty People Changing the World. With her motto Space2inspire, she encourages people to use their unique strengths and passion to inspire those within their reach and beyond. Furthermore, Proctor believes that we need to actively strive for a J.E.D.I.—just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive—space as we advance human spaceflight.
Proctor spent 21 years as a professor teaching geology, sustainability, and planetary science at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently the Astronaut in Residence for the Maricopa County Community College District. She has a B.S. in environmental science, an M.S. in geology, and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction: science education. You can follow her on social media @DrSianProctor.
