Skip to content

Sol Speaker Series

SOL SPEAKER LIASIONS

SOL Speaker Liaisons will be assisting in bringing in speakers from their Regions and helping us bridge the time zone gap. 

LT Pam Kingsley – USS Mercia, Region 20. Europe, Ireland and Great Britain
CMDR Ronel du Preez – USS Dauntless, Region 8. Bloemfontein; Free State; South Africa

Call out: Looking for Regional Sol Liaisons worldwide. Regional Sol Speaker Series Liaisons – STARFLEET (sfi.org)

We are seeking Regional Sol Liaisons to assist with bringing speakers in from around the world and making our events more accessible to everyone regardless of the time zone differences. Contact sfsci-director@sfi.org if you are interested or would like more information!

Welcome to the Sol Speaker Series sponsored by STARFLEET Sciences, a monthly online event free to SFI members! We provide interesting and inspiring presentations on a variety of science topics and you have an opportunity to ask questions of our guests at the end of their talks.  All events are posted on SFI’s YouTube Channel.

NEXT EVENT

January 16th 2025, 3:00pm EST/8:00pm GMT
Dr Alfredo Carpineti
“The Universe Through Geordi’s VISOR”

Dr Alfredo Carpineti is an astrophysicist, science communicator, and journalist for IFLScience. He’s writing a book about the mysteries of astronomy with the publishing house Unbound. He holds a PhD in Astrophysics and an MSc in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College, and a bachelor’s degree in physics and astrophysics from Rome’s first university, La Sapienza. His PhD research work focused on the role of galaxy mergers in the evolution of massive galaxies, looking at post-merger galaxies and infrared bright galaxies.

He is also the chair (and founder) of Pride in STEM, an award-nominated charity dedicated to supporting and showcasing LGBTQIA+ people in science, technology, engineering, and maths. 

register

UPCOMING EVENTS

Douglas JohnsonFebruary 20th 2025, 3:00pm EST/8:00pm GMT
Douglas Johnston
“Power generation and warp drive”

Douglas Johnston is a manufacturing technician at Oxford Instruments in the UK. He has a background in physics with renewable energy science and has caried out academic research on Galian Arsenide solar panels, which are often used on satellites. He has been a Star Trek fan ever since watching Enterprise with his dad as a child and has fallen in love with the many shows and films since.

In his talk, “Power generation and warp drive”, he will discuss Star Trek’s fictional engines in relation to real life fusion and matter/antimatter physics, as well as looking at the Alcubierre drive – a speculative warp drive idea according to which a spacecraft could achieve apparent faster-than-light travel.

register

March 8, 2025 11:00am EST/4pm GMT
Sarah Treadwell
“From the Depths of the Ocean to the Edges of the Cosmic Shore”

Sarah is a professional Science Communicator with an interest in astrobiology. She holds a Masters of Science in Communications from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of North Dakota in Communications. She also is a research science affiliate in the science communication and education track with Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. Sarah served as an on-board communications officer on Expedition 399 from April to June 2023 aboard the JOIDES Resolution, an NSF funded ocean core drilling research vessel. The crew drilled and fluid sampled around the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, a unique location crucial to astrobiology research. She received funding over the past year from NASA to continue her outreach for communicating the science of the Lost City in a partnership with NASA funded OpenSpace to design a planetarium show connecting the importance of ocean research to space research. 

Sarah’s talk, entitled “From the depths of the ocean to the edges of the cosmic shore”, will share her experiences of connecting ocean exploration and why it is so important to NASA missions such as Clipper. She also will share her background and why astrobiology has truly changed her life.

register


PAST SPEAKERS 2024

January 18 2024 – Star Trek Star Charting: It All Fits Now! ~ Larry Nemecek, Author of Star Trek: Stellar Cartography 

Feb 15 2024 – Astronomical Highlights 2024 and Beyond ~ John French, Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University.

 March 21 2024 – Bound for Space! We Are Go for Grow! ~ Dianea Phillips, Aerospace Educator

 April 18 2024 – Astrophotography: Yes, You Can! ~ Commodore Mike Calhoun, Director of STARFLEET Sciences

May 16 2024 – The History of Astro-Imaging ~ Dr. Ron Brecher, Astrophotographer

June 20 2024 – We are not alone. The quest to search for life from Socrates to Webb and Beyond ~ Salem Emara, NASA JPL Space Ambassador

July 18 2024 – Models for How Space/Time Travel Could Work – Matthew Szydagis, UAlbany SUNY

Aug 15 2024 – Physiology and Space Exploration, Phyllis Friello, Johnson Space Center

Sep 19 2024  – “Artemis: From the Earth to the Moon”, Sharife Gacel, Analog Astronaut

 Oct 17 2024 – Black Holes – Arjun Ayyangar, NASA Solar System Ambassador

Nov 22 – 2024 Protecting the Final Frontier – Major Sam McEvoy, UK Space Command

 

YOUTUBE LINKS TO SOL EVENTS ON THE SFI YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Promo – https://youtu.be/m5SeRIfs3Lk?si=tMtcvSMqKKCfODPy

Jan 2024 event – Larry Nemecek https://youtu.be/tgcqzrmbn9k?si=tdXDPB2z8-nNI0fM

Feb 2024 event –  John French   https://youtu.be/DmetwemXgrQ?si=5b6-aXj8Lj6vUFZv

Mar 2024 event – Dianea Phillips  https://youtu.be/fGR3-HGMeQA?si=16tQj2m8dEZOE5c9

Apr 2024 event – Mike Calhoun  https://youtu.be/TnZZyCjkTTs?si=XTpcnAiQP9wEzTag

May 2024 event – Ron Brecher   https://youtu.be/2SbcEfc-580?si=JxHfLz2O1rpdv1k0

June 2024 event – Salem Emara.  https://youtu.be/oS7Ymz5HAaM?si=owFYw_JccUv_nbv

 July 2024 event – Matthew Szydagis. https://youtu.be/p9vE4Gw9bqU?si=vguXmbd1k2UL7AXs

August 2024 event – Phyllis Friello. https://youtu.be/jHX8cRHmnoI?si=ciuhuQEGLI6qBuId

Sept 2024 event – Sharife Gacel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK4tlkWAgcw

Oct 2024 event – Arjun Ayyangar https://youtu.be/m3OV67gbB3U?si=GU6EviR1rlBVBnX9

Nov 2024 event – Major Sam McEvoy https://youtu.be/6UH-6kElrDI?si=TKIYm-oKbJOpLRuY

Suggest a subject for the Sol speaker series:  sfsci-director@sfi.org