By Jean Ren | Advancement Database Specialist
On May 23, 2018, ASIJ Space Club successfully held its first Space Club Conference, nicknamed “SC²”, in the ASIJ High School Theater. Its mission was to bring together students, adults, teachers, scientists and others to learn about space science and inspire the next generation of space influencers. In light of so many new emerging advancements in the field, they decided on the theme “Looking Forward in Space Exploration”—an enterprise that resonated throughout the entire community.
SC² was completely student-organized, and attendance was free to ensure accessibility to everyone. ASIJ Space Club members spent countless hours outside of their regular school schedules working to make the event a reality. With persistence and dedication, they were able to secure four world-renowned speakers: Dr. Elizabeth Tasker, an exoplanet researcher and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) professor, Mr. Garvey McIntosh, the NASA attaché for Asia, Ms. Naoko Yamazaki, JAXA astronaut and member of the Cabinet Office Space Policy Committee, and Mr. Nobu Okada, Founder and CEO of Astroscale.
To ensure a great turnout, students also proactively raised SC²’s visibility by corresponding with other schools and organizations, putting up posters around town, and advertising the event through word-of-mouth. As a result, the total headcount came to 180 attendees representing 22 schools from Japan and around the world.
The day of the conference was hectic and truly special. Each speaker provided for the crowd unique insights into their respective fields, and sparked discussions on current points of interest and debate. Networking breaks gave attendees the opportunity to form connections and exchange personal knowledge. Influencers in the field expressed a desire to keep in touch and collaborate with ASIJ Space Club over the coming years.
ASIJ senior and Space Club Commander Katherine expressed that for her, the most amazing part of the conference was seeing people from different walks of life come together because of one common interest— space: “The awe on faces as the speakers spoke of exoplanet formation, the future of NASA, their time spent in space and how they will rid space of debris was the best reward one could ask for.”
On the heels of this success, ASIJ Space Club is already planning its 2019 Conference. For more information, please visit: www.asijspaceconference.com.
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