Guest: Dr. Michael Simpson. Dr. Michael Simpson, President of the International Space University (ISU) in Strassbourg, France was the guest for this program. In order to better follow along with this discussion, please visit the ISU website at www.isunet.edu/. We started the discussion by asking Dr. Simpson to provide us with an introduction to ISU, what the university is about as well as its curriculum, student body, admissions, and more. There were many listener driven questions ranging from how ISU students, faculty, and Europeans perceive NASA and the American space program to whether ISU classes are conducted in English, French, or a combination of these languages. ISU classes are conducted in English although some knowledge of the local language is beneficial. As for the perception of NASA and the American space program, as well as the space program of other nations including China, listen to what Dr. Simpson has to say regarding this topic. Listeners also inquired about career guidance for ISU graduates regarding future employment, networking and the ISU alumni network and its support of ISU graduates. As you will hear, there are very positive programs and support forces benefiting some 2600 ISU graduates who come to the program from all over the world. Other issues and questions that came up included a discussion of New Space and how it affects education at ISU and some concerns regarding that issue which are to be noted. The famous ISU Summer Program was described and discussed. You will want to hear about this program and the education it provides. A listener from Montana asked about the nature of the ISU interdisciplinary program and this led to an extensive discussion on space education. Another listener asked about exchange programs with American universities having space-related graduate programs. You will want to hear what Dr. Simpson says about this and ISU efforts to help develop such programs Toward the end of the program, Dr. Simpson was asked about his personal space vision and his five year vision for ISU. Again, you will not want to miss his response to this question. You will hear Dr. Simpson talk about many of the international space missions that will begin operations in 2008 and later as we explored just how global space development has become. You will come away from this discussion with a far better understanding of the global nature and draw of all areas and aspects of space, specifically New Space, the entrepreneurial space community, and satellites. Thus, this is a superb program demonstrating the global nature and demand for higher education in space-related fields. If you have questions or comments for Dr. Michael Simpson, please send them in care of the ISU website using this URL: http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_contact&task=view&contact_id…. In the Message Subject line, please reference his Space Show program.
Guest
The Space Show
