NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir to Participate in Live Q&A from International Space Station with Two San Diego Unified Schools

NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir will participate in a live stream from the International Space Station on Monday, January 27, in a live Q&A with two local middle schools. The live stream will take place at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, where Meir received her PhD in marine biology. 

Nearly 150 students from Fulton Middle School and Memorial Preparatory for Scholars and Athletes — two schools supported by Birch Aquarium at Scripps’ Price Philanthropies Ocean Science Education Fund — will participate in the conversation and learn how Meir used her love of science to reach the stars, from STEM to Stars (#STEMtoStars). 

Meir, who launched to the International Space Station on Sept. 25, 2019, made history when she participated in the first all-female space walks in October and earlier this month. Meir received her PhD at Scripps in 2009, where she studied the diving physiology of penguins in Antarctica. 

Prior to the live stream, the visiting schools will hear from current graduate students at Scripps in a pre-event science panel, to learn more about what they research and their path in science. This will include PhD students Kiefer Forsch, Ivan Moreno, Anai Novoa, and Tashiana Osborne.

Following the student panel, the event will be emceed by UC San Diego Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of physics at the Center for Astrophysics & Space Sciences (CASS) Brian Keating and Scripps Oceanography Director Margaret Leinen.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography will also be live streaming the event on the institution’s Facebook and YouTube channels. The live streaming links can be bookmarked here:

• Facebook Live Stream link: https://www.facebook.com/pg/scrippsocean/videos/ 
• YouTube Live Stream link: https://youtu.be/JeUxdOZ8vcY?t=3860

Birch Aquarium at Scripps will also live stream the Q&A session. Aquarium guests will be able to watch from the 30-foot triptych inside the Expedition at Sea: R/V Sally Ride Gallery exhibit. The screening is included with admission.