Space Science & Engineering Forum

Explore Your Place in Space

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. 
Diboll Gallery | Malkin Sacks Commons 

 

Discover Tulane’s new Space Science and Engineering Minor, learn about undergraduate spaceflight research, explore science and engineering research and career opportunities, and network with faculty and industry members of the broader space community.   

Whether space is already part of your plan or you are still discovering where science and engineering could take you, come explore the possibilities.
 

Register Here


Boxed lunch will be provided to those who pre-register by September 15th. Space is limited, so register now!
 

Schedule of Events

 

Time

Event

  9 a.m.


Coffee and Undergraduate Research Poster Session
 

  9:30 a.m.


Kickoff Address and SSE Start-Up Research Project Presentations
 

  11:00 a.m.


Undergraduate Research Poster Session
 

  12:00 p.m.


Lunch for attendees who R.S.V.P.!
 

  12:15 p.m.


Keynote by Tia Ferguson, Senior Executive (retired), NASA Marshall SFC, "Opportunities for Discovery and Careers in Space Science and Engineering"
 

  12:45 p.m.


Josh Nguyen ('27) presents the NASA-supported project, “Coacervate Protocells in Microgravity: Stability, Function, and Implications for the Origins of Life Beyond Earth,” which was selected through the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program and will investigate how microscopic droplets known as coacervate protocells behave in microgravity. 
 

  1:00 p.m.


Overview of New Space Science and Engineering Minor by Cindy Ebinger
 

  1:15 p.m.


Matt Barrios presents Go TU Space! - How to gain space-related experience as a Tulane student in science and engineering
 

  1:30 p.m.


Networking with Industry attendees and SSE Faculty
 

 

Keynote Speaker

Tia Ferguson

 

Opportunities for Discovery and Careers in Space Science and Engineering  


Cynthia "Tia" Kaiser Ferguson served as Director of the Space Systems Department in the Engineering Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, where she oversaw a $110+ million budget and about 560 employees across six divisions. She began her NASA career in 1990 at Kennedy Space Center, transferred to Marshall in 1995, and rose through technical leadership roles, including acting chief technologist and SERVIR project manager, before her 2017 promotion to the Senior Executive Service as she stepped into this department director role.

Photograph of a smiling woman with dark hair wearing a black jacket and a pearl necklace.

Additional Featured Speakers

Photograph of a smiling woman speaking behind a podium on a stage with blue curtains.
Cynthia Ebinger

Earth and Environmental Sciences
Introduction to the New Space Science and Engineering Minor

Photograph of a middle-aged man in a green polo shirt standing outside.
Matt Barrios

Physics and Engineering Physics
Engineering Project Opportunities

Photograph of a young Asian man in a dark suit smiling against a grey background.
Josh Ngyuen ('27)

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Tulane's NASA-Supported Microgravity Experiment

Forum Posters - Undergraduate Researchers

Nonlinear PDEs and the Solar Wind
Carly Chandler
Advisor: Ken McLaughlin  

AI-Empowered Multispectral Scanning for Mineral Identification
Jake Massett, jmassett@tulane.edu
Advisors: Zhengming Ding and Cindy Ebinger

Robust Rover Navigation and Control
Connor Benoit, connorpaulbenoit@gmail.com
Northwestern State University  
Advisors: Zhengming Ding and Cindy Ebinger

Space Solar Power from 2D Nanomaterials
Josh Sasson, jsasson@tulane.edu
Advisor: Matt Escarra

Quantum Black Hole Analogs
Ben Milton, bmilton@tulane.edu
Advisor:  Denys Bondar

Benchmarking Geospatial Foundation Models for Rapid Disaster Response
Zachary Soumen Mitra, zmitra@tulane.edu,  
Advisor: Ibrahim Demir  

Benchmarking Geospatial Foundation Models for Rapid Disaster Response
Mary Boult, mboult@tulane.edu,  
Advisor:  Ibrahim Demir 

 

SSE Start-Up Research Project Presentations

Two-Dimensional Superconductor-Based Single-Photon Detectors for Quantum Space Applications

  Jiang Wei, Physics and Engineering Physics

Transforming Satellite Remote Sensing Analysis with Geospatial Foundation AI Models for Disaster Resilience

  Ibrahim Demir, River-Coastal Science and Engineering

Harnessing AI for Autonomous Lunar Exploration: Intelligent Rover Navigation and Regolith Resource Extraction

  Allan Ding, Zizhan Zheng, Cindy Ebinger, Computer Science and Earth & Environmental Science

2D Photovoltaics for Space Solar Power

  Matt Escarra, Physics and Engineering Physics

Direct Synthesis of Janus Metal Dichalcogenides via Mixed Chalcogenide Small Molecule Precursors

  Jim Donahue, Chemistry

Emerging Risks to Ozone Recovery from Satellite Megaconstellations

  Yanxu Zhang, Earth & Environmental Science & Daniel Straus, Chemistry