Join us on Friday evening, April 28, at the showroom of Real Estate Row (1806 University Dr NW, Huntsville) for Huntsville's Space Apps kickoff party! https://spaceappsparty.eventbrite.com

• DATE: Friday, April 28
• TIME: 5:00pm-7:00pm
• LOCATION: Real Estate Row. 1806 University Dr NW, Huntsville
• WHY: Kickoff the NASA Space Apps Challenge and meet some of the people and companies who will be involved! This will be a good opportunity to form teams (if you don't have one yet) as well as hear from our featured speakers.
• FOOD/DRINK: Yes

Schedule

- 5:00pm: 
- Team building, socializing, food, drinks

- 6:00pm: 
- Toni Eberhart: New Leaf Digital: Who, What, Why
- Matt Brooks: Event logistics
- Tracie Prater: Challenges, Judging, Prizes
- Hal Brewer: President of Intuitive Research, STAR Sponsor
- David Burns: Head of Science & Technology @ NASA
- Eric Anderson: NASA's SERVIR Program

- 7:00pm:
- Python workshop from HACKBAMA
- Daniel O'Neill from NASA will present a web-based Space Mission Visualization (WSMV): This workshop reviews the WSMV tutorials and demonstrations referenced in the resources section of the ”1D, 2D, 3D – Go!” challenge.
- Everyone else socializes, forms teams

Featured Speaker: David Burns, Manager of the Science and Technology Office, NASA

Dr. David Burns is the manager of the Science and Technology Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Named to the position in January 2017, he leads an organization responsible for planning, developing and executing a broad range of science and technology investigations, programs, projects and activities in support of NASA’s science, technology and exploration goals. The office leads the pursuit of new opportunities and partnerships with other government agencies and private industry, and focuses Marshall initiatives across the center. Burns oversees an annual budget of more than $180 million and management of a diverse, highly technical workforce of approximately 300 civil service and contractor employees.
 
His NASA career began April 2016, when he was named deputy of the Space Systems Department of Marshall’s Engineering Directorate. The department is responsible for designing, developing, assembling, integrating, testing and delivering flight, ground, prototype and development products for human spaceflight programs, science investigations and exploration initiatives.
 
Prior to joining NASA, Burns had since 2008 served as director of Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency in Huntsville, leading the teams that manage directed energy programs, conduct university and small business innovative research and model the impact of new missile defense capabilities.
 
From 2006 to 2008, he was founder and CEO of Dielectric Blue Inc., a company specializing in the design and manufacture of anti-tamper sensors for military and commercial applications. From 2003 to 2006, he was the lead Science Applications International Corp. engineer, manager and supervisor for the Armed Robotic Vehicle-Heavy, a $2.6 billion element of the Army's Future Combat System.
 
He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2003 after 20 years of active duty, including assignments in the Pentagon and in London, England, where he was technical director of the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development.
 
Burns holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton in Ohio and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive Fellows Program.
 
Burns and his wife, Cheryl, have four children and reside in Huntsville.