Join us in our innovative, student-driven event featuring big names in the world of tech and a diverse array of science, technology, engineering and math related careers that are available in southwestern Pennsylvania.
In this virtual model, students will begin by gaining access to remarkable experiences with leaders in the STEM industry. And to add to the engagement and excitement, the students will have the unique opportunity to serve as student hosts, participate through interactive Q & A, and embark on adventures into the workings of the industry.
Astrobotics, John Thornton, CEO and Sam Moore, Executive Director of the Moonshot Museum at Astrobotic
- John Thornton has grown Astrobotic's business of delivering affordable space robotics technology and planetary missions by attracting technology contracts, equity investment, and payload customers. Under his leadership, the company has booked three lunar missions with its Peregrine, Griffin, and MoonRanger spacecraft. At Carnegie Mellon University, Thornton led the build of Scarab, a NASA concept rover for lunar drilling, and the first rover to carry a prototype of the NASA RESOLVE payload that will now be flying to the lunar south pole on the NASA VIPER rover aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Thornton also founded the Carnegie Mellon University Advanced Composites Lab, a research, training, design, and manufacturing program specializing in high performance, lightweight composites for robotics.
- Sam Moore is the Executive Director of the Moonshot Museum, a new museum coming to Pittsburgh’s Northside in 2022 focused on making space more accessible and inspiring people to find their place in the future of human space exploration and settlement through access to real spacecraft and space industry professionals. In this role, he oversees operations, exhibition design, fundraising, programming, and outreach for the museum. Prior to the Moonshot Museum, Moore served in leadership positions with museums and cultural nonprofits in Pittsburgh and beyond, including the Senator John Heinz History Center, the National Aviary, the Missouri Historical Society, and St. Louis’s Campbell House Museum. He holds an M.A. in history and museum studies from the University of Missouri and can be found biking the many miles of trails around Pittsburgh when not at the museum.