Lectures on Tap - Beyond Rockets: How NASA Transforms the World

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "Beyond Rockets: How NASA Transforms the World"

🎙 Speaker: Astrophysicist, Dr. Julie Rolla

NASA is best known for launching rockets, but many of its most important breakthroughs are felt here on Earth. On a budget of less than half a percent of federal spending, NASA drives advances in medicine, climate science, technology, and international collaboration. From tools that enable modern telemedicine to innovations that aid emergency responders, everyday life quietly benefits from space research.

While NASA satellites track Earth’s changing climate, missions to Mars and Venus reveal how planets evolve, offering an unparalleled perspective on our own future. NASA also inspires the next generation of scientists and engineers and anchors entire industries through cutting-edge research and engineering.

In this talk, experimental astrophysicist Dr. Julie Rolla shows how NASA’s work extends far beyond space exploration. Drawing on her experience in ultra-high energy neutrinos, dark matter, AI-driven detector design, and climate-focused satellite applications for disaster response, she’ll explore how space science supports communities on the ground.

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.