NASA engineer Kobie Boykins will be the keynote speaker for Bowling Green State University’s Northwest
Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Education’s annual
symposium on Nov. 1.
The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside Olscamp Hall.
The preregistration fee is $35 and onsite registration is $45.
There is a special online registration rate for BGSU faculty of $20. A multiple participant discount is
also available for $30 per person for five or more participants from the same school.
Boykins, an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is on the front line of Mars exploration. He
designed the solar arrays that powered the Mars Exploration Rovers, and currently supervises the
mobility and remote sensing teams for the Mars Science Laboratory, better known as the Rover Curiosity.
In his keynote presentation, "Exploring the Red Planet: Engineering, Innovation, and
Perseverance," Boykins will share his passion for space exploration by recounting the design and
construction of the rovers and the story of their successful missions. He will also describe how he
overcame the challenges and failures that inevitably arose during the development of the Mars Rovers.
In 2013, Boykins was awarded a NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, one of the highest honors given to
NASA employees and contractors. He was also a featured scientist for Dr. Robert Ballard’s JASON project
on educating youth in STEM.
Roger Gluckin, of Rossford, has been invited to lead a presentation on how to bring science to life for
students over the Internet. Gluckin is a science teacher at a statewide virtual school. This year, more
than70 sessions will be offered encompassing seven STEM teaching and learning strands.
The symposium is sponsored in part by BGSU’s College of Arts and Sciences; College of Technology,
Architecture and Applied Engineering; College of Education and Human Development; Ohio Northern
University; The Anderson’s, and BP.
For more information and to register, visit the Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education
website or call 419-372-2718.
