Samantha Thorstensen the education program director at the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which manages the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. In this role, she supports large-scale use of the ISS by students, teachers, and the public through the Space Station Explorers program. Previously, Thorstensen was NASA education specialist, director of STEAM for the Florida Afterschool Network, and a classroom educator for 14 years. Throughout her career, Thorstensen has focused on space science education, student achievement through inquiry-based learning, innovative curriculum, and educator empowerment through training.
Rihana Mungin works as a mechanical engineer and strategic energy management (SEM) coach for Energy350, working with industries to find energy savings and reduce utility usage. She is also a graduate student studying microgravity capillary fluidics at Portland State University. Notably, she worked with Nickelodeon and NASA to support the “Slime in Space” demonstrations aboard the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. She went on to co-host “Slime in Space: A Virtual Field Trip,” and created an exciting educational STEM environment for grade school children to engage with the low-gravity gooey slime content. Additionally, while working alongside NASA scientists and engineers, she applies her research to develop novel and autonomous liquid delivery methods for the Plant Water Management project and studies the fundamentals of evaporation in the absence of gravity to support the Capillary Structures for Exploration Life Support experiments.
