Dr. Keith Hawkins, Assistant Professor, Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Hawkins is primarily interested in a field called “Galactic Archaeology,” which aims to explore the Milky Way Galaxy from its earliest formation and uses stellar fossils to understand how its structure evolved over time. He is also a member of the newly created Wootton Center for Astrophysical Plasma Properties (CAPP) at UT Austin.

Colonel Tom Henricks, Former Astronaut and Commander of the Space Shuttle

Colonel Tom Henricks is currently president of Emerald, a membership-based business jet airline. As a NASA astronaut, Henricks flew four successful Space Shuttle missions spending forty days in low Earth orbit deploying two major satellites and conducting numerous science experiments with international astronauts. He is a retired U.S. Air Force (USAF) colonel, having served as a commander, F-16 test pilot and F-4 fighter pilot. He is a graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School “Top Gun,” USAF Test Pilot School and USAF Academy.

Susan Orr, Senior Director of Program Management, Medtronic

Susan Orr is accountable for improving the predictability of new product development processes to execute large cross-functional projects that support a global billion-dollar business. Susan has held roles at both Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic in R&D, Product Development, Project Management, Strategic Accounts, Sales and Marketing and Strategic Planning. She is a founding member and co-leader of the Culture team for Medtronic’s Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) initiative, which over the last 3 years has increased percent of females in technical roles by 11%.

Dr. Emilie Snell-Rood, Associate Professor, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota

Dr. Snell-Rood investigates the genetic mechanisms used by moths and butterflies to respond to novel and rapid changes in their environment. These studies are key to managing the survival of species, such as Monarch butterflies, to changes in land use and our changing climate.

Matthew Stepka, Managing Partner, Machina Ventures

Machina Ventures is an investment firm focused on early- stage, artificial intelligence and data science-enabled companies. Before joining Machina Ventures, Matthew Stepka was vice president, Business Operations and Strategy at Google, where he led and incubated strategic initiatives, especially mission-driven projects with high social impact. Prior to joining Google, Stepka co-founded CyberJava, one of the first Internet cafes, and was a freelance software programmer from an early age. Stepka holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Dr. Mark Thomas, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota

Dr. Thomas is a professor of neuroscience, director of the Medical Discovery Team on Addiction and leads the large, federally funded Center for Neural Circuits in Addiction. His research examines how addictive drugs alter the brain and how these changes can lead to compulsive drug use. His work is now focusing on ways to disrupt addiction relapse.

Dr. G. David Tilman, Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota

Dr. Tilman’s research focuses on ways to sustainably meet global human needs for food, energy and a livable environment. His long-term ecological experiments focus on the impacts on ecosystems of human-induced environmental changes, including the loss of biodiversity, nitrogen deposition in soils, habitat destruction and climate change. The Web of Science ranked Tilman as the world’s most highly cited environmental scientist for both the 1991-2000 and the 2001-2010 decades.

Leo Villareal, Light Technology Artist

Leo Villareal is a light artist based in New York City. He creates custom software to orchestrate light in new and surprising ways. Over the last 20 years, Villareal has exhibited widely in the United States and abroad. His work is in the permanent collections of museums including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum, Kagawa, Japan; and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Villareal was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and grew up in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Chihuahua.