This page features panels at SXSW Interactive 2013 that will be presented within the BiT House at the Hilton-Garden Inn.
Additionally - this page includes panels that will take place outside of the BiT House that self-selected BiT as a tag, or have panelists or subject matter that we think is of particular interest to blacks in tech. If you would like to have a panel included on this page, please email the SXSW schedule page url to us at info@wearebit.com.
Private space exploration projects have made headlines recently with companies like Space X, Planetary Resources and Virgin Galactic, but the first woman of color in space, Dr. Mae Jemison, has grander ambitions. In 2012, under Dr. Jemison’s leadership, the “100 Year Starship” initiative received widespread media attention as well as seed funding from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). The goal of “100 Year Starship” is to enable human interstellar flight within the next 100 years and enhance life on earth through the application of interstellar research and technologies.
We’ll talk about Dr. Jemison’s initial experiences with NASA & space travel, how the 100 Year Starship organization plans to tackle the enormity of this mission, the importance of inclusive grassroots involvement, as well as insights regarding the project’s technology initiatives, the potential application for health care, energy, power consumption and self-sustaining technologies in the future.
