Entering the Workforce and Strengthening the Global Community

From IAF: Calling on students and young professionals -- you are the future of the global space program! As such, it is time to share your vision, ambitions and challenges as current and prospective members of the 21st century space workforce with space leaders in government, industry and academia at the International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, South Korea, 12-16 October 2009!

Looking for an incredible opportunity to address the international space community? For the first time, the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) is organizing a plenary event to hear perspectives from 21-33 year olds on 12 October 2009 in Daejeon, South Korea, at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) (www.iafastro.org). Highlight how you are impacting the space world right now, share your vision and aspirations for future space endeavors, and underscore your desired role in them. Plenary event participants will deliver a ten minute presentation, engage in a panel discussion, and interact with the audience. You don’t want to miss this!

This sounds amazing! What do I need to do to participate?

ROUND ONE: 12 Seconds of Fame

By April 24, 2009, create a 12 second video telling us why you should be chosen to address the IAC and post it on http://12seconds.tv/. Then complete the application here. The IAF will select a subset of candidates from these entries and notify all entrants by May 6, 2009.

ROUND TWO: Just YouTube it!

If selected, create and post a three minute video on http://www.youtube.com by May 20, 2009. From your video, we should get a snapshot of your ten minute plenary presentation (think of it as a verbal abstract!). Send an email to youthplenary@iafastro.org with the link to your video.

IAF will select the finalists from these entries based on their creativity, efficacy of messages and relevance to the plenary topics. All entrants will be notified of IAF’s decision on their applications by June 3, 2009.

Plenary participants will be responsible for finding a sponsor or sponsors for their travel to and accommodations at the IAC. Candidates may also apply to the IAF Youth Grants Programme (see blog entry below).