Image: Planet Earth as Art was a presentation given at a joint virtual meeting of Chicago Society for Space Studies (CSSS) and the Huntsville Alabama L5 (HAL5) Society.
2020 was a difficult year for all of us – and that includes the CSSS Speakers Bureau. Not surprisingly, 2020 saw a downturn in the level of activity for the CSSS Speakers Bureau. During 2019, our speakers gave a total of 51 presentations to an estimated audience of some 1,900 people. For 2020, the number fell to 30 presentations to an estimated audience of around 870 with all but a few of the presentations being done virutally via Zoom or one of the other virutal online event platforms.
The success of the CSSS Speakers Bureau program during 2019 was instrumental in CSSS being presented with the National Space Society’s Excellence in Speaker Outreach Award (see Chicago Society for Space Studies Receives Speaker Outreach Award).
Following is a list of the presentations given during 2020 by members of the CSSS Speakers Bureau.
| Program Title | Organization/Venue | CSSS Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| The Connection between the Periodic Table and Astronomy | FV ASME Chapter Meeting | Larry Bartoszek |
| The History of the Universe Starting with the Big Bang | State Microscopical Society of Illinois | Larry Bartoszek |
| The Space Elevator: From Science Fiction to Engineering | NSS St. Louis Space Frontier | Larry Bartoszek |
| Settling the Solar System | NSS St. Louis Space Frontier | Larry Bartoszek |
| The Connection between the Periodic Table and Astronomy | Naperville Astronomical Association | Larry Bartoszek |
| 2020 Space Year in Review | Lake County Astronomical Society | Larry Boyle |
| 2020 Space Year in Review | National Space Society Space Forum | Larry Boyle |
| 2020 Space Year in Review | CSSS Online Meeting | Larry Boyle |
| Mysteries of the Cosmos — Life Beyond Earth — Searching for Alien Life (Part 3) | Palatine Public Library | Jim Kovac |
| Mysteries of the Cosmos — Life Beyond Earth — Searching for Alien Life (Part 3) | Naperville Astronomical Association | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them: Subtopic: Structures of the Outer Solar System | Sunnydale Elementary School | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them: Subtopic: Structures of the Outer Solar System | Northwest Suburban Astronomers | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them Subtopic: The Search for Planet 9 | Antioch Public Library | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them: Subtopic: The Search for Planet 9 | Elmhurst College | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them: Subtopic: The Search for Planet 9 | Naperville Astronomical Association | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them: Subtopic: Structures of the Outer Solar System | Skokie Valley Astronomers | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them: Subtopic: The Search for Planet 9 | Lake County Astronomical Society | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them: Subtopic: The Search for Planet 9 | Gail Borden Public Library | Jim Kovac |
| Fantastic Space Discoveries and Where to Find Them: Subtopic: Structures of the Outer Solar System | Antioch Public Library District | Jim Kovac |
| Planet Earth as Art | CSSS+HAL5 Online Meeting | Jim Plaxco |
| Space Settlement: Robots versus Humans | CSSS Meeting | Jim Plaxco |
| SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Space Tourism | CSSS/NSS Chapters Forum | Jim Plaxco |
| The Sustainability of a Lunar Economy | 2020 Lunar Development Conference | Jim Plaxco |
| Factors Impacting The Sustainability of a Lunar Economy | National Space Society Space Forum | Jim Plaxco |
| The Cosmos – Where are we now? | Capricon Science Fiction Convention | Jim Plaxco |
If you are, or know, a representative of a community group, library, museum, school, or any other organization that is in search of speakers on space-related topics, please review our Speakers Bureau page and consider having a member of the CSSS Speakers Bureau speak at your next event.