Space Diplomacy

WATCH THE RECORDING HERE

Through the IVLP Impact Awards initiative, recent alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Program administer community impact projects that bring the experiences of their exchange program home to their communities and promote innovative solutions to shared global challenges. 

On December 17, 2024, Meridian International Center hosted a virtual panel of IVLP Impact Awardees who have harnessed their exchange experiences to promote international cooperation and mutual understanding in the realm of space exploration. The panel was moderated by Clementina Sasso, Italy and featured panelists Hana Galitsky Ovroutski, Israel, Eigirdas Sarkanas, Lithuania and Taskeen Ali, United Kingdom.

Some of the highlights included:

1. Inspiration Builds the Future

Each panelist spoke about the ways their IVLP Impact Award projects focused on youth because, as Hana put it, "By inspiring and empowering the next generation of scientists and engineers, we are building a global community of collaborators who can work together to address the challenges and opportunities of space." Her project used interactive museum tours and activities to inspire girls in Israel to pursue STEM careers, specifically in space and aviation. In Italy, Clementina's project zeroed in on teachers because "we thought, 'why not think about the teachers and help them to help the students?' So, we focused on them." Her project provided resources for educators, including a card game to help deconstruct gendered stereotypes related to STEM. Clementina also shared that, thanks to a local collaborative partnership she established during the project in 2023, the card game is still available for teachers to request today. Eigirdas' project in Lithuania is ongoing and focuses on introducing STEM and space fields to young students because "children's choices can be...shaped from a very young age, as early as like 3 or 4 years old... it's the best time because at that time they are most receptive to information." Taskeen's project targeted university students, introducing them to the broad range of careers and aspects of the space industry through lectures and workshops. She shared, "I'm not a space scientist...I came from the world of economics, so I examine space from a different perspective...So, I really wanted to encapsulate that in my project...how the future of space is unfolding, and opportunities [are] arising."

2. IVLP as a Launchpad

Both Clementina and Taskeen participated in the IVLP project Hidden No More: Empowering Women Leaders in STEM, organized by FHI 360 in partnership with Global Ties Alabama, WorldChicago, and International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles. Taskeen mentioned, "Visiting John Hopkins was incredibly exciting," specifically her visit to the DART program. She said, "It was Huntsville that really changed my mind." She spoke about being inspired to learn that "actually a lot of the work done to build (and the engineering done to build) the Saturn V rocket was done by women because they were very good at handicrafts. So, they were really good at intricate welding. And they were the ones who actually developed the first computers that went up there...it's incredible the linkage between arts and craft, engineering as well as science and inspiration, all of this, how it all links together and how all of these are important; that we actually disregard and sometimes sum it up to just 'it's science.' But there's a lot more to that." Clementina agreed that their visit to Huntsville was especially inspiring and said, "When we met all the Afro-American communities, it was really like...being in the movie 'Hidden Figures.' I mean, I'm listening to these ladies, these scientists and technicians, that are still fighting with being women." Taskeen agreed and reflected on the IVLP exchange in general, saying, "The idea that we have of the U.S. is very different. It's so varied. And I think the IVLP program just brings this out brilliantly...showcasing different cities...my idea of the U.S. was just New York City, you know, with these high-rise buildings...this really brought out a far more diverse and down-to-earth real kind of experience of the U.S."

Eigirdas participated in the IVLP project Engaging the Rising Generation of Space Nations, organized by Meridian International Center, in partnership with International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles, WorldDenver, Colorado Springs World Affairs Council, and WorldOrlando. He remembered the "Challenger Center, which for me personally was the most inspiring visit." Specifically, Eigirdas was struck by how "they implement these kinds of [STEM] activities from a very young age. We don't have any similarities in Lithuania," which his IVLP Impact Award project is changing this year. He decided, "Let's try to bring at least [a] very small part of Challenger Center activities to Lithuania," which he is doing by collaborating with the Vice President of the Challenger Center to get permission to translate many of their educational materials into Lithuanian as part of his project. He also talked about attending the Space Symposium in Colorado, "one of the biggest space events in the world" and added, "actually I'm planning to come back next year in the Space Symposium, this time with a few Lithuanian companies," underscoring the ongoing collaboration that IVLP sparked. Eigirdas, like Taskeen, was impressed with the Saturn V rocket and said it was "the place where I want to come back, especially...with my son....to show him what is space all about, especially in the U.S. where almost everything got started." 

Hana's IVLP was called Advancing Women and Girls in STEAM Fields, organized by the Institute of International Education in partnership with Global Ties Iowa, International Center of the Capital Region, and the Tulsa Global Alliance. She shared, "In Washington, D.C. I enjoyed the museums, and I was particularly impressed by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The vast collection and the educational programs were truly inspiring for me, and it sparked the ideas for how to engage young people with space exploration back home in Israel." She also added that she "particularly enjoyed Philadelphia...my meetings with the City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce and the inspiring woman from the Office of Engagement of Woman and the Office of Youth Engagement reinforced the importance of working with girls in the diverse population to promote inclusivity in STEM." Hana reflected on the exchange overall, saying, "My IVLP experience was truly transformative and meeting inspiring women leaders in STEM, visiting innovative educational institutions, and learning about the best practices in promoting gender equality in these fields: it's broadened my perspective and fueled my passion for empowering girls."

3. Open Diplomacy and the Space Sector

In keeping with Meridian's recent focus on open diplomacy, Taskeen talked about how the landscape of diplomacy in general and space diplomacy particularly is changing and how "there's a lot of novel actors in the sphere. So not just the traditional space agencies and government agencies...the notion of states (nation states) are also slowly shifting with private sector actors veering into the sphere." She brought up the example of SpaceX and the work they are doing for NASA in the U.S. as an example of the way that new players are entering the field, and commented, "governments have to answer to their citizens because they're elected, but private sector organizations do not have to answer to citizens. So, I think bringing them onto the sphere of having dialogue with them, shaping it together, I think that's in the multilateral kind of system--I think it needs a little bit of shakeup."

Clementina agreed, underscoring the importance of maintaining open and fair dialogue to "keep the space area really for all." Clementina also brought up the long history of working together internationally in space, noting, "Usually, when you think of international cooperation and collaboration, you think about space." Taskeen agreed but added that "the assumptions of the past...may not hold in the future. So therefore, it's really important to be anticipatory and also be having a strategic advantage in various ways is to look at how the assumptions are changing, what are the bends in the trends that are on the horizon."

Taskeen also raised the "parallels that we can already learn from" with other issues of international concerns, such as "arctic oceans, the metaverse: there's no clear jurisdictions, and nobody owns space at the moment. And so, it's everybody's problem, yet nobody's problem," similar to the issue of space debris. Taskeen compared these examples to climate change, remarking that "bringing in international collaboration together and having dialogue together [we've seen] how difficult it is." She compared these efforts to the international collaboration needed to take on similar problems in the space sector that will continue to be of concern to a wide array of state and non-state actors. Taskeen said, "I think learning lessons from climate change is incredibly important." Hana added, "Educational programs can promote the peaceful and collaborative use of space, transcending borders and cultures. For example, my project facilitated a visit from the curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to Madotech [in Israel] so it fostered a valuable exchange of knowledge and ideas between our institutions."

4. Defining Success

When asked to share a success story from their projects, the panelists had a lot to choose from. Taskeen mentioned several examples, including some girls starting a space club at their school after hearing one of her lectures and being approached by a microbiology student interested in doing research in space. Taskeen encouraged her interest, advising, "I know that on the horizon, doing research on biology in outer space, in microgravity conditions, is going to be a thing. It's going to be big, so just go for it!" She also spoke to her participants about being intentional with what humans bring into space and how she specifically reached out to students studying a wide array of subjects, telling one young musician, "You could be a pioneer of starting what kind of music we're going to take over there. And the ability of music, of those who study music and mathematics, there's a lot of linkages within that. So don't ignore that."

Since Eigirdas' project is ongoing, he spoke about the future success he hopes for and how "Lithuania is still [an] emerging country [and] is very open for the opportunities, and we can dive into those opportunities without much of hesitation because our national bureaucracy here is still very flexible," which provides a good landscape for his participants. He went on to say that he hopes that at least a few of his 80 student participants "will continue and will try to find other opportunities to participate...in the STEM field."

Hana was sharing about her successful project, saying, "The educators of the students were fascinated from the visit [to the museum], and they told us that the girls were so thrilled about it, and some of the girls continued to pursue and to [be] interested in the field of space. You can see the shine in the eyes of the girls while visiting...the best assessment and measurement is the spark in the eyes." As Hana spoke, Clementina's own eyes lit up. She interjected, "Yeah, that's the best!" and added, "When they ask you 'write something that assesses that your project was good, so give some measurable [outcomes],' and I'm just like, 'How can I tell you that they were really excited about everything?'...You can change a life, and this is really amazing."

Clementina shared a full-circle moment, "When I was in my IVLP in 2022, I was [at] Johns Hopkins...And then, this year, I came back to Johns Hopkins but to speak in a conference about the solar storm that brought the Auroras everywhere in May, and I met the new cohort of Hidden No More IVLP project there...I was telling them, 'Can you believe it?... I was here as a visitor, and I am here as a speaker.' So, just believe it. I mean, somehow it goes in, in the direction you want."

"I see space diplomacy as a precursor to any conflict that’s on the horizon. This is a means that we can use as soft power of engagement, of being human, of other methods than…command and control style influences…this is a means of having dialogues; to come to the table and bring them in the sphere of having conversations. And it’s only then that you can find solutions." - Taskeen Ali

If you have any questions, please reach out to the IVLP Impact Awards Team at IVLPImpactAwards@meridian.org.

If interested in attending more IVLP Impact Award events, click here.