One day after President Obama charts his new course for NASA and the space industry, regional leaders and a National Public Radio correspondent will discuss the impact those changes could have.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Future: Florida, NASA and the Space Industry\u201d will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. Friday, April 16, at UCF\u2019s Executive Development Center, 36 W. Pine St., Orlando. Panelists plan to discuss the retirement of the space shuttle, what that will mean for Central Florida and new applications for space-related technologies. Those topics may change depending on the details of President Obama\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n
The event will feature Pat Duggins, National Public Radio\u2019s NASA correspondent and the author of \u201cFinal Countdown: NASA and the End of the Space Shuttle Program,\u201d as the opening speaker. A panel discussion will follow.<\/p>\n
Panelists include Frank DiBello, president of Space Florida; Lisa Rice, president of Brevard Workforce; M.J. Soileau, vice president of UCF\u2019s Office of Research and Commercialization; Lynda Weatherman, president of the Economic Development Commission of Florida\u2019s Space Coast; and Florida State Rep. Ritch Workman, a Republican who represents the Space Coast area.<\/p>\n