Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Lecture starts at 3:00 PM On line and Building 3 Auditorium

Greg Hodgin, Ivalyo Vasilev, Chance Glenn

"Nanoscopic Spacetime distortion, microfusion, and sublight propulsion (Or warp drive? Let's make it so!)"

ABSTRACT -- We are all nerds, and we all have a massive love of sci-fi. In fact, it's probably one of the major reasons we picked the careers we've got. And the mother of them all is Star Trek: we've all thought about serving in Starfleet.

If that's you, then here's the great news. Ever since Miguel Alcubierre's seminal 1994 on spacetime distortion, theoretical physicists have spent the time attempting to create viable spacetime distortions with energies that are reachable in the lab. However, most of these papers and attempts were attempting to create macroscopic distortions without considering the power source needed. After all, the Enterprise didn't exactly run on coal. New, recent research has shown that the energy required to create a nanoscopic spacetime distortion is reachable in a well-equipped laboratory. This presentation will discuss this new set of research, along with how nanoscopic spacetime distortions can help humanity attain terrestrial nuclear fusion. With nuclear fusion, this allows for the possibility of macroscopic spacetime distortions, and yes, that means exactly what you think it means. Can we build the Enterpriseanytime soon? Probably not. But the Phoenix (humanity's first faster-than-light ship) is closer than you might think.

SPEAKER --

Greg Hodgin is the CEO of ZC Institute. He graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and from Georgia State University with a Bachelor's degree in History, and a Master's and Ph.D. in Political Science. He has tussled with the Russians at the United Nations (and won) and defended and expounded refugee and IDP rights on the floor of the UN on two continents. He has also had two machetes and an AK-47 shoved in his face while doing field work. He is an avid gamer, which helps sharpen his diplomatic skill set. He is currently serving as the CEO of ZC Institute, a fusion startup that is engaging in quantum spacetime distortion research to create microfusion reactors, turning sci-fi into reality, one bubble at a time.

Dr. Ivaylo Vasilev: With a remarkable track record of completing over 30+ successful projects for Fortune 500 companies, Dr. Vasilev is a seasoned project manager with over 20 years of experience. Hailing from Sofia, Bulgaria, his expertise spans multiple fields, including engineering, AI – in which he has a Ph.D. – international project management, and business administration, earning him prestigious degrees from renowned institutions worldwide.

As the CEO of Astrum Drive Technologies, Ivaylo leads groundbreaking research and development in advanced propulsion systems and his leadership has been instrumental in allowing Astrum Drive to stay ahead in a rapidly-evolving industry. Driven by the guiding principle "Aut inveniam viam aut faciam" (I shall either find a way or make one), Dr. Vasilev has a passion for pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Dr. Chance Glenn is a professor of Electrical Engineering, an inventor, and a creative innovator. He has over 30 years experience as a scientist and engineer, an innovator, and an educator. Dr. Glenn is also the founder and President of Morningbird Space Corporation.

Dr. Glenn has been on the faculty as an engineering professor since 2003 on the campuses of Rochester Institute of Technology, Alabama A&M University, and the University of Houston-Victoria. He received his Bachelor's of Science in Electrical Engineering from The University of Maryland at College Park, and a Master's Degree and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a Certificate for Management Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Glenn has several patents and has written over 100 songs. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Gospel in 2000.

Next Week: "World Trade Center Disaster", Jim Milke, Dept. of Fire Protection Engineering, U of MD Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov