On September 27, Capitol Technology University hosted a movie night event in collaboration with our Astronautical and Space Engineering (ASE) department and our student organization, the Nightwatchers Club.
The event brought special guest and notable Canadian filmmaker, Akash Sherman, to our campus and featured a conversation with our Director of the ASE Program, Jeff Volosin, as well as additional guests from the aerospace community. Sherman, who is currently based in Toronto, was pleased to visit our university and meet our students, who show an amazing aptitude and dedication to astronautical science.
During this evening event, Capitol Tech students were invited to watch Sherman’s award-winning SciFi film, Clara, of which he is the writer and Director. In 2018, Clara won the Austin Film Festival's "Best Narrative Feature" award and film reviewers have commented that “the science part [of the film] is so accurate and well researched by screenwriter Akash Sherman that it created enough buzz among astronomers to warrant an article in Scientific American.”
Starring Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario, the story of Clara explores how the current search for life on exoplanets orbiting other stars could result in civilization-changing discoveries. A primary element of this fictional story is grounded in the real-life work being done by NASA professionals in this area of study, specifically by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Prior to his recent retirement from NASA, Professor Volosin spent 5 years as the TESS Project Manager, leading the design and development of this planet-hunting spacecraft. This event focused on exploring the intersection between art and engineering and the amazing ideas, collaboration, and learning that can come from this.
This evening provided the perfect opportunity for our STEM students and faculty to engage in a lively discussion regarding how SciFi movies can leverage and extrapolate from "real world" research. It also provided an opportunity to discuss exoplanet research and conjecture regarding what future discoveries may be on the horizon. Capitol Tech extends our gratitude to Akash Sherman for visiting our campus for this special event. And Professor Volosin is already working to set up future events to further engage our talented and curious students!
Visit our website to learn more about our Astronautical and Space Engineering programs and the exciting opportunities at Capitol Technology University!