Florida Tech Launches STEAM Seminar Series Oct. 25

School of Human Centered Design,
Foosaner Art Museum Team Up 

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology’s Foosaner Art Museum and School of Human-Centered Design, Innovation and Art are pleased to announce the STEAM Seminar Series, a free monthly presentation featuring renowned speakers discussing the intersection of science, technology, engineering, math and art.

The series launches Oct. 25 with “Advances of Surgical Techniques on Earth Through Space Exploration,” a presentation by Dr. Esther Beltran that looks at how design-based thinking influenced medical advances. The event runs from 6-7:30 p.m. in Foosaner’s

Harris Community Auditorium.

Additional presentations are scheduled for Nov. 29 and in 2017, Jan. 24, Feb. 28 and March 28. All are Tuesdays from 6-7:30 p.m.

“The museum is thrilled to partner with the School of Human-Centered Design, Innovation and Art to present public programming that promotes innovation through art and technology,” said University Museums Director Carla Funk. “This series aims to demonstrate the arts as a powerful catalyst for scientific exploration.”

Beltran, chief scientist of space medicine & life sciences at the Florida Space Institute in Orlando, has been a leader in many research and teaching programs in medicine, science and aerospace sciences. She will discuss how space travel has allowed for innovations that have already revolutionized the field of medicine, such as with telemedicine and robotic surgery. Beltran will also discuss the exciting potential of future innovations to be discovered through ongoing space exploration.

Beltran, a medical doctor, graduated from University Autonoma of Barcelona, Catalonia. She later blended her interest in aerospace and aviation sciences, obtaining a master’s degree in aerospace sciences and a doctoral degree in aerospace medicine/occupational medicine.

She is an expert on humans living and working in extreme environments. She was one of the medical doctors for the development of spacewalk protocols for the construction of the International Space Station.

Beltran was awarded two Amelia Earhart fellowships from Zonta International Foundation and she has also served as a medical officer for underwater diving expeditions around the world.

For more information on the event, contact Delilah Caballero at dcaballe@fit.edu or 321-674-4960.

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