Boost Human’s CTO Dr. Ivan Gris was invited as an AI expert panelist during a screening of 2001: Space Odyssey at Alamo Drafthouse in celebration of El Paso Space Festival. Joining as panelists were Dr. Airfur Khan – (Assistant Professor) – UTEP Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR), James Susen, a Ph.D. candidate working at UTEP’s Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR), Erik Lopez, and engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston working at the International Space Station Program Science Office, Jimmy Acevedo, part of the Educational Outreach and STEM Engagement visiting from the Goddard Space Flight Center, and Amy Babcock, NASA Solar System Ambassador and Science Writer for the El Paso Herald Post.

The 2019 El Paso Space Festival is a week-long celebration of space exploration where we learn more about past, present and future space exploration. While the other speakers entertained and engaged the audience with knowledge about space, evolution, space travel, and other wonders, Dr. Gris led the conversations about HALL 9000 AI abilities and discussed technology that was just a dream, yet accurately portrayed in Kubrick’s film. 

The panel was moderated by Meghan Curry, Insight’s executive director as part of Nerd Nights. Insights is a private, not-for-profit organization with a mission of promoting STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) education through exploratory, interactive learning experiences. Insights El Paso is currently focused on outreach, bringing informal STEAM education to all ages in El Paso and the surrounding areas.