The National Space Club & Foundation proudly announces after a nation-wide search that Yash Kadadi has won the National Space Club & Foundation Keynote Scholarship, securing his role as the keynote speaker during the Club’s 64th Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner scheduled for Friday, September 17, 2021 at the Washington Hilton.
Mr. Kadadi is a high-school senior at The Westminster Schools of Atlanta, GA. He is an active researcher in space weather forecasting technology at NASA Johnson Space Center and has a deep, lifelong passion for space exploration. His project, SWIFT (Space Weather Imaging & Forecasting Tool), is a next-generation machine learning model that analyzes solar magnetograms and forecasts deadly solar weather (such as solar flares) that threaten both astronauts and modern infrastructure. Currently, he is working on integrating his code with NASA’s operational toolkit for the Artemis Moon missions as well as future Mars missions. His research has made him a Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Top 300 Scholar, a Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Finalist, and a Davidson Fellows Scholarship Honorable Mention. Outside of his research, he is the Vice President of Business and STEM Outreach on his school’s robotics team, The WiredCats, where he spearheads outreach and sustainability initiatives in his community. He also leads his school’s Discovery outdoors program and award-winning filmmaking club (StudioW). Studying Computer Science in college, he wants to explore how software can intertwine with aerospace engineering, astrophysics, and math to uncover the universe’s deepest mysteries. He sees himself founding his own aerospace company one day to help colonize the Moon, Mars, and the solar system.
The Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner is the major event of the Washington, DC space calendar. First celebrated in 1958, it is traditionally held each year near the anniversary of the first successful flight by Dr. Goddard of a liquid-fueled rocket. The dinner brings together nearly 2,000 members of the government, industry and educational space community and is considered the industry’s premier gathering of space professionals. In addition to the Keynote Scholarship, the Club presents several awards at the dinner to outstanding individuals for accomplishments in spaceflight, engineering, science, management and education. The premier award, the Goddard Trophy, is presented to the individual, group or program deemed to have made the most significant contribution to U.S. leadership in rocketry and astronautics either as a lifetime of achievement or in the previous calendar year.
Individuals and organizations interested in attending the 64th Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner on Friday, September 17, 2021 at the Washington Hilton, may find more information on our website www.spaceclub.org. For specific questions, please contact the Space Club at info@spaceclub.org or by calling 202-547-0060.
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The National Space Club and Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to fostering excellence in space activity through interaction between industry and government, and through a continuing program of educational support. Youth Education is a premier focus of the Club, providing over $160,000 in scholarships and internships each year. Awards are offered to recognize outstanding accomplishments in spaceflight, engineering, science, management, and education.
