GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER ATLANTA, GA IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHOW daily Produced by the editors of TUESDAY | October 31, 2023 theCAMX.org CAMX 2023 launches with keynote from retired NASA astronaut Joan Higginbotham By Scott Francis, editor-in-chief, CompositesWorld CAMX 2023 kicks o this morning with the General Session from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. in the Georgia World Congress Center Georgia Ballroom (Building C, Level 3). is year’s keynote speaker is Joan Higginbotham, retired NASA astronaut and president of aerospace consulting rm Joan Higginbotham Ad Astra LLC. Higginbotham has a background in elec-trical engineering and as part of a 2006 Space Shuttle Discovery mission, became the third African American woman to travel into space. Born in Chicago, Ill., U.S., Higginbotham’s career has taken her in many directions. She has served as director of open innovation at Collins Aerospace, sourcing cutting-edge technologies to close current technology gaps and meet future technology needs. Prior to that role, Higginbotham managed relationships with governmental agencies and public and private companies involved in human space exploration and also served as director of corporate social responsibility. Higginbotham’s passion for space was evident from early on. Her career with NASA began in 1987 at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, where she served as a payload electrical engineer in the Electrical of the International Space Station (ISS) and supporting numerous space station and shuttle missions. In 2006, Higginbotham was a crew member on the STS-116 Discovery Space Shuttle mission, where her job was to operate the space station remote manipulator system (SSRMS), and attach the third port-side steel truss segment (P5) to the ISS. Higginbotham has a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU-C), a Master of Science degree in management from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), a Master of Science degree in space systems from FIT, an Honorary Doctorate in aerospace science from SIU-C and an Honorary Doctorate in humanities from the University of New Orleans. While her experience includes roles in busi-ness development, corporate social responsi-bility and community relations, including stints with Marathon Oil and Lowe’s Companies, Higginbotham’s passion for space has always remained her true calling. In April 2022, she launched her own aerospace consulting rm, Joan Higginbotham Ad Astra LLC. See KEYNOTE, continued on page 3 and Telecommunications Systems Division. She was tasked with several special assignments and actively participated in 53 space shuttle missions during her 9-year tenure at KSC. Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in April 1996, Higginbotham reported to the Johnson Space Center where she began astro-naut candidate training. After successfully completing the program, she was assigned to technical duties testing various modules EVENTS NOT TO MISS 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET (Building C Lobby, Level 1) All locations are Georgia World Congress Center Building C, unless otherwise noted Registration Hours CAMX Award Winner Presentations 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET (CAMX Theater, Booth #P58 of Exhibit Hall) “Good Day, CAMX”: Discussing current challenges and future opportunities By Hannah Mason, technical editor, CompositesWorld e second day of CAMX will be kicking o at 8 a.m. in the Georgia Ballroom on Level 3 of the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) with “Good Day, CAMX,” an interactive session on the evolving composites industry landscape. is year, Marcy O ner, director According to Sloan, one of the of marketing and communications most important topics in the at Composites One (Schaumburg, Ill., U.S.) is ipping the script and composites industry right now is the will “interview the interviewer,” need for more industrialization. asking CompositesWorld ( CW ) brand VP Je Sloan about his perspective on the state of the industry and potential for the future. Prior to his current role, Je Sloan served as editor-in-chief of CW for 17 years, where he led the brand’s coverage of all things composites See GOOD DAY, CAMX, continued on page 9 First Time Attendee Orientation 7:45 – 8:30 a.m. ET (Room C302, Level 3) Conference Programming 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET (Rooms C101 – C109, Level 1) General Session With Keynote Address 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. ET (Georgia Ballroom, Level 3) ACE Award Winner Ceremony 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET (ACE Awards Pavilion, Booth #C6 of Exhibit Hall) Exhibit Hall Open 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET (Exhibit Hall C, Level 1) Welcome Reception 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET (Building C Lobby, Level 1) Halloween surprises await!