John Crassidis, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Moog Professor of Innovation at UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, works with NASA, the U.S. Air Force and other agencies to monitor space debris, also known as space junk.  In this episode, Cory Nealon talks to Crassidis about his journey from aspiring astronaut to academia, why space junk poses a threat to the future of satellites and space missions, and how he’s applying a $5 million grant from the Air Force—with the help of institutional partners and his students at UB—to help solve the problem. 

Credits: 
Host: Cory Nealon
Guest: John Crassidis
Writer: Laura Silverman
Production and Editing by UB Video Production Group

Coming This Fall: Driven to Discover is taking a break over the summer. We will return in late August with pharmacologist Arin Bhattacharjee, who is working on a promising—and non-addictive—alternative to opioids for chronic pain.