Florida Tech’s Lifelong Scholar Society is a community of curious minds who are passionate about sharing knowledge. Throughout the year, the society hosts a series of lectures. Topics range from historical writers and contemporary art to the Florida habitat, space exploration, and more. Join us and become part of a world of exciting people!
Upcoming Lectures
by Dr. Anthony James Catanese, Ph.D.
Thursday, April 17, 2025 - 5:30 PM EDT
Center for Aeronautics & Innovation
1050 W. NASA Boulevard
Melbourne, FL 32901
Program Description:
Dr. Catanese will discuss the evolution of city planning from antiquity through today. The talk will incorporate Utopian Thought and Christian Doctrine from Augustine's Shining City on the Hill. He will focus his contemporary remarks on the emergence of the concepts and developments of New Urbanism in Florida. He believes this to be a valid approach to meeting Florida's growth challenges yet preserving our way of life.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Anthony James Catanese, PH.D., FAICP, President Emeritus of the Florida Institute of Technology and President Emeritus of the Florida Atlantic University.
Dr. Catanese served as President at Florida Tech and Florida Atlantic University. Previously, he was the Provost at Pratt Institute, Dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Florida, Dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin, Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Environmental Design at the University of Miami, and Professor of Urban Planning at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also served as the Senior Fulbright Professor at the Universidad Pontificia Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia, as part of the Fulbright Program of the U.S. Department of State.
Dr. Catanese received his Bachelor's Degree from Rutgers University, a Master's Degree from New York University, and a Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. He did his Post-Doctoral Studies at St. Antony's College of Oxford University in Great Britain.
His varied career includes numerous consultancies from Hawaii to Alaska and real estate development projects in Atlanta, GA. He has written 15 books and over 100 refereed articles. His books include the Academic Best Sellers “Introduction to Architecture” and Introduction to Urban Planning,” both published by McGraw-Hill. The latest books are “Sunshine Towns: New Urbanism in Florida” and “Harmony, Florida: Living with Nature in a New Town” – both available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Currently, Dr. Catanese serves as Chairman of the Board of the King Center for the Performing Arts and L3Harris Theater.
by Dr. Vivek Sharma, Ph.D.
Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 5:30 PM EDT
Center for Aeronautics & Innovation
1050 W. NASA Boulevard
Melbourne, FL 32901
Program Description
Drones are revolutionizing industries, from emergency response and healthcare to law enforcement and commercial applications. In this session, we'll explore how drones work through a live demonstration and discuss key federal regulations for both recreational and commercial pilots. We'll dive into cutting-edge research on drone technology, including human factors, safety management, and integration into the National Airspace System. Additionally, we'll examine emerging applications in various sectors, public perceptions and concerns regarding drone operations, and the future of Advanced Air Mobility. Join us for an insightful look at how drones are reshaping our world.
About the Speaker
Dr. Vivek Sharma is an Assistant Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology's College of Aeronautics and chairs the online graduate programs. Dr. Sharma is passionate about teaching graduate and undergraduate-level courses such as aviation statistics, research, human factors, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and safety. Dr. Sharma graduated with a Ph.D. in Aviation Sciences with a concentration in Human Factors and Safety. Dr. Sharma has experience conducting human factors, safety, AAM, UAM, and user experience (UX) research. Dr. Sharma also served as a lead data analyst on projects for the ATLAS Lab and the Federal Aviation Administration's PEGASAS Center of Excellence. Dr. Sharma's research within the College of Aeronautics focuses on aviation human factors and safety, including leading studies on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations, altitude compliance trends in UAS using FAA data, urban air mobility, pilot personality, UX research, and aviation data analytics. Dr. Sharma is currently serving as a thesis committee chair, a member of two thesis committees, and a committee member for a dissertation. Dr. Sharma is also a member of FAA's Safety Team as a Service Provider, where Dr. Sharma volunteers to promote drone safety.
Registration Opens Soon!
by Dr. Yanek Mieczkowski
Thursday, August 21, 2025 - 5:30 PM EDT
Center for Aeronautics & Innovation
1050 W. NASA Boulevard
Melbourne, FL 32901
Program Description
Historian Yanek Mieczkowski's latest book, Surviving War, Oceans Apart: Two Teenagers in Poland and Japan Destined for Life Together (McFarland Press, 2024), details the World War II experiences of two young people, Bogdan and Seiko, who lived on opposite sides of the globe during the conflict. Bogdan fought German occupiers in Poland during the Warsaw Uprising, and Seiko was forced to work in a factory in Hokkaido, Japan. As war crippled their countries, Bogdan and Seiko suffered the deaths of family members, and after the Uprising failed, Bogdan endured seven German POW camps. Later, both Bogdan and Seiko immigrated to the U.S., where they met and started careers and a family. Mieczkowski's work offers a transnational view of World War II, taking readers to the European and Pacific theaters and the two countries most ravaged by history's bloodiest war. It is also a story of resilience and hope, detailing how two people survived wartime trauma and found lives in a new country.
About the Speaker
Dr. Yanek Mieczkowski is the author of Surviving War, Oceans Apart: Two Teenagers in Poland and Japan Destined for Life Together (McFarland Press, 2024). His previous books include The Routledge Historical Atlas of Presidential Elections (second edition, 2021), Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment: The Race for Space and World Prestige (2013), and Gerald Ford and the Challenges of the 1970s (2005). His articles have appeared in American History Magazine, WWII History, Florida Today, Newsday, and the History News Network online. He has contributed more than forty biographies to The American National Biography and worked as an Advanced Placement U.S. History Exam grader for fourteen years. Dr. Mieczkowski has served as a commentator on The History Channel, ABC News, CNN, PBS, and C-SPAN, and he has been a consultant to the Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museums. Dr. Mieczkowski holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University and has taught at five colleges and universities. He is now a Florida Institute of Technology's School of Arts and Communications faculty member.
Registration Opens Soon!
Previous Lectures
by Robert Sluka, Ph.D., Lead Scientist, Marine Conservation Program
Thursday, March 13, 2025 - 5:30 PM EDT
Center for Aeronautics & Innovation
1050 W. NASA Boulevard
Melbourne, FL 32901
Program Description:
Consider the oddly beautiful seahorse once abundant in the northern Indian River Lagoon. Millenia of natural selection adapted this creature for specialized habitats and gave them unique biology overturning long-held assumptions as males protect and give birth to new generations. Prized for their perceived traditional medicinal value, they are overharvested. Their habitats sensitive to the amount of nutrients in the water and destroyed by destructive forms of fishing are no longer places of refuge. This is just one of millions of species living in the ocean threatened by our actions and at a greater potential to become a casualty of the sixth mass extinction event.
Yet there is hope - science-based and community-led conservation works! Using case studies at the global, national, and local level I will examine several species and habitats through the lens of hopeful conservation - including Homo sapiens. Science helps us to identify how, when, where, and why species and habitats flourish. Join me on this hopeful expedition to the potential underwater world in the year 2050 as we explore conservation action and discover how you can be a part of protecting the 71 % of our planet covered by seawater - including the seahorses of the northern Indian River Lagoon.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Robert D. Sluka leads A Rocha's Marine Conservation work in Florida, the USA and abroad. A Rocha is a global faith-based conservation organization founded in 1983 in Portugal and now working in over 20 countries worldwide (www.arocha.org). Motivated and guided by faith and science, A Rocha focuses on place-based conservation, restoring and protecting species and habitats and serving the human communities connected to them.
He is a curious explorer, applying hopeful, optimistic and holistic solutions to all that is ailing our oceans and the communities that rely on them. Dabbling in theology, he writes on the interface between Christian faith and marine conservation. He has worked cross-culturally, living for extended periods in Australia, India, Great Britain, and his native USA. Robert's research focuses on marine biodiversity conservation, plastic pollution, and fisheries, particularly marine protected areas. The ultimate goal is to glorify God through oceans and communities being transformed through holistic marine conservation.
by Captain Winston Scott, NASA Astronaut, Former Vice President Florida Tech
Program Description:
The Earth's Sun is in the mid-stages of its lifespan. In approximately 5 billion years it will have consumed its fuel and destruct.
It is estimated that within 1 billion years, human life on Earth will no longer be possible!
If the human species are to continue, human beings must find, and inhabit, another planetary home, well beyond those within our current solar system. The search for such a planet, and the development of the technology necessary to get there, must begin now.
Captain Winston Scott will discuss potential scenarios for traveling to, and habitation of Earth-like planets. He will explore the necessity for humans to "Boldly go Where No One Has gone Before"!
About the Speaker:
Capt. Winston E. Scott is a retired U.S. Navy captain, astronaut, and educator, known for his exemplary contributions to aviation, space exploration, and STEM education. Born on August 6, 1950, in Miami, Florida, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Florida State University and a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.
Capt. Scott served as a naval aviator and test pilot, logging over 5,000 flight hours across more than 20 aircraft. In 1992, he was selected as a NASA astronaut and flew on two Space Shuttle missions, STS-72 and STS-87, during which he conducted three spacewalks and participated in critical satellite and research operations.
Following his NASA career, Capt. Scott dedicated himself to higher education and public service, holding leadership roles at the Florida Space Authority, Florida State University, and Florida Tech. An accomplished musician, pilot, and speaker, he continues to inspire through his advocacy for science, exploration, and the arts.
by Clifford Bragdon, Ph.D., ASA Fellow, Former Professor, Dean, Vice-Pres., Florida Tech
Program Description:
The resilience of plants, animals, and humans inhabiting our biosphere is essential for their protection and preservation, based on four interrelated needs: health, safety, security, and sustainability. Population growth on earth is currently 8.3 billion, and it is growing to nearly 10.0 billion by 2050. There are four primary threats that will require our collective attention including: natural disasters, human disasters (accidental and intentional), climate change, and transportation gridlock. Solutions to these threats are possible, but our society will need a new vocabulary and a solution-based strategy for creating a more viable habitat. Dr. Bragdon will enlighten us on 12 new concepts in his presentation, e.g., space use employs 3-dimensions while land use is just 2-dimensional, and all five human senses should be utilized (Kansai) rather than being dominated by the sense of vision, limiting problem solving. We need multi-sensory architects, engineers, and planners.
The cost of solutions to control threats is also escalating, requiring a larger percentage of the world's Gross Domestic Product. By 2025 it is estimated that solutions to these four combined problem areas will be equivalent to 30% of the total GDP. Dr. Bragdon presents new thresholds where there are more creative solutions such as integrated transport and intermodalism combined with logistics, and spatial management utilizing aerial, surface, and subsurface methods collectively, real-time sensory integrated three-dimensional, simulation, and patented material attributes for construction (e.g., Neuskyn). With a properly applied neoteric vocabulary using futuristic objectives that are based on resiliency, the future is very promising.
Utilize "historic-futurism" in your life and remember the words in the Holy Bible, Proverbs 29: 18 Where there is no vision, people perish. Sir Winston Churchill was one of the disciples of progressive historic-futurism. "The creative future requires us to understand the past."
About the Speaker:
Dr. Bragdon is a recognized academician, researcher and consultant specializing in urban planning, intermodal transport, cybersecurity, resilience, simulation, environmental health, and sustainability. He has held notable academic positions at Georgia Tech, Emory University, Florida Tech, Florida Atlantic University, Dowling College-NAT Center over 50 years. This included Distinguished Professor, Clinical Professor, Dean, Provost, Vice President, and Special Assistant to the President.