Fall Fest 2026

Dr. Mae Jemison

Entrepreneur, engineer, physician, educator, humanitarian and former NASA astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison is at the forefront of integrating the physical and social sciences with art and culture to ignite innovation and build meaningful solutions to the world’s critical problems.

Dr. Jemison, the first woman of color in the world to go into space, served six years as a NASA astronaut and flew as the Science Mission Specialist aboard the joint mission NASA-Japanese space agency space shuttle Spacelab J.

Jemison leads 100 Year Starship (100YS), a nonprofit global initiative to assure that capabilities for human travel beyond our solar system to another star exist within the next 100 years while transforming life on Earth.

J.R. Edwards

From the Space Shuttle to Hubble to James Webb Space to Mars Curiosity to building and flying the Orion Space Capsule, Indianapolis native son J.R. Edwards was a key member of the leadership team at Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest aerospace and defense contractor.

For decades, he was responsible for historic space and national security missions that captured global attention and galvanized human imagination. Earlier this year, the Orion space capsule shattered the record for longest distance traveling by humans into deep space as it looped around the Moon and returned to Earth safely.

As manager for human space flight programs and corporate technology strategist, Mr. Edwards held the enviable position of tapping the best and brightest minds on the planet to advise regarding the future of tech. Mr. Edwards has held a seat at the table of power, influence, and access. He is living history, and he is guiding humanity’s continuing expansion into the far reaches of space, with direct benefit to life on Earth.

A recipient of numerous awards and recognition, from acknowledgment before the United Nations General Assembly to being the 10^th American after the Apollo 11 crew and other notables recognized for global achievement in space exploration by the International Astronautical Federation, Mr. Edwards is one of the newest recipients of the Sagamore of the Wabash award, the highest award presented by the Indiana Governor.