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Moogega Cooper, NASA planetary protection engineer, to give SciFest keynote

A photo of scientist Moogega Cooper, taken from below, with her looking up

Moogega Cooper

Moogega Cooper, an award-winning NASA engineer who worked on the famed 2020 Mars Rover “Perseverance” Mission, will give the keynote address during Randolph College’s 2025 Science Festival.

The festival runs from March 27-30, with Cooper’s keynote scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 27. 

In her role as a planetary protection engineer, Cooper works to prevent contamination of planets and moons by Earth substances during space exploration. 

Her work with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is integral to the ongoing mission to discern whether Mars could be habitable for humans and to ensure that we don’t harm what’s already there—a job she has been working up to for most of her life. 

After graduating from high school at 16, Cooper studied physics as an undergraduate, received a master’s degree and went on to earn her PhD in mechanical engineering at 24 years old with a dissertation on sterilizing spacecraft materials.

In her keynote, “Limitless: Trailblazing Leadership from the Earth to the Stars,” Cooper will share leadership lessons learned from her journey to the top of her field.

SciFest activities continue on Friday, March 28, with Randolph’s Women in Science Panel, an open house in the Center for Student Research, the Poetry Jam Reading and Awards Ceremony, and the popular A Scientist Goes to the Movies, featuring a faculty member offering commentary on the science featured in a film.

This year, that film is Twisters, with observations from environmental studies and sciences professor Karin Warren and meteorologist George Flickinger. 

Science Day will be held on Saturday, March 29, with registration options for two different age groups: 3rd-6th graders and children ages 3-7.

Other highlights of the 2025 festival include:

  • The presentation of the 2024 SciFest Science Teacher Award at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, prior to Cooper’s talk.
  • Science Day for 3rd-6th Graders and Science Day for Little Scientists on Saturday, March 23.
  • A Glow Stick Star Party at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29.
  • The Lynchburg Regional KidWind Challenge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, featuring middle school teams and their coaches building  wind turbines and exploring renewable energy concepts. 
  • The Maker Faire of Lynchburg from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, featuring more than 50 hands-on activities for people of all ages.
  • Smash @ SciFest, a Super Smash Bros. esports competition, at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 30.
  • The SciFest FIRST LEGO League Explore Build Challenge Expo from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, featuring two competitions: the traditional Lego League Explore projects and a smaller building challenge using kits provided by Randolph.

Visit https://randolphscience.org/scifest/ for the full schedule and more information.

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