Oakland: Yuri’s Night offers space networking, fun – East Bay Times

OAKLAND Chabot Space & Science Center will be a place to learn about the current trends in space travel, art and science April 8 as the center celebrates Yuri Gagarin, the first man to travel in space, with the Yuris Night event.

This is going to be a cross between the Burning Man crowd and the Maker Faire combined with talks and focused on where space innovation is going in the 21st century, said Sean Casey of the Silicon Valley Space Society, which matches science startups with venture capitalists and funding angels.

Casey, who worked as a scientist for NASA for more than two decades, sees space travel in its relative infancy today. With the privatization of space exploration through Space X, Virgin Orbit and others, he sees 2017 space travel being the equivalent of 1917 aviation travel. Theres a long way to go, but growth is inevitable.

Look how aviation grew over a century. Look how automobiles grew over a century, he said. It boggles the mind how space flight might grow in the 21st century.

Yuris Night Bay Area is organized by Marcia Fiamengo, a microgravity scientist and nuclear engineer who has worked on water filtration systems used in the International Space Station. She considers herself a space exploration evangelist and has a ticket to visit outer space with World View Enterprises, a private space exploration company.

Yuris Night is one of those events that is what you make it, she said. For some, the concept of space exploration is so eclectic. Its something that everybody can feel that they relate to.

Yuris Night is part networking event for those interested in careers in space travel. The ages 21 and older event will also feature very technical space exploration speakers as well as work from local artists and inventors.

Kristin Neidlinger, founder of Sensoree, will be one of the artists and inventors to show off her work at Yuris Night. She creates biometric and expressive clothing that monitors through medical equipment how the wearer feels. The clothing then translates those feelings to visual, tactile or audio displays to give feedback to the wearer and those around them.

We call it extimacy, or external intimacy, she said.

Her most popular design, for example, is her mood sweater that turns red when the wearer is excited or nervous. She also designed an inflatable corset that monitors the wearers heart rate and inflates to calm them down in stressful situations.

These designs could be used for caregivers to gain some insight into how someone feels who otherwise cant express themselves, like people with dementia or Alzheimers disease, or certain people on the autistic spectrum.

My ultimate dream is to design for space travel, said Neidlinger, an Oakland California College of the Arts graduate. Chabots Yuris Night event is one of 40 in 21 countries around the world. There will be DJs and dancing, LED displays, alcoholic drinks and telescope viewing.

Tickets to the event range from $11 to $500 and with the top tier ticket price comes special access to experts and a workshop on biometric clothing. The night is a fundraising event for Chabot Space & Science Center and other organizations.

__________________________________________________

IF YOU GO What: Yuris Night Bay Area Where: Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. When: 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. April 8 Who: Ages 21 and over. Cost: $11 to $500 Tickets and information: http://www.yurisnightbayarea.space

___________________________________________________

Read more:

Oakland: Yuri's Night offers space networking, fun - East Bay Times