Last week, the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences announced a new multidisciplinary initiative that aims to unite science with policymaking to support human exploration of the final frontier. Termed Science and Policy to Advance Cosmic Exploration, or SPACE, the program is headed by Associate Professors of Physics Michael Troxel and Daniel Scolnic and aims to bring together research, professional programs and strategic partnerships.

The new initiative looks to push the University to the front lines of the rapidly growing "space economy," which is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035.

"We are so grateful for this seed gift that brings together Duke's broad community of faculty and students interested in space," said Scolnic, who was also recently named the University's presidential fellow for this year. "This gift will create new opportunities for collaboration and learning and better tap into the growing momentum and funding for this new age of space exploration."

Although the SPACE initiative is housed in Trinity, the program will foster collaborations across several of Duke's schools and centers. The University hopes to design at least one interdisciplinary master's program in space science as part of the initiative, and its board features professors with a range of academic backgrounds, from medicine and engineering to history and policy.

The initiative aims to capitalize on Duke's proximity to leading medical and technological centers in the Triangle, as well as nearby research universities.

In addition to various workshops and seminars, the SPACE initiative will host an annual Duke Space Symposium. The inaugural installment, which took place in April, included sessions on health and medicine, environmental protection and commercialization, ethical and human rights challenges, long-term development and governance, and the future of space at Duke.

"This is about more than just propelling research forward - it's about convening researchers, organizations and government agencies to tackle a full range of space science and policy questions while seeking to advance public understanding of the cosmos," Trinity College Dean Gary Bennett said in the announcement.

Duke has expressed interest in expanding its study of space in recent years.

The University established a Space Diplomacy Lab in February 2022 as part of its Rethinking Diplomacy Program, aiming to provide a forum for academics, policymakers and diplomatic practitioners to work towards a secure and sustainable future of humanity in space. The lab is now incorporated in the SPACE initiative.

Troxel and Scolnic are involved with the Duke Cosmology Group - also now part of the new initiative - which uses astronomical sky surveys to measure and analyze dark energy and the expansion of the universe.

The University previously sponsored a student-founded Duke Space Initiative, described in 2021 as "the interdisciplinary home for all things space at Duke." The program was developed with support from faculty across various schools, and its leaders hope to eventually develop a "full-fledged space studies department" at Duke, though its website has since been taken down.

The SPACE Initiative will formally launch at a kickoff event scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 8 in Penn Pavilion. Anna Menon, Graduate School '10 and former lead space operations engineer at SpaceX, will be the keynote speaker.

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