{"id":2051,"date":"2026-05-10T14:05:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T14:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/?page_id=2051"},"modified":"2026-05-10T14:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T14:12:30","slug":"keynote-speakers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/programme\/keynote-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Keynote Speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Keynote Speakers<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\u00a0<\/p>

The Role of Humans in the Age of AI<\/span>
<\/strong>Dr. Pamela L. Gay<\/strong><\/span>, <\/strong><\/em>Cosmoquest, Planetary Science Institute, US<\/em><\/p>

Email: starstryder@gmail.com<\/u><\/a>
Social Media: https:\/\/x.com\/starstryder<\/u><\/a> ; https:\/\/instagram.com\/starstryder<\/u><\/a> ;
https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@starstryder<\/u><\/a> ; https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/starstryder.space<\/u><\/a><\/p>

Abstract: <\/strong><\/em><\/span>Astronomy and Planetary Science advance at the rate of technology and under the limitations of human creativity. With each new telescope, space probe, and wave or particle detector, we see more and are able to understand more. But with petabytes of information being collected daily, researchers must rely on software’s ability to filter, process, and model information so we can find the needles of new discoveries in the haystack of noise and known objects. Large Language Models are making this easier in some cases, and AI companies would suggest the machine could soon replace most researchers and communicators, with agentic prompts replacing our requests to postdocs,\u00a0 students, and press officers. In this talk, we separate the marketing from the reality and look at the potential for and the failure modes of AI. As a case study, we consider the Moon and how and why human eyes – including volunteer scientists – are still needed as we look for the safe places to land and the scientifically interesting places to explore. Come learn how you can be part of a human-computer collaborative future, and why LLMs won’t be able to replace people until that impossible day when we stop finding new things to try and understand.<\/p>

Brief Biography<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
Dr. Pamela L. Gay is an astronomer, technologist, and creative focused on using new media to engage people in learning and doing science. Join me as we map our Solar System in unprecedented detail through our citizen science projects at CosmoQuest.org, and learn astronomy through media productions like Astronomy Cast and Escape Velocity Space News. I am a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and can be found online under the handle StarStryder.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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AI, YouTube, and the New Public Astronomy: Opportunities, Risks, and Responsibilities<\/span>
<\/strong>Nidhal Guessoum<\/strong><\/span>, <\/strong><\/em>American University of Sharjah, UAE<\/em><\/p>

Email: nguessoum@aus.edu<\/u><\/a>\u00a0
Social Media:\u00a0<\/a>https:\/\/x.com\/NidhalGuessoum<\/u><\/a><\/p>

Abstract: <\/strong><\/em><\/span>The rapid rise of accessible artificial intelligence has transformed who can create, translate, and distribute scientific knowledge. Drawing on more than a decade of YouTube videos on science, astronomy, and culture, and many years of engagement with the general public through TV and podcast interviews, articles, and lectures, I have seen how astronomy communication has changed, mainly by becoming more \u201copen\u201d \u2013 but also more fragile, prone to sensationalism, superficiality, and often detached from scientific methodology.
This keynote will examine how AI tools can empower educators and creators, by helping find and curate information and explanations, as well as globalize scientific conversation. It will also explore how these same tools can easily amplify misinformation, flatten expertise, and blur the line between genuine understanding and spectacle. I will argue that the future of astronomy communication can be helped by powerful algorithms and tools, but its success will ultimately depend on responsible human judgment, narrative integrity, and trust-building communities.<\/p>

Brief Biography<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
Nidhal Guessoum is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the American University of Sharjah, UAE. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California at San Diego and was a post-doctoral researcher at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center. He has participated in dozens of conferences worldwide, published over a hundred research papers in major international journals, and lectured at many prestigious universities around the world.
In December 2020, Prof. Guessoum was named among the Top 100 most influential leaders in space exploration by the digital platform Richtopia. In 2018, he was ranked 22nd among top Arab thought leaders by the Swiss Gottlieb Duttweiler think-tank. In 2022, he was chosen to hold the Sheikha Nama Majid Al Qassimi Endowed Chair for Education Across Disciplines at the American University of Sharjah, UAE.
He has been interviewed in numerous international media, including Al-Jazeera, BBC, France 24, Le Monde, NPR, Sky News Arabia, and others. He has had a very strong public activity, including hundreds of newspaper articles, over 130,000 followers on X\/Twitter and Facebook, and 565,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Communicating Astronomy in Central Asia and the Middle East<\/b><\/span>
Dr. Areg Mickaelian<\/span><\/strong>, <\/strong>Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO), Armenia<\/em><\/p>

Email: aregmick@yahoo.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/u>\u00a0
Social media: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aregmick\/<\/a><\/p>

Abstract: <\/strong><\/em><\/span>The IAU South West and Central Asian Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (SWCA ROAD,\u00a0https:\/\/iau-swa-road.aras.am\/<\/a>) was founded in 2015 in frame of the IAU Strategic Plan and Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) regional network. The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO, Armenia) is hosting the office. Armenia, Georgia and Iran and later Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkey agreed for this regional collaboration. SWCA ROAD is active in all three main directions: 1) professional astronomy, 2) astronomy education and 3) public outreach. Among the recent activities one could mention the Regional Astronomical Workshops (RAW), Regional Astronomical Summer Schools (RASS), organization of joint Armenian-Georgian Colloquia and Armenian-Iranian Workshops, collaboration with the Iranian Astronomical Society (MoU in 2025), recent Scientific (Astro) Tourism developments, collaboration with E-ROAD and Arab World ROAD (MoUs between 2 ROADs, BAO and Sharjah University, BAO and University of Jordan, etc.). Due to collaboration between SWCA and Arab World ROADs we initiate a new format of relations between the IAU Regional Offices. We also have signed MoU between BAO and the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) where (in Beijing) another IAU Regional Office is hosted, the IAU East Asia ROAD. Collaboration with Silk Road project has been made. Moreover, we collaborate with the IAU European ROAD, namely in frame of EU Erasmus+ project and may serve as a link between Asia and Europe. Communicating Astronomy with the Public is one of our main activities. This include: regular press-releases, creation of Scientific Journalism group in Facebook, scientific journalism seminars and annual contests (including astrophotography), regular press-conferences, articles in mass media, radio and TV programs, documentary movies., etc. Our further plans include the development of the regional VO network both for scientific and educational purposes, promotion of the joint meetings and schools for young astronomers, development of Astro Tourism, mutual visits, etc.<\/p>

Brief Biography
<\/strong><\/em><\/span>Leading Scientist and Head of Research Department (BAO), Director, BAO (since 2017); Director, IAU South West and Central Asian ROAD (since 2015); President, IAU Armenian National Committee for Astronomy (NCA); Acting President, Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS, since 2001); Vice Chair, Euro-Asian Astronomical Society (EAAS, since 2012); Project Manager, Armenian Virtual Observatory (ArVO, since 2005); Executive Committee, International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA, since 2005); Steering Committee, International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA); Director, Byurakan International Summer Schools (BISS, since 2006).
Research interests: <\/strong>astronomical surveys, QSOs and Seyfert galaxies, IR galaxies, X-ray sources, <\/em>extragalactic radio sources,<\/em> Virtual Observatories (VOs)<\/em>\u00a0
<\/em>Publications:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>476 publications according to ADS, including 194 papers in refereed journals, 151 proceedings of meetings, 25 electronic catalogs, etc.
Honours and Awards: <\/strong>World Summit Award (WSA) IT award for the best e-Science Project\u00a0(DFBS, 2005), Republic of Armenia President\u2019s Annual Prize in Physics (2020), Russian International Academy of Tourism medal (2019), Letters of Commendation from IAU\/UNESCO (IYA-2009), etc.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Astronomy is Fundamental: Exploring interdisciplinary collaborations in planetariums<\/span>
Dr. Shannon Schmol<\/span><\/strong>, Abrams Planetarium, US<\/em>
<\/strong><\/p>

Email: schmolls@msu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Abstract<\/strong><\/em>:<\/em><\/strong><\/span> As the director of a planetarium on a university campus for 12 years, I am lucky and frequently meet people who work in disciplines seemingly well outside the realm of astronomy. These discussions often result in a collaboration to use the planetarium as an immersive theater. These collaborations almost always end up organically connecting back to astronomy through our discussions in the planetarium. By learning from each other in an environment where we can manipulate data visualization in real time, those connections between our disciplines become clear. Over the years, I have learned that understanding celestial motion and the patterns in our sky is fundamental to understanding certain archaeological sites and artifacts. Knowing how birds navigate during migration requires knowledge of celestial motion. Or one of the most abundant minerals on Earth was not confirmed until recently with the help of a meteorite. These are just a few examples. This ease of finding a breadth of connections between astronomy and other disciplines allows for multiple entry points and hooks for people to gain an interest in and develop an identity around science. All of this also shows that astronomy is ubiquitous — not only because the sky is a constant companion for humans but it is a\u00a0 fundamental area of study that permeates through many disciplines.\u00a0 Astronomy allows us to see connections to our human experience and history and within the human endeavor of inquiry. On top of this, planetariums can offer a unique and fruitful place to explore and uncover these connections. This talk will explore how astronomy shows up in obvious and not-so-obvious places through my collaborations and explore ways that this can be used to support learning.<\/p>

Brief Biography
<\/strong><\/em><\/span>Dr. Shannon Schmoll is the director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. At Abrams Planetarium she has worked on finding new ways of utilizing the immersive planetarium theater with her team and through collaborations with partners on and off campus. She holds a joint PhD in astronomy and science education from the University of Michigan, where she researched integrating field trips into formal curriculum. She is currently the presidentof the International Planetarium Society (IPS).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Ethical AI in Citizen Science<\/span>
<\/strong>Dr. Laura Trouille<\/span><\/strong>, <\/em>Adler Planetarium, US<\/em><\/p>

Email: ltrouille@adlerplanetarium.org<\/a>\u00a0
Social media: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/therealzooniverse\/<\/u><\/a>,
instagram.com\/the.zooniverse<\/u><\/a>,
https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/zooniverse.bsky.social<\/u><\/a><\/p>

Abstract<\/strong><\/em>:<\/em><\/strong><\/span> Zooniverse connects nearly three million volunteers worldwide in participatory research (also known as citizen science) projects, from classifying galaxies to tagging penguins to marking the structure of cells for cancer research to transcribing historic documents. Since 2007, the platform has launched over 500 projects, each led by a different research team. Machine learning (ML) has become increasingly integrated into these projects, now in roughly one-third of them. Discussions within the Zooniverse Talk forums and elsewhere about AI\/ML-engaged workflows have mirrored broader societal conversations ranging from excitement and curiosity to concern. Zooniverse participants have raised thoughtful questions about topics including transparency, trust, ownership, and agency. In response, Zooniverse launched an initiative to develop recommendations for running AI\/ML-engaged projects on the platform. This effort included a workshop series that brought together platform leaders, Zooniverse project researchers, Zooniverse participants, ethicists, and specialists in AI, participatory research, and related fields. Discussions focused on effective public communication practices, core principles for ethical implementation, factors shaping potential risks and benefits across disciplines and task types, and strategies for protecting data in an era of web scraping and generative AI. The workshops were informed by global surveys of participants that explored their awareness of how AI\/ML is used in projects, their perceptions of its benefits and risks, and their recommendations for future directions. The resulting framework for ML-enabled participatory research is now being integrated into platform policy and workflows, with plans for beta testing and iterative refinement. Beyond Zooniverse, we hope the usefulness of this work extends to other platforms and researchers working at the intersection of public participation and AI\/ML. This talk will present the initiative, key lessons learned, and next steps, and will highlight how these insights can inform other platforms and research communities working at the intersection of public participation and AI\/ML.<\/p>

Brief Biography
<\/strong><\/em><\/span>Laura Trouille, PhD, <\/strong>is Vice President of Science Engagement at the Adler Planetarium and Principal Investigator of Zooniverse, the world\u2019s largest platform for people-powered research and a global collaboration with millions of volunteers and hundreds of research teams worldwide. She is a leading voice in advancing open, participatory science and the ethical use of AI in research. Trouille collaborates locally and internationally with universities, federal agencies, museums, libraries, and other organizations to unlock data, foster discovery, and strengthen connections between science and society. Prior to starting her current role in 2015, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University. She earned her bachelor\u2019s in Physics from Dartmouth College and her PhD in Astronomy from the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Don't Miss Out!<\/h2>

Join us at CAP Conference 2026 for an enriching experience that seeks to transform astronomy communication across the globe.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRegister Now<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Keynote Speakers \u00a0 The Role of Humans in the Age of AIDr. Pamela L. Gay, Cosmoquest, Planetary Science Institute, US […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":1881,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2051","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2051"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2111,"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2051\/revisions\/2111"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capconferences.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}