Out Astronaut Selects Issac Anderson as Winner of the 2023 Out Astronaut Contest
2023 Out Astronaut Contest Winner Issac C. Anderson receives aerospace physiology training in IIAS's Extra 300 aircraft
2023 Out Astronaut Contest Winner Issac C. Anderson with Executive Director Dr. Jason Reimuller
2023 Out Astronaut Contest Winner Issac C. Anderson (right) receiving space suit training with IIAS's Chris Lundeen
Anderson will train as a spaceflight researcher while leading STEM outreach efforts to benefit the LGBTQ+ Community.
Out Astronaut is sponsored through the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), a nonprofit research and education institute specializing in aeronomy, bioastronautics, operational science, and flight test engineering.
The LGBTQ+ community is notably under-represented in STEM professions, and Out Astronaut believes that the lack of high-profile LGBTQ-identified STEM professionals, notably astronauts, contribute to this under-representation. Of approximately 600 individuals that have been selected as astronauts by government space agencies, none have ever identified openly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community at the time of their selection. In consequence, and according to a recent poll conducted by ‘Pride in STEM’, more than 40 percent of LGBTQ+ people in STEM are not out and LGBTQ+ students are less likely to follow an academic career.
Out Astronaut highlights the contributions of LGBTQ+ members currently working in science and space and works to remove barriers by increasing positive representation, identifying gaps in aeromedical knowledge, and advocating for a diverse and inclusive workforce. Ultimately, the program seeks to fly the first openly LGBTQ+ person to space as a research scientist.
Anderson is currently a second-year medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine where he balances his focus on space sciences and human health and safety with his passion for increasing access to STEM fields. Prior to pursuing medicine, he worked as a project manager for the Applied Research Center at NSF International in Ann Arbor, Michigan after earning his Master of Science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Eastern Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Astrophysics and Astrobiology from the University of Michigan.
"I am thrilled to be selected as the 2023 Out Astronaut Candidate!”, said Out Astronaut Candidate Issac Anderson, “It is an absolute honor to serve in a capacity that aims not only to promote representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, but in doing so, advocates for diversity at large in the advancement of space science.”
Anderson recently completed the requirements of IIAS’s ‘Fundamentals of Astronautics’ course provided through an Out Astronaut grant and held at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL. The course certifies Anderson to continue his professional development within IIAS, where he plans to study the relationships between microbiological virulence factors and the human immune response in extended microgravity environments.
“Throughout the selection process, Issac presented competence as aspiring researcher with a broad and practical understanding of the Out Astronaut mission, an assessment that was later validated through the professionalism he demonstrated while attending the Fundamentals of Astronautics course.” commented Out Astronaut Executive Director, Dr. Jason Reimuller.
Jason Reimuller
International Institute for Astronautical Sciences
720-352-3227
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