We continue our seminars serie, on Monday, October 26th, 16:00 H.
On site: Sala Adoración de Miguel, Agustín de Betancourt Building, 1.2.C16.
For this event in the Aerospace PhD Seminar Series, we will have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Sven G. Bilén, professor of Engineering Design, Electrical Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
The event will take place in the Sala Adoración de Miguel on Monday, October 26th, at 16:00 H.
Dr. Bilén has over three decades of experience designing, building, and fielding innovative systems for harsh and demanding environments—from space to the Arctic. He employs a systems design approach to ensure mission success, translating early stage needs into verified requirements and validated deployed systems. Since 2000, Dr. Bilén has been on faculty at Penn State, where he is professor of engineering design, electrical engineering, and aerospace engineering, reflecting his belief that innovation happens at the interfaces of disciplines. He has been involved with space tethers mission development and research for over three decades. Employing his broad skill set, Dr. Bilén has built satellites and satellite systems; wireless sensor networks; cognitive and software-defined radio systems; high-power microwave delivery systems for space propulsion; and robotic concrete printing systems. Dr. Bilén has a strong interest to see technologies he has worked on and advanced within a university research environment to get “into the wild”. Bilén is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania. He is senior member of IEEE, associate fellow of AIAA, and member of AGU, ASEE, INCOSE, and Sigma Xi.
“A personal history of space tethers”
Abstract:
Beginning with my graduate studies at the University of Michigan and continuing through my work at Penn State, I’ve explored how space tether systems interact with the plasma environment and how those interactions can be harnessed for power generation and propulsion.
In this talk I share my personal journey, including my work on the Tethered Satellite System and subsequent involvement in electrodynamic tether research and mission concepts. I reflect on the people, collaborations, and research questions that shaped my engagement, the challenges of translating ideas into flight experiments, and the unexpected directions that have kept the work compelling.
Through this account, faculty and students will get a glimpse of how a research career unfolds: how one question leads to another, how relationships create new opportunities, and how scientific curiosity persists through technical setbacks and shifting priorities. Space tethers provide a connecting thread. The story is about a career spent exploring their possibilities.
The seminar will begin at 16:00 H and will take place in the Sala Adoración de Miguel.
No previous registration will be required.
