Date & time
Monday, December 6, 2021
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Registration is closed
Workshops & seminars
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Bringing Sex to the Final Frontier: A Panel Discussion on Space Sexology with Dr. Shawna Pandya, Dr. Egbert Edelbroek, and Simon Dubé
Organized by Simon Dubé and moderated by Maria Santaguida
National agencies and private space companies—such as NASA and SpaceX—are moving forward with long-term space missions and colonization. However, they have yet to address the intimate and sexual aspects of our long-term space exploration and expansion into the cosmos. In response, this panel brings together experts with different perspectives on space research and human sexuality to partake in a moderated discussion on three main topics: Why is scientifically examining intimacy and sexuality in space so important? Why is there so little research on this subject? And what can we do about it? So join us to learn about the present and future of sex in space!
How can you participate? Register for the Zoom webinar or watch live on our YouTube channel.
Have questions? Send them to info.4@concordia.ca
This event is part of Simon Dubé's week-long residency at 4th Space (Dec. 6-10) as part of our 2021-2022 Public Scholars Residencies.
Panellists
Dr. Pandya is a scientist-astronaut candidate program graduate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) and Project PoSSUM. She is also a physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, pilot-in-training, skydiver, and VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies. She is Director of the IIAS/PoSSUM Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS/PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine course, Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Corporation, appointed member of the ASCEND 2021 Guiding Coalition, and Life Sciences Team Lead for the Association of Spaceflight Professionals. Her publications include book chapters on space spin-offs for medical benefit, psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight, and reproduction and sexuality in long-duration spaceflight. In 2021, Dr. Pandya was named one of the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada and a Canadian Space Agency Space Ambassador.
Dr. Egbert Edelbroek is founder & CEO of SpaceBorn United, speaker and ARTIS researcher. SpaceBorn United is a research- and mission design company that researches and enables the conditions for the different stages of human reproduction in space. Egbert is passionate about accelerating space life science research, helping humanity to become a multi-planetary species. Egbert’s interest in space exploration accelerated shortly after he became a sperm donor in 2010 and learned all about ART (assisted reproductive technology). This inspired him to explore options to re-engineer existing IVF technology for application in space. He earned his PhD in Courage development in organisations, connecting the domains of Biology, Neurology and Psychology from Nijmegen University in the Netherlands. He enjoys innovating and exploring boundaries by connecting domains and experts that usually remain separated in order to expand the human comfort zone.
Simon Dubé is a PhD candidate in Psychology specializing in human sexuality, sextech, and Erobotics – the study of human-machine erotic interaction and co-evolution. His work also explores Space Sexology, and how we can integrate sex research into space programs. He is a student representative of the International Academy of Sex Research and a general co-chair of the International Congress on Love & Sex with Robots. His doctoral research is funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec Santé (FRQS). In 2021, he first-authored The Case for Space Sexology, an article accepted for publication in The Journal of Sex Research.
Maria Santaguida is a PhD candidate and lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Concordia University. She specializes in human sexuality, sex technology, and substance-related sexual risk behaviours. Her work also explores Space Sexology, and how space programs can move toward greater diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. Her doctoral work investigates the acute effects of alcohol consumption on risky sexual decision-making, as well as subjective and psychophysiological responses to visual sexual stimuli. Her doctoral research is funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC). In 2021, she co-authored The Case for Space Sexology, an article accepted for publication in The Journal of Sex Research.