SOAR is excited to announce that the Keynote Speaker, presented by Rajant Corporation, has been chosen for the 2021 SOAR Summit. Jerry Linenger, a retired U.S. Navy Flight Surgeon and a NASA Astronaut, survived what has been described as “one of the most dangerous missions in space history” – an out of control spacecraft tumbling through darkness, and on fire. While discussing his personal experiences, he will encourage attendees to rise to the occasion, confront challenges, and put life into perspective.
The 2021 SOAR Summit, presented by Appalachian Wireless and the Appalachian Regional Commission will be held in Corbin at the Corbin Arena on October 13-14th. As Appalachia Kentucky’s premier event, the Summit will focus specifically on the issues and challenges facing our region. Drawing more than 1,000 attendees, participants include local residents and businesses, elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and other change agents across Appalachia. Save your spot for this year’s Summit now!
Jerry Linenger, Keynote Speaker at this year’s Summit will speak about his experience in both medicine and space exploration. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he received a doctorate in both medicine and research methodology, as well as a dual masters in Policy and Systems Management. He also spent five months aboard the Russian space station Mir, which involved a series of life-threatening events, to fulfill a wide array of astonishing science experiments.
In the field of medicine, he was awarded the 2013 “Trailblazer Award” from the WSU School of Medicine for his contributions to medical research and the advancement of medicine. As an astronaut, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 2008 for his courage and service to our country. He completed a variety of missions despite the challenges on board, including shuttle docking, space walking, and a Soyuz fly around. Upon completion of this mission, Linenger held the endurance record for the longest amount of time spent in space for an American man. He has continued to speak about these experiences in his own books, such as Off the Planet, and in numerous documentaries, which have appeared on the Discovery and National Geographic channels.
To learn about Linenger’s scientific explorations on and off planet Earth, register now for the 2021 SOAR Summit.
To stay up to date on announcements regarding this year’s Summit, visit the SOAR website.