FY 2017 Report on NASA Sponsored Large Conferences 

NASA Sponsored Conferences with Agency Spend of $100,000 or More 

October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017 
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FY 2017 Report on NASA Sponsored Large Conferences 

Overview: In accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-17-

08, Section 2 – Conferences, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is 

providing this report on conferences. This report provides a summary of conference activities by 

NASA in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. It includes a brief overview of each conference’s purpose to 

highlight the valuable role that conferences play in NASA’s mission, such as in key 

dissemination and exchange of cutting edge scientific and technological knowledge. 

The Space Act of 1958 requires NASA to “provide for the widest practicable and appropriate 

dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof.” Conferences 

provide an important vehicle for accomplishing this mandate. NASA scientists, engineers and 

leaders present scientific and technical papers and participate in interchanges on leading-edge 

research and technology with peers in the Federal Government, academia, the science 

community, the aeronautics and aerospace industries and international partners. NASA attended 

and sponsored conferences address a broad and diverse range of scientific and engineering 

challenges faced in carrying out its missions, including Earth science research, advanced 

aeronautics and the cutting-edge technologies needed for both current and planned robotic and 

human space flight programs. 

In addition to facilitating the dissemination and advancement of scientific research, conferences 

also serve as a cost-effective way for NASA to carry out other mission-related purposes, such as 

educational outreach and program development, planning and information gathering. For 

example, conferences on program management provide opportunities for examination of current 

trends in aerospace project and engineering management; offering forums for the exchange and 

dissemination of best practices, new ideas, and training for managers across NASA to help the 

Agency cost-effectively meet the toughest challenges in space exploration today. 

FY 2017 Conferences: Contrary to prior years’ annual report including sponsored and nonsponsored conferences at or exceeding $100K, in line with M-17-08, this year’s report only 

includes conferences that are agency sponsored with total costs at or exceeding $100K. NASA 

participated in 9 conferences in FY 2017 for which it sponsored and spent $100,000 or more. 

Net conference expenses for the 2017 fiscal year, for sponsored conferences costing the Agency 

$100,000 or more, totaled approximately $1.6 million. Detailed information on the events 

approved under the justification and approval process under M-12-12 as amended by OMB M17-08 follows. 
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Conference Location Start 

Date

End Date Total Cost NASA Paid 

Attendees

2016 NASA 

Procurement Training 

Conference Atlanta, GA 11/8/2016 11/12/26 $245,392 99

Web site Link: http://procurement.nasa.gov

Purpose: The NASA procurement workforce performs a vital mission within the agency and every 

procurement workforce member (contracting officers and contract specialists) is mandated by the 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to obtain a professional certification or designation in 

contracting evidencing their experience, training and education. Once certified, there is an additional 

mandatory OMB requirement to retain certification validity by engaging in 80 hours of continuous 

learning activities every two years. This conference provides targeted training for attendees in support 

of the certification and continuous learning mandates. Absent participation in this training event, these 

individuals would seek and participate in multiple training classes to meet the CL requirement. 

Similar training, if sought through commercial training providers, typically cost at least $1,600 per 

seat plus travel costs since they are generally not available in areas near the NASA Centers. 

Conference Location Start Date End Date Total Cost NASA 

Paid 

Attendees

NASA Environmental 

Conference Houston, TX 4/3/2017 4/7/2017 $ 146,998 105

Web site Link: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/emd/home/

Purpose: This biennial event provides the opportunity for face-to-face meetings between the 

communities of practice comprising and supporting the Environmental Management Division. 

Uniting representatives from Headquarters and each Center, provides a unique capability to network, 

share best practices, explain policies and enhance mission support. This conference provides an indepth discussion on program development and timely exchange of ideas on environmental- and 

sustainability-related topics and issues. This conference gives individual attendees meaningful 

opportunities for training, exposure to gain a broader perspective of the agency's mission in general 

and of the Office of Strategic Infrastructure, and an opportunity to visit a Center and understand its 

unique mission and technical capabilities.
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Conference Location Start 

Date

End 

Date

Total Cost NASA Paid 

Attendees

3rd International ATrain Symposium 2017Pasadena, 

CA 4/19/2017 4/21/2017 $ 183,498 109

Web site Link: https://espo.nasa.gov/a-train_2017/content/A-Train_2017_A-Train_Overview

Purpose: The A-Train Symposium provides a forum to exchange information on the latest scientific 

advancements using multi-sensor measurements from the international A-Train satellite constellation 

as well as to highlight strategies for fusing them. The Symposium provides a localized effort to 

exchange research from the last ten years of A-Train satellite operation. The event is structured along 

four themes: atmospheric composition and chemistry, aerosols, clouds, radiation, and the hydrological 

cycle, atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial components of the carbon cycle, and weather and other 

operational applications.

Conference Location Start 

Date

End Date Total 

Cost

NASA Paid 

Attendees

Human Capital Spring 

Forum - 2017

Potomac, 

MD 5/14/2017 5/19/207 $ 249,008 154

Web site Link: www.nasa.gov

Purpose: The Office of Human Capital Management is working towards implementation of the

Human Capital Business Services Assessment (BSA) decisions. It is essential that attendees convene 

the parts of the Human Capital (HC) function that are most affected by those decisions (classification, 

staffing, OD) in order to train staff on the new ways of doing business in a consolidated environment. 

This face-to-face meeting serves as a training function for this community, as well as an opportunity 

for the HC leadership to plan for the next phases of HC consolidation and to develop plans in response 

to recent Administration directives concerning the federal workforce and performance management.

Conference Location Start 

Date

End 

Date

Total Cost NASA Paid 

Attendees

2017 SBIR/STTR 

Industry Day

Moffett 

Field, CA 6/25/2017 6/27/2017 $ 105,974 41

Web site Link: https://sbir.nasa.gov/events/sbir-industry-day

Purpose: This Industry Outreach event provides NASA Mission Directorates an opportunity to 

communicate with the Small Business community, industry, and potential proposers to the 

SBIR/STTR program. This communication follows NASA’s 2017 Request for Information (RFI) in 

which feedback was captured and refined at this Industry day and ultimately incorporated into 

improving the program's 2018 Solicitation. Subtopics and focus areas will be streamlined to 

maximize cross pollination of needs between the Mission Directorates and Centers as well simplify 

processes for both the program and proposers. The event also aims to increase the quality, number, 

and relevance of proposals submitted by SBCs.
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Conference Location Start 

Date

End Date Total Cost NASA Paid 

Attendees

4th Annual NASA 

Exploration Science 

Forum 2017

Mountain 

View, CA 7/182017 7/21/2017 $ 131,963 91

Web site Link: http://nesf2017.arc.nasa.gov/

Purpose: The Exploration Science Forum advances the goals of NASA and of NASA's institute 

SSERVI by bringing together top researchers from around the world to focus on the scientific 

questions and engineering endeavors that are required for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. 

Interdisciplinary collaborations are fostered through dissemination of scientific results, focus group 

activities, demonstrations of exploration tools and databases, as well as student poster competitions 

and speaking opportunities.

Conference Location Start 

Date

End 

Date

Total Cost NASA Paid 

Attendees

The Thermal and Fluids 

Analysis Workshop 

(TFAWS)

Huntsville, 

AL 8/21/2017 8/25/2017 $ 127,115 127

Web site Link: https://tfaws.nasa.gov/

Purpose: The Thermal and Fluid Analysis Workshop (TFAWS) is an annual NASA-sponsored 

training and professional development workshop designed to encourage knowledge sharing, 

professional development, and networking throughout the thermal and fluids engineering community 

within NASA and the aerospace community at large. TFAWS features paper sessions, short courses, 

panel discussions, speakers, and software training. It encompasses all three sponsoring NESC 

technical disciplines (Passive Thermal, Active Thermal, and Aerosciences), and it is well-suited to 

everyone in the community, including experienced engineers, new hires, and students. 

Conference Location Start 

Date

End Date Total Cost NASA Paid 

Attendees

2017 NASA Cost & 

Schedule Symposium

Washington, 

DC 8/29/2017 8/31/2017 $ 102,418 111

Web site Link: https://www.nasa.gov/offices/ocfo/cost_symposium

Purpose: The NASA Cost & Schedule Symposium is essential to maintaining and improving the 

estimating and analysis functions across the NASA community. The NASA cost and schedule 

analysis community includes all Centers as well as HQ and represents an essential function to the 

agency. The NASA Cost and Schedule Symposium advances NASA's core mission by providing a 

professional forum for agency analysts to present and learn results of cost research, and participate in 

training sessions on methods and tools to support important agency initiatives such as conducting 

Joint Confidence Level (JCL) analyses. 
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Conference Location Start 

Date

End Date Total Cost NASA Paid 

Attendees

Disaster Risk 

Reduction Across the 

Americas

Buenos 

Aires, 

Argentina 9/4/2017 9/8/2017 $ 345,163 30

Web site Link: https://disasters.nasa.gov/meetings/disaster

Purpose: The Disaster Risk Reduction Across the Americas summit is includes essential scheduled 

business and planning/review meetings with colleagues in Earth Observations from Committee on 

Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and Group on Earth Observations (GEO) as well as users of our 

collective data, tools, science and technology for research and applications central to the mission of 

NASA and the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). This NASA-led activity is a U.S. National 

Platform contribution to the UN Office of Disaster Risk Reduction Sendai Framework.