ASCEND25 - Diverse Dozen Application

Application Closes 21 February

How will you forge a sustainable path into our off-world future?  

Submit your application now for a place on this year's Space Environmentalism & Sustainability "Diverse Dozen” (D12).  

Created in partnership with renowned astrodynamicist Moriba Jah, co-founder/chief scientist at Privateer and Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas, the Diverse Dozen is the exclusive ASCEND community of thought leaders and activists whose intellectual and emotional commitment to keeping the off-world environment sustainable knows no bounds.  

“D12 is centered on the belief that we’re more similar than we are different, and action is best when born from compassion,” says Jah, a space environmentalist who is advancing our ability to understand how human objects in space create both services and risks of collisions. 

If you’re selected for the 2025 Space Environmentalism & Sustainability Diverse Dozen, you will author an opinion essay and deliver a thought-leadership presentation of your vision for space during the in-person component of 2025 ASCEND on 22-24 July, at Caesars Forum, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. You’ll also participate in the review and selection of the succeeding cohort (Spring 2026). 

Prepare to fill out the application

1. What do you do and what are you working on? (750 characters max)
2. You have 5 minutes to share something with humanity about space safety, security, or sustainability. What is it about? (150 characters max)
3. What do others know you for? Most impactful thing you’ve done? (750 characters max)
4. What other accomplishments would you like to share? Please give context. (750 characters max) 
5. What type of education have you received? 
6. Where do you invest your time and energy aside from your work? (750 characters max) 
7. Tell us about an activity you have been a part of, created, led, or joined that you consider unique and resulted in something impactful. Describe the impact. If you were a part of a group or team that did this activity, what was your specific contribution? (1000 characters max) 
8. The ASCEND Diverse Dozen are people that believe in honoring and respecting the interconnectedness of all things and are moved to act from a place of compassion. Share anything you’d like that will give us a further sense of what makes you one of these people. (750 characters max) 
9. What questions should we have asked, but didn’t? Please write them down and answer them. (750 characters max)
10. Submit a 1–2-minute video of why you are a D12. Provide an unpublished YouTube URL link.
     

Diverse Dozen finalists will agree to:

• Author a 700-word op-ed as part of the Space Environmentalism & Sustainability Diverse Dozen
• Register to attend the event - registration fees will be waived for Diverse Dozen finalists
• Present in-person at ASCEND (22-24 July 2025 at Caesar's Forum, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)
  • Travel Assistance will be provided by ASCEND including round trip coach airfare to Las Vegas and accommodations for three nights at an official event hotel
• Participate in the review and selection of the succeeding cohort (Spring 2026)

Please note:

• Save & Continue: Applicants may save their progress and return to continue editing their submission any time before the application submission deadline. Click on Save & Continue at the bottom of the screen and enter your email address. Applicants will receive an email with a unique link to return to their submission.
• Email Confirmation: Applicants will receive an email confirmation with an attached PDF of their submitted responses.

• Application Deadline: 21 February 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET USA 
• Notification Date: 9 April 2025
• Op-Ed Submission Deadline: 9 May 2025
• ASCEND Event: 22-24 July 2025 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Background
Questions?