Elaine Walker

Space-Related Experience

President of the New York City Chapter of the NSS (www.nssnyc.org)
March 2000-present
Resurrected NYC Chapter of NSS, organizing a monthly lecture series at NYU. Co-sponsor local events with the Hayden Planetarium, the U.N., the Intrepid Air & Space Museum, local Boy & Girl Scouts, and AAA. Run chapter newsletter, "New York City Space". Leading an education outreach effort in support of space exploration in local schools and scout troops. Chapter has over 50 paid members at a $20 yearly rate and offers chapter membership bundles with products from other companies such as TeamEncounter, Fischer Pen Corporation and Cosmiverse.

Region 8 Chapter Organizer, NSS
1998-Current
Responsible for organization and oversight of local National Space Society chapters in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Aid Region 8 chapters in obtaining speakers for local meetings, in addition to personally traveling and lecturing at the Region 8 chapter meetings.

President of the Boston Chapter of the National Space Society (www.spaceviews.com/boston)
April 1997-September 1999
Organized a monthly lecture series at MIT and other specialized lectures. Represented the Boston chapter at several local space-themed events, including displays and booths. Co-sponsored events with the Boston Science Museum. Promoted the Chapter through displays at local movie theaters during screening of several space-themed movies. Promoted "SpaceViews" chapter newsletter at events, recruiting over 1000 new subscribers.

Design, program and update websites for pro-space initiatives
1999-present
www.nssnyc.org, www.ZIAspace.com, www.AskASpaceQuestion.com & www.mars-frontier.org.

Pro-Space Conventions Attended
1999-present
Space Access Society (2000, 2001), ISDC (1999 - 2001), The Space Tourism Conference, DC (2000, 2001), Lunar Development Conference (2000, 2002), Mars Society (2000, 2002), Space Frontier Foundation (2000, 2002), Mars Week M.I.T. (2000, 2002), and the Arthur C. Clarke Gala (2001).

Suggested and invited speakers for several pro-space conventions including ISDC, Mars Week, Space Access Society, Mars Society and SFF.

Political outreach
1999-2000
Attended ProSpace's "March Storm" 1999. Met with other activists in Bluebell, PA and talked to McCain at a rally for Senator Greenleaf, 2000.

Pro-Space solo singer at national and international space conventions
1999-present
Solo CD releases to date include: "MARS" (proceeds donated to the NASA/SETI Haughton Arctic Mars Project for a special fund to aid young volunteers), "Frontier Creatures" (proceeds donated to NSS/NYC for education outreach), "Space Elevator Music" and "Space Dancer".

Noted Performances: Solo singing set at the main banquets for the "Return to the Moon" Conference (July 2000/2001 Vegas, 2002 Houston), the "Mars Society Convention" (August 2000 Toronto, 2001 Stanford). Hospitality suite performances at "Space Access Society" Conference (April 2000 - 2002 Phoenix), ISDC (May 1999 Houston, 2000 Tucson, 2001 Albuquerque), Space Tourism Conference, (June 2000/2001 DC), "Space Frontier Foundation" Conference (September 2000 - 2002), Mars Week M.I.T. (2000 - 2002 Boston).

Songwriter, band leader and performer for pro-space pop band, ZIA (www.ZIAspace.com)
1992-present
ZIA performs space-themed music at rock and techno clubs in the Eastern states, promoting human space exploration to a younger audience.

Noted Performances: April 12, 2001 at M.I.T. for "Yuri's Night - The World Space Party", main banquet for "ISDC 1999" in Houston, interviewed and videotaped performance, August 2001, for "Cosmic Visions", hosted by SpaceWatch.com. Newest CD release: "Big Bang!"

Organized Special Events (listing 2001-2002 only)

Currently organizing "Humans-in-Space" Session for a NYC Extropian conference (www.Extropy.org)
January 2002-Present

"Dreams of Space Travel: Past Present, and Future"
November 18-19, 2001
Two nights in the Hayden Planetarium, NYC (plus special VIP party) commemorating the 50th anniversary of the original 1951 Space Symposium held at the Hayden Planetarium, and critique of the vision of space put forth in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey". Personally invited guests, Kier Dullea and Leonard David. Co-sponsored by NSS/NYC, the Hayden Planetarium, the Planetary Society, the United Nations and the Intrepid SeaAirSpace Museum.

Two showings of the film, "2001: A Space Odyssey" on the Intrepid SeaAirSpace Museum
November 17, 2001
Co-sponsored by NSS/NYC, the Intrepid SeaAirSpace Museum, and the Hayden Planetarium. Shown in the Allison & Howard Lutnick Theatre.

"Space Jamboree" co-organized by NSS/NYC and Eatontown, NJ Boy Scout troops
June 9, 2001
Gave many talks throughout the day, organized volunteers to give talks and help with model rocket construction.

Organized and hosted a Free Screening of "The Dish" at the Village East Cinemas in Manhattan
March 19, 2001
Sponsored by NSS/NYC and Warner Brothers Pictures.

Awards

National Space Society "Space Pioneer Award" for "Activist of the Year 2001"
May, 2001

NSS "Space Merit Award" for "Most Improved Chapter" (NSS of NYC) 2001
May, 2001

TV & Internet Broadcast

"Around Space" with Donnie Lowther co-Producer/Director
March, 2002
Will be appearing live on Fairfax Public Access Channel 10 for two different shows.

Consultant for "Maximum Science" and "Mission: Space" Magrack TV shows in NYC
January, 2002 - Present
Suggest speakers, panels & topics. Explain in-depth state of the industry and the pro-space community.

Advise on the best angles off attack for the show. Serve as go-between contact to space industry and pro-space community.

"Cosmic Visions" hosted by SpaceWatch.com
August, 2001
15 minute Space-related interview. Videotaped performance of pro-space-pop band, ZIA at the Continental club in Manhattan.

"Astronomy Forum" with hosts Pat Brady and Professor Irv Robbins
August, 2000
Appeared live on Staten Island cable TV with Paul Contoursi (Mars Society NYC president) and Tom Olson (Mars Society member).

Have appeared on dozens of music-related TV shows, interviews and panels
Fall 1991-present
Topics almost always include human space exploration and NSS, life extension and the Big Bang.

Radio and Magazine Interviews

BlueZia Productions, President (www.BlueZiaProductions.com)
Summer 2001-present
Compose/produce music to accompany aerospace videos, science TV programming, and planetarium presentations. Provided music for the X-Prize, the NASA/SETI Haughton Mars Project, the Yuri's Night-The World Space Party, the Hayden Planetarium, and TransOrbital's Trailblazer2001 video.

Chief Lab Monitor, New York University, Music Technology Dept
Fall 1999-Spring 2001
Supervisor-Tom Beyer 212-998-5437. Hired, scheduled and supervised Lab Monitor crew. Ran meetings and delegated tasks. Wrote and maintained a new FilemakerPro program for the Music Technology inventory, and for student lab-time and equipment tracking. Acquired nickname "space-girl".

Lab Monitor, Berklee College of Music, Synthesis Department
May 1991-August 1999
Supervisor-Chris Hull 617-747-2493. Technology supervisor and tutor for students during lab-time. Substitute teacher and seminar speaker on technology and the arts. Wrote and maintained a new FilemakerPro program for the Music Synthesis inventory. Acquired nickname "space-girl".

Education

New York University, NYC
Fall 1999-Spring 2001
Masters in Music Technology. Thesis: Formalized a music theory based on Chaos Theory mathematics. Designed and built a stand-alone music performance instrument, the ChaosController. Please see: www.chaoscontrolnetwork.com/ZIA/members/Elaine/content/ElaineSchool.html. Alternate thesis advisor: Dr. Edward Belbruno.

Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA
Fall 1986-Spr 1987, Fall 1989-Spr 1991
Bachelors in Music Synthesis Production. Thesis: 3 song demo featuring advanced technology and microtonal musical scales.

New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM
Fall 1985-Spring 1986, Spring 1989
Music and British Culture: Spring 1986 in London on NMSU interdisciplinary exchange program.

Elaine A. Walker is the founder and leader of the band ZIA. In 1991, she named the band after the New Mexico State sign, called a Zia, a Navaho Indian Sun symbol. Some of her Mars songs were inspired by The Mars Society's Mars Artic Research Station. Pascal Lee asked her to write a song about Devon Island, and he played her "To Mars!" song in the station for his crew for inspiration.

Jesus Raygoza asked Elaine to write a song about the Mexican Hab, she accepted, and we all are very grateful to her.

A classical trained pianist since age six, a graduated of the Berklee College in Boston in electronic music, Elaine is native from Las Cruces, New Mexico. She has gone as far as banning all standard 12 tone instruments! Her especiality is microtonal music. She has made a prototype of her new invention, the "Chaos Controller"; this project was part of her thesis for her masters studies at New York University.

In the mid-nineties Elaine begun attending a local monthly lecture series of the Boston Chapter of the National Space Society (NSS), and during her fourth month there, was elected president of the chapter. Later, she entered two songs in the NSS's song writing contest, and this led to ZIA's invitation to play for their annual convention in 1999. Since then Elaine has sung solo at several pro-space conventions, for astronaut banquets, and hospitality.

Among other places, her music has been played in CNN, the World Space Festival 2001, and so it will be at 2002 in Houston. In March 1999, as Elaine was already moved to New York City, she founded the new New York City Chapter of the National Space Society, and she is currently President of this chapter. She is also a member of the board of advisors in the Mexican Space Society (SEM).

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