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B. Gentry Lee

Chief Engineer for Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

B. Gentry Lee

B. Gentry Lee

Chief Engineer for Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Travels From Travels From:
Pasadena, CA, USA
Speaking Fee Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $10,000 - $20,000
Virtual Event: Please Contact
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Categories Categories:
Categories Categories:
Authors, Business, Education, Futurism, Human Resources, Innovation, Inspirational, Leadership Speakers, Literary, Motivation, Parenting, Personal Growth, Science and Technology, Strategic Planning, Teamwork and Teambuilding, Technology Speakers
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B. Gentry Lee Biography

  1. Gentry Lee is chief engineer for the Solar System Exploration Directorate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. In that position, Lee is responsible for the engineering integrity of all the robotic planetary missions managed by JPL for NASA. His major recent work includes the engineering oversight of the fantastically successful and popular Curiosity rover mission to Mars in August 2012, the Dawn mission to the asteroids Vesta and Ceres, the Juno mission to Jupiter and the GRAIL missions to the Moon. Previously, Lee provided guidance and oversight for the engineering aspects of the Phoenix and twin rover missions to Mars, as well as NASA’s successful Deep Impact and Stardust missions.

Lee was chief engineer for the Galileo project from 1977-1988 and, after working in a variety of positions on the Viking project from 1968-76, was Director of Science Analysis and Mission Planning during the Viking operations. The historic Viking mission was mankind’s first successful landing on another planet.

From 1976 until 1981, Lee was the late Carl Sagan’s partner in the creation, design, development and implementation of Cosmos, the highly successful science documentary series for television that won several Emmys and the prestigious Peabody Award. In July 2009, Gentry Lee was the featured performer/narrator in Are We Alone?, a two-hour Discovery Channel documentary about life in the solar system.

In addition to his engineering work, Gentry Lee is a successful science fiction novelist, a futurist, a computer product designer, media columnist, lecturer and a television performer/narrator. Between 1989 and 1994, he co-authored four novels, Cradle, Rama II, The Garden of Rama and Rama Revealed, with revered science fiction grandmaster Arthur C. Clarke. All four books were New York Times bestsellers and were translated into over twenty-five languages. Since his collaboration with Clarke, Gentry Lee has written three more successful solo novels, Bright Messengers, Double Full Moon Night and The Tranquility Wars.

Lee received the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement in 1976 and the Distinguished Service Medal (NASA’s highest award) in 2005. In October 2006, he received the prestigious Harold Masursky Award from the American Astronomical Society and in June 2014 he received the Al Seiff Memorial Award, both for his contributions to planetary exploration. In 2013, Lee was awarded the prestigious Simon Ramo Medal by the IEEE for “career excellence in engineering.”

Gentry Lee received a BA, summa cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1963 and an MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964. Lee has been giving lectures all over the world on subjects related to the future, space, and science and technology. His informative speeches touch upon the topics of extraterrestrials, the exploration of the planets and the critical importance of science literacy.

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B. Gentry Lee Speaking Topics

  • Extraterrestrials in Fact & Fiction

  • The Power & Wonder of Science in Education

  • Mars Exploration

  • Balancing Innovation & Risk in Applying New Technology

    The twin Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) landed successfully using airbags on the surface of the red planet in January 2004 after decelerating from over 10,000 mph to 20 mph in just six minutes. Their sister mission, Phoenix, landed gently on three legs in the Martian arctic in May 2008. In the summer of 2005, the Deep Impact robotic spacecraft smashed into the comet Tempel 1 traveling at a closing velocity of over 25,000 mph, while another, parent spacecraft photographed the collision. Space missions like these are enormous engineering challenges and require the use of innovative new technology to be successful. However, using new technology has formidable risks. Balancing the advantages of innovation against its inherent risks is one of the most critical of all design processes. Achieving that balance requires a careful understanding of "what bad things might happen" and a systematic approach to mitigating those risks throughout the life cycle of a product or a project.

  • Balancing Innovation & Risk in Engineering Design

    Global competition and intense marketplace pressure have combined to increase the demand for more and more innovation in new designs. But innovation is always accompanied by risk – risk that the design will not meet its technical objectives and/or will significantly overrun its target cost and schedule. Over several decades the American robotic planetary exploration program has evolved techniques for tracking and assessing the risks associated with engineering innovation. Using the Mars exploration program as the example case study, and highlighting both the successes and failures of the program, this talk will examine the balance between innovation and risk in engineering design.

  • A Vision of the 21st Century

    Major biological breakthroughs toward the end of the 20th century basically guaranteed that not just medicine and health but also the fundamentals of birth, death, and all phases of life will be drastically altered by continuing discoveries throughout the 21st century. But the "Biological Revolution" will be accompanied by equally dramatic change in many other areas. In geopolitics, the complete integration of Europe and the rapid emergence of China, India, and Brazil will create new economic and military alliances. The world will eventually agree to reduce the anthropogenic contribution to global warming, but the exact form of that agreement will evolve over time and ultimately have a significant impact on our daily lives. New Earths will be discovered, planets around other stars, where water is liquid and life is possible. At the personal level, the availability of ever more appealing and sophisticated "virtual worlds" will cause a large fraction of the world population to spend less and less time and energy in the "real world."

    What will happen in the 21st century that will alter our daily lives as much as the cell phone and email? How can individuals, groups, and corporations keep track of the dizzying pace of change in so many dimensions and determine which innovations and discoveries will impact them the most? In "A Vision of the 21st Century," Gentry Lee will address the coming changes and suggest a blueprint for being successful in the decades ahead.

B. Gentry Lee Videos

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B. Gentry Lee Books

  • The Tranquility Wars
    The Tranquility Wars
  • Double Full Moon Night
    Double Full Moon Night
  • Bright Messengers: A New Novel Set in the Rama Universe
    Bright Messengers: A New Novel Set in the Rama Universe

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    Speaking fees for B. Gentry Lee, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book B. Gentry Lee are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire B. Gentry Lee, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does B. Gentry Lee speak about?

    B. Gentry Lee is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Authors, Business, Education, Futurism, Human Resources, Innovation, Inspirational, Leadership Speakers, Literary, Motivation, Parenting, Personal Growth, Science and Technology, Strategic Planning, Teamwork and Teambuilding, Technology Speakers.

  • Where does B. Gentry Lee travel from?

    B. Gentry Lee generally travels from Pasadena, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

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    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like B. Gentry Lee for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book B. Gentry Lee for your next private or corporate function.

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B. Gentry Lee is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Extraterrestrials in Fact & Fiction, The Power & Wonder of Science in Education, Mars Exploration, Balancing Innovation & Risk in Applying New Technology, Balancing Innovation & Risk in Engineering Design and A Vision of the 21st Century. The estimated speaking fee range to book B. Gentry Lee for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. B. Gentry Lee generally travels from Pasadena, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Kathy Ireland, Dr. Will Miller, Erin Gruwell, Robert Cialdini and John Zogby. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling B. Gentry Lee for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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