Thacher Prize for Outstanding Publication in Space Policy
Space Policy Institute Prize Honors Michael Thacher (BA ’70)
WASHINGTON (May 23, 2022) — On Monday, The Space Policy Institute at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs announced the winner of its Thacher Prize for Outstanding Publication in Space Policy as well as two runner up policy papers.
Laura Ratliff was given the Thacher Award for her paper, “Space Debris Reentry: Inadvertent Geoengineering?”
Laura Ratliff is a first-year graduate student at the Space Policy Institute. She currently works at NASA Headquarters supporting the International Mars Ice Mapper mission within the Mars Exploration Program. Stemming from her undergraduate research in the Johnson Biosignatures Lab at Georgetown, Ratliff is involved in two astrobiology projects exploring the extremes of habitability on Earth, with implications for other planets. She hopes to serve as a facilitator for space science, translating between scientists and policymakers. To better understand the latter, she has interned with the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor at the State Department and the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Ratliff graduated from Georgetown University in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology and a Science, Technology, and International Affairs minor.
“The Space Policy Institute is very grateful to Michael Thacher for his generous support in creating this prize. We often see one or two outstanding space policy papers from our graduate students each year, but the prize is a wonderful and tangible way to recognize their work,” Dr. Scott Pace, Director of the Space Policy Institute, says. “This year’s winners were selected for policy relevance, creativity, and academic quality. We are very proud of them!”
Two papers were runner ups for the Thacher Award: “Safeguarding US-Japanese Space Partnerships: Export Control for Launch Vehicles” by Diana Jack and “Identifying and Mitigating the Inherent Security Risks and Potential Threats of Emerging Rendezvous and Proximity Operations: A Proposed Operational Construct” by Benjamin Staats.
Diana Jack is a first-year graduate student at the Space Policy Institute. She holds a Master’s in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and a Bachelor’s summa cum laude in European Studies and German Language from Washington University in St. Louis. Jack is currently a Strategy and Corporate Development Senior Manager at Blue Origin, working to drive progress in space for the benefit of Earth.
Benjamin Staats is a second-year graduate student at the Space Policy Institute. He holds a B.S. from James Madison University, an M.S. from Columbus State University, and an M.A. from the United States Air Force’s Air University. He is also a graduate of the Schriever Space Scholar program. Staats has been serving in the United States Army over the last 15 years, the last four of which have been as a Space Operations Officer where he has experience with the tactical and operational utilization of space capabilities by the joint military force.
The Space Policy Institute conducts research, offers graduate courses and organizes seminars, symposia, and conferences on topics related to domestic and international space policy. The Institute operates within the Elliott School, but does so with support from the George Washington University as a whole, in addition to funding from a number of individual, corporate, foundation, and government sources.
