By Matthew Cimitile, University Communicationis and Marketing

Distinguished speakers from across the U.S. and beyond will convene at the largest
global affairs conference in Florida to dig into the new space race.

The St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs returns to the University of South Florida St. Petersburg on February 10-11. Put
on by the St. Petersburg World Affairs Council in partnership with USF’s Global and National Security Institute and USF St. Petersburg, this year’s conference brings together world-renowned astrophysicists,
lawyers, business leaders and political scientists with hundreds of community members
to explore how countries and companies are collaborating and competing for resources
outside Earth’s orbit.

“With NASA launching Artemis II this year, the first time a crewed mission is heading
back to the moon in over 50 years, and all the other advances taking place in space,
it seems like the perfect opportunity to further explore what this all means,” said
Lynne Platt, board president of the St. Petersburg World Affairs Council.

The Artemis II mission, which will orbit the moon to pinpoint where the next crewed
landing should take place, marks a significant milestone in returning to the moon
and future explorations of Mars. At the same time, China, India and the United Arab
Emirates are deploying space missions and joining United States and Russia in space
exploration. And private companies such as Space X, Blue Origin and Virgin Atlantic
are sending up hundreds of satellites into orbit and even taking tourists along for
rides. 

A new space race is here, and this two-day event will focus on issues from space discovery
to militarization to the laws of the final frontier. 

“Until recently, outer space has most often been viewed as a safe, collaborative space
for all nations. That will not be the case in the future. Outer space will become
a primary theater of competition and conflict. Every nation and society uses technology
orbiting the earth, which creates both great value and great targets, open for exploitation
and attack by competitors and rogue nation-states. It will be imperative that we use
conferences like this year’s St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs to address
these vulnerabilities and identify innovative paths forward.”

USF’s Global and National Security Institute Executive Director and Retired U.S. Marine
Corps General Frank McKenzie

The conference kicks off with a keynote address from NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott.
Stott has conducted two space flights and spent more than 100 days as a crewmember
at the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle. 

She will discuss her book, “Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet—And Our Mission
to Protect It,” which highlights her experience in orbit and how the international model for collaboration
in the extreme conditions of space can hold the key for similar cooperation on Earth. 

The following day, the conference will consist of four panels that highlight ongoing
issues taking place beyond Earth’s orbit, and includes:   

Understanding the universe

Policing the final frontier

Competition in the new space race

Aerospace businesses in Florida

This is the 14th year of the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs. It was co-founded
by Thomas Smith, a political science professor who is now interim regional chancellor
of USF St. Petersburg, and Douglas McElhaney, former U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and
Herzegovina. 

“One of the highlights of my career is seeing this idea turn into a small gathering
and then flourish to become the largest conference on international issues in the
state,” Smith said. “It has grown in size, scope and importance, attracting accomplished
professionals and scholars to our campus every year who have contributed to global
dialogue and critical decisions for the most pressing problems facing our world.”

Others speaking on topics of global significance this year include Jim Green, former
chief scientist for NASA who consulted on the film “The Martian;” Peter Garreston,
senior fellow in defense studies at the American Foreign Policy Council; Martin Elvis,
an astrophysicist and asteroid expert with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics;
and Chris Stott, founder and executive chair of Lonestar Data Holdings Inc., a space-based
data storage company.

The conference is one of a dozen programs put on by SPWAC annually. Part of the World
Affairs Councils of America, SPWAC works with academic, business, cultural, government
and other organizations to organize monthly lectures, concerts, book talks, international
travel opportunities and more.

The conference is free of charge for USF students with an I.D.

Learn more about the 2026 St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs