Kai Staats: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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'''Kai Kruse Staats''' is aan entrepreneur, scientist, and filmmaker.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-04-16 |title='LIGO: A Passion for Understanding' — The Minds Behind the Film |url=https://www.space.com/25527-ligo-filmmaker-perspectives.html |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref> He is the director of research for [[Space Analog for the Moon and Mars|SAM]] at [[Biosphere 2]] and oversaw the habitat's design and construction.<ref name=":3" /> Staats and his colleagues developed and built SAM as a hermetically sealed and pressurized research station and habitat analog for experiments related to living and working on the Moon and Mars.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=Crew completes simulated mission to outer space in a pressurized habitat at Biosphere 2 |url=https://www.abc15.com/news/region-central-southern-az/crew-completes-simulated-mission-to-outer-space-in-a-pressurized-habitat-at-biosphere-2 |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix (KNXV) |language=en}}</ref>

At the [[Arizona State University |Arizona State University School of Earth & Space Exploration]], he contributed to the design of off-world human habitats as project lead for an Interplanetary Initiative Pilot Project called SIMOC,<ref name="SIMOC">{{Cite web|url=https://interplanetary.asu.edu/project/simoc-isolated-world-human-community|title=What balance of mechanical and biological systems will be required to sustain human life in a growing, off-world habitat? {{!}} Interplanetary Initiative|website=interplanetary.asu.edu|access-date=2019-01-23}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=SIMOC Interplanetary Initiative ASU| date=23 September 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EkNeuSpypc|language=en|access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref> a research-grade computer simulation and instructional interface to a Mars habitat that is hosted by [[National Geographic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ASU Interplanetary Initiative - SIMOC Pilot Project |url=https://overthesun.com/asu-interplanetary-initiative-simoc-pilot-project/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Over the Sun |language=en-US}}</ref>

His last film series, funded in part by the [[Nsf.gov|NSF]], chronicled the first direct detection of [[gravitational wave]]s in 2015 by [[LIGO]], where he served as a visiting scientist.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=LIGO, A Passion for Understanding |url=https://www.ligo.org/multimedia.php |website=LIGO Multimedia Library}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=LIGO Generations |url=https://www.ligo.org/multimedia.php |website=LIGO Multimedia Library}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=LIGO Detection |url=https://www.newscientist.com/round-up/ligodetection/ |access-date=2019-01-18 |website=New Scientist}}</ref><ref name="VISCI">{{cite web|url=https://roster.ligo.org/roster.php?do=roster&search=name&target=staats|title=LIGO Scientific Collaboration Directory|website=roster.ligo.org|accessdateaccess-date=26 January 2019}}</ref>

Staats's work includes that done on [[iConji]] and [[Yellow Dog Linux]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kaplan |first1=Jeremy |date=27 March 2015 |title=Inventor Proposes New Language for Cell Phone Messaging -- Using Hieroglyphics |url=https://www.foxnews.com/tech/inventor-proposes-new-language-for-cell-phone-messaging-using-hieroglyphics |website=Fox News}}</ref>

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At the [[University of Arizona]], Biosphere 2, he and his colleagues developed SAM, a terrestrial analog and prototype for an off-world habitat used for training and research to benefit a future space-dwelling humanity.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Chandler |first=David |title=Martian base on Earth set to host first 'astronauts' |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2369967-martian-base-on-earth-set-to-host-first-astronauts/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}</ref> The SAM habitat analog tests the viability of mechanical and plant-based life support, studies of the [[microbiome]] of a sealed environment, food cultivation in a sealed greenhouse, tool use during extra-vehicular activities in a pressurized space suit, developing a high-fidelity computer model to aid in the design of future habitats, and many other tasks are necessary to get ready for life in space.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-04 |title=Becoming a multiplanetary species: Crew completes first mission in pressurized habitat at Biosphere 2 |url=https://news.arizona.edu/story/becoming-multiplanetary-species-crew-completes-first-mission-pressurized-habitat-biosphere-2 |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=University of Arizona News |language=en}}</ref>

==Filmography==

Staats engaged in filmmaking at an early age. His first production, in 6th grade, was a <nowiki>''</nowiki>LEGO-mation<nowiki>''</nowiki> shot on 8mm film.

He transitioned to digital film in collaboration with his brother, Jae Staats. Together, they co-founded the Almost Famous Film Festival (A3F), which launched in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thea3f.net/about.html|title=About|website=www.thea3f.net|accessdateaccess-date=26 January 2019}}</ref> His work in independent and later professional filmmaking began in 2011 at [[Holden Village]], an isolated retreat center in the Washington Cascades.

From 2012-14 to 2014 he produced Monitor Gray, a short science fiction film based on three short stories he wrote in high school and college.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monitorgray.com/|title=Monitor Gray - Short Story & Sci-Fi Film|accessdateaccess-date=26 January 2019}}</ref>

In 2013, Staats filmed and produced Chasing Asteroid 1998 QE2 for the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), documenting their observations of this near-Earth interloper.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saao.ac.za/chasing-asteroid-1998-qe2/|title=Chasing Asteroid 1998 QE2|date=2013-06-05|website=SAAO|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-23|archive-date=2019-02-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011855/https://www.saao.ac.za/chasing-asteroid-1998-qe2/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2017, Staats returned to SAAO, producing a short film about the first detection of a fully multi-messenger event involving merging binary neutron stars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saao.ac.za/press-release/salt-and-saao-telescopes-investigate-the-origin-of-the-first-detection-of-gravitational-waves-produced-by-two-colliding-neutron-stars/|title=SALT and SAAO telescopes investigate the origin of the first detection of gravitational waves produced by two colliding neutron stars.|date=2017-10-16|website=SAAO|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-23}}</ref>

In the fall of 2013 he was awarded his first contract with LIGO, the gravitational-wave observatory. LIGO, A Passion for Understanding is a 20-minute documentary film completed in April 2014.<ref name=":002">{{Cite web |title=LIGO, A Passion for Understanding |url=https://www.ligo.org/multimedia.php |website=LIGO Multimedia Library}}</ref> Subsequent NSF and university funding was provided for LIGO Generations in 2015,<ref name=":112">{{Cite web |title=LIGO Generations |url=https://www.ligo.org/multimedia.php |website=LIGO Multimedia Library}}</ref> and LIGO Detection in 2017.<ref name=":222">{{Cite web |title=LIGO Detection |url=https://www.newscientist.com/round-up/ligodetection/ |access-date=2019-01-18 |website=New Scientist}}</ref> LIGO Detection is distributed by the National Science Foundation's educational content library Science360, and related films are available at the LIGO multimedia archive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ligo.org/multimedia.php|title=LIGO Scientific Collaboration - Multimedia|website=www.ligo.org|access-date=2019-01-23}}</ref> In 2015-162015–16, Staats produced a documentary titled "I Am Palestine," which shares the stories of Palestinians who once lived side-by-side with Israeli neighbors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NYC Indie Film Awards |url=http://www.nycindiefilmawards.com/septemberoctoberwinners.html |access-date=2019-01-23 |website=www.nycindiefilmawards.com}}</ref> The film portrays a region now marked by uncertainty and conflict.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Award of Merit September 2016 {{!}} |url=http://bestshorts.net/past-winners/award-of-merit-sept-2016/ |access-date=2019-01-23 |language=en-US}}</ref> It was screened at eight film festivals and won several awards, including at the NYC Indie Film Awards, Best Shorts Competition, and Best Short Documentary at the 2016 Cabo Verde International Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cabo Verde International Film Festival |url=https://filmfreeway.com/CaboVerdeInternationalFilmFestival |access-date=2019-01-23 |website=FilmFreeway |language=en}}</ref>

In collaboration with Dr. Paul M. Sutter, Staats produced Song of the Stars, a film of the one-time live performance of a modern dance that tells the story of the first stars in the universe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pmsutter.com/shows/songofthestars/|title=Song of the Stars - Paul M. Sutter —|website=www.pmsutter.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-23}}</ref>