The Plymouth Foundation Celebrates Fifth Year of Blue Future Conference with Astronaut Mike Massimino, October 29
Student-focused FutureWorks Conference complements Blue Future Conference, will be held October 28
PLYMOUTH, MA, UNITED STATES, JUNE 30, 2026…The Plymouth Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to driving sustainable economic growth and enhancing the quality of life in the Plymouth community, today announces that Astronaut Mike Massimino will headline the 2026 Blue Future Conference, to be held on Thursday, October 29, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, at the Hotel 1620, 180 Water Street, Plymouth.
Celebrating its fifth year, the Blue Future Conference convenes civic leaders, scientists, technology innovators, educators and students to explore opportunities and challenges within the region’s growing marine economy. This year’s conference theme is “Kelp to Kuiper: How Blue Economy Supports Space Exploration,” and will feature discussions on topics including marine technology, trades, robotics, AI, quantum computing, and aquaculture.
The first person to ever tweet from space, Mike Massimino shares lessons in innovation, teamwork, and perseverance that he learned from his two missions to the Hubble Telescope and four space walks to make critical repairs to the telescope. Massimino is now the Senior Adviser for Space Programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, a Columbia University professor, an author, and a recurring character on “The Big Bang Theory.”
This year’s Blue Future Conference theme will focus on marine technology, aquaculture, and the many applications inspired by and/or derived from space exploration.
“Astronaut Massimino is a wonderful messenger to talk about how ocean-based economy supports space exploration. We are thrilled to welcome him to Plymouth for the 5th Annual Blue Future Conference,” said Stephen Cole, Executive Director of the Plymouth Foundation.
“It’s incredible to think about how far this conference has come over five years,” added Cole. “We’ve had amazing partners, volunteers and sponsors that helped us gain traction. When we first launched Blue Future, we knew we wanted to get to this topic, but we didn’t realize how quickly we’d be able to do it. Significant advancements in science and pop-culture made these economic opportunities possible.”
The 2026 Blue Future Conference offers a full day of insightful, engaging programming, featuring the keynote by Mike Massimino and expert panels on marine technology, robotics, aquaculture, and emerging trends. The day will conclude with the highly acclaimed Ugly Fish & Networking event.
Additionally, for the second year in a row, FutureWorks, a one-day event designed specifically for high school and college students will be held as part of the Blue Future Conference 2026. Taking place on Wednesday, October 28, FutureWorks provides opportunities for students to gain awareness of the innovations, technologies, and career pathways shaping the region’s marine economy – and offers a chance to show students how they might contribute to the field.
About The Plymouth Foundation
The Plymouth Foundation is a private non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to enhancing quality of life in the Plymouth, Massachusetts region through smart economic growth. The Foundation actively supports government and private-sector initiatives to attract, retain, and strengthen employment opportunities and increase the community’s commercial and industrial tax base. Visit https://www.plymouth-ma.biz/ to learn more.
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