NASA Stennis Director Christine Powell, right, participates in a panel discussion during the Mississippi Aerospace and Defense Symposium on Sept. 4. in Flowood, Mississippi. The conversation focused on collaboration between government entities such as the Department of War, and related federal partners, in operation at NASA Stennis. Pictured with Powell, left to right: Jace Ponder, director, Governor’s Office of Military Affairs, Mississippi Development Authority (moderator); Dr. William Burnett, Director, National Data Buoy Center; Dr. Joe Calantoni, Senior Executive Service Technical Director, U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. The annual symposium is co-hosted by Mississippi Enterprise for Technology and Defense Alliance of Mississippi. It brings together industry, government, academia, and defense leaders to talk about aerospace, defense, space technology, workforce, and economic development in Mississippi. NASA Stennis is America’s largest rocket propulsion test site and functions as a federal city with tenants supporting a wide range of missions, from propulsion testing to information technology and oceanography. The U.S. Navy has a significant presence here, and several aerospace and technology companies and agencies are also located at NASA Stennis.