NEWS & MEDIA

Students with a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and who dream of going to into space, can now begin planning their submission to win a scholarship to Space Camp in the United States.

Student applications will open Wednesday 1 February for the Astronaut Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship, an international education program which aims to reward aspiring young space explorers and their teachers with a hands-on astronaut training experience at the U.S Space and Rocket Centre’s renowned Space Camp, located in Hunstville, Alabama.

To apply, Australian secondary students aged 15 - 18 must create a three-minute video and one page summary that addresses the following challenge:

Commercial space travel and colonisation are the future. It is the year 2050. You must ensure that 35 people sustain life on a three-year journey to Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Create a system to address one of the following conditions for the crew: water/food, life support, propulsion, or solar radiation. Be practical, creative, and have fun!

The four winning entries will be selected by a panel of judges from the scholarship's Student Selection Committee and include:

• Professor Alan Duffy Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University
• Professor Bronwyn Fox Chief Scientist at CSIRO
• Professor Renae Sayers Deputy Director of the Space Science and Technology Centre at Curtin University
• Mani Thiru Head of Space and Satellite at Amazon Web Services

The scholarship will be presented as part of AVALON 2023 in conjunction with AVALON organiser, AMDA Foundation, Kallman Worldwide and the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AmCham).

Astronaut Al Worden, Command Module Pilot Apollo 15, before his passing in 2020 worked as ambassador for the Endeavour Scholarship and spearheaded the program thanks to his passion for STEM education and encouraging the next generation of space explorers.

"I believe we need to motivate young people into STEM courses because they are the ones who will be running the space program in the next generation and the generation after that," said Worden.

"This is a perfect breeding ground for cooperation, we're sending kids from every country around, they going to get together and their going to mix and going to know each other and that is absolutely going to facilitate cooperation in the next generation."

STEM teachers from the Greater Geelong region can also apply to chaperone the student mission to the U.S and participate in a week of professional development at the Space Academy for Educators. Email the team before February 10 to express your interest. 

Student Applications open February 1 and close Sunday 12 March 2023.

For more information: https://endeavourscholarship.org/