Two private Australian organisations, One Giant Leap Australia Foundation and Cambrian Defence & Space, have joined forces to bring space education outreach to Pacific Island nations by offering scholarships to Pacific Island nation students to attend the Global Space Challenge 2024.
The Global Space Challenge incorporates specialists from the space community, astronauts, and prominent space leaders to solve space problems and is available to students in years 7 and 8. This October, a larger number of Pacific Island students will be attending, thanks to the teaming of One Giant Leap Australia and Cambrian Defence & Space.
One Giant Leap is a not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education and careers. Cambrian is an Australian defence and space industry consultancy focusing on defence and space business development, space-based research, and creating pathways to space for microgravity research and innovative technologies.
“Teaching younger generations about space technology applications in the Indo-Pacific has flow-on effects in understanding how space can support agriculture, fisheries, climate adaptation, local economies, remote medicine and education,” said Cambrian’s Director of Space Tiffany Sharp.
“Space education is putting the future of space technological agency back in the hands of local communities, and in return, we gain a greater diversity of thought to solve complex problems that benefits humanity.”
“We’re discussing incorporating a space challenge tailored to the island nations on topics requested by them, such as sustainable development, space debris and sea debris problems creating new climate adaptation technologies,” added Sharp. “We look forward to learning more about Pacific Islands cultural and historical links to the stars and space, such as navigation, fishing and farming. The Pacific Island nations are important members of a wider regional community, and their voices are important in exploring space capability to benefit Earth”.
A key aim is to bring space education and STEM to women and girls in the Indo-Pacific. Educating women in remote locations benefits entire communities, from public health to the local economy.
One Giant Leap and Cambrian aim to increase space capability, STEM and space science in the Indo-Pacific region, creating more STEM opportunities and raising awareness of how space technology can assist many of the region’s most pressing needs.
The Global Space Challenge runs annually during Space Week, which this year operates from October 5 – 10.
