PhD candidate and proud Palawa man, Edward (Ted) Vanderfeen will be heading to the United States for a once in a lifetime internship with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory after being selected for Monash University's National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA), supported by the Australian Space Agency.
Representing Western Sydney University's International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems and the School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Ted will be partnered with a scientist or engineer mentor at NASA's JPL in California for a 10-week internship to complete projects outlined by NASA mentors while also contributing to current NASA JPL space missions.
Ted says his love of engineering when he was a child had inspired him to study engineering at university, as he has always had a keen interest in space, and often opened and pulled apart everything mechanical to learn how it worked.
"Engineering is in my blood. My dad was an automation engineer when I was growing up and he would bring his work home. I would always get curious as to how things worked, I pulled them apart and destroyed all the stuff he bought home – much to his dismay – but looking back, I don't think I'd want to do anything else."
"I'm a very analytical person, I've always enjoyed maths and science, so it seemed like a pretty natural fit studying engineering," he said.
Applying for the NISA program after completing his Bachelor of Engineering degree with 1st Class Honours with the University's School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Ted said the NISA program opportunity has come at the right time.
"It was very serendipitous timing, it felt like the opportunity that I had spent my entire degree here at Western Sydney University preparing for. It's a dream come true to get to spend 10 weeks at NASA JPL and really immerse myself in that experience… It's like Disneyland for engineers," he said.
Professor Michelle Trudgett, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Leadership congratulated Ted on his successful selection to the NISA program empowering Indigenous youth, describing it as a once in a lifetime opportunity paving the way for future students and ultimately the world's first Aboriginal astronauts.
"The University is incredibly proud of Ted for being a part of the exclusive first cohort of Indigenous students bolstering Australian space research capabilities. Ted will be learning from the best and brightest in the world to solve real-world challenges. It is my hope that Ted's experience will lead to other Indigenous youth in Western Sydney also recognising that they too can achieve anything they set their minds to," said Professor Trudgett.
"Ted is a dedicated and bright student who will no doubt soak up every moment of this internship. I'm confident that he will share his newfound knowledge with fellow researchers and student cohort upon his return."
Ted will also begin his PhD journey at Western Sydney University's International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems (ICNS) upon his return to Australia, under the mentorship of Associate Professor Gregory Cohen, Deputy Director of ICNS as his academic supervisor.
Prior to flying out to the United States to begin his NASA JPL internship, Ted will complete a 'Space Boot Camp' preparation program run by Monash University's Faculty of IT covering aerodynamics, robotics, rovers, astrophysics, planetary science, engineering, computer and earth sciences as well as past and current space exploration missions at NASA.
