To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission, seven scientists and engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the USA will be visiting Wagga Wagga on the weekend of 27-28 July 2019. The event is open to adults and children over 10 years of age, and will be held at Kildare Catholic College. Our Speakers will provide educational outreach to the community about NASA and its space programs, and they will host a series of 12 interactive workshops and lectures.
The One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, an Australian-based not-for-profit organisation, is coordinating the weekend in Wagga.Their local representative, Vivian Hughes, is excited to be involved in bringing the NASA JPL Team to Wagga. “This is an incredible opportunity for anyone interested in space exploration and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) subjects to meet with NASA JPL scientists and engineers, and to participate in the workshops planned for the weekend” said Ms. Hughes.
“The NASA Team will deliver 12 concurrent talks and workshops over the two days, including a field trip to Yarrangobilly Caves with Astrobiologist, Dr. Mike Malaska, to learn what these caves have in common with Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.” NASA just recently announced that they will send a spacecraft to Titan in order to study prebiotic chemistry and extraterrestrial habitability.
One Giant Leap Australia Foundation Managing Director Jackie Carpenter said these types of events are often reserved for capital cities. “We want to ensure that these unique experiences are available to regional and rural communities which is why we are offering the workshops in Wagga this year. Wagga is a South West NSW region hub, accessible to all communities across the Riverina.”
All profit from the event will fund scholarships to support teenagers on an experience of a lifetime; to attend Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama, USA. One Giant Leap Australia Foundation is investing in the future of Australian students.
Seven students from Wagga Wagga attended last year’s Space Camp.
Matthew Redway, a Year 11 student at Wagga Wagga Christian College is a 2019 scholarship recipient and will be attending Space Camp in October. “As a 17 year old, this is an incredible opportunity for me to experience NASA and make connections with amazing talented scientists and engineers.” said Mr. Redway.
“While on tour, I’m also looking forward to the opportunity to visit Northrop Grumman and The Spaceship Company, both in California.”
Tickets for the Wagga event for a two-day entry are $55 each and can be purchased from https://trybooking.com/BDHEY.
Tickets for the Yarrangobilly Cave tour can be purchased separately for $71.50 per ticket from https://onegiantleapaustralia.com/mike-malaskas-epic-adventure/.
More information about each of the visiting NASA JPL scientists and engineers can be found at https://onegiantleapaustralia.com/meet-the-scientists-from-nasa-jpl/.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview prior to the event, please contact:
Jackie Carpenter
One Giant Leap Australia Foundation Managing Director
onegiantleap@bigpond.com
0412 326 509
Vivian Hughes
One Giant Leap Australia Foundation Wagga-based representative
peterandviv@msm.com
0421 221451
NASA JPL scientists and engineers will be available for interview whilst in Wagga Wagga.
About One Giant Leap One Giant Leap Australia Foundation is a not for profit organisation based in South Windsor, providing Australian students with life changing opportunities to experience Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in practice to ensure we are developing a future workforce equipped with the diverse and dynamic set of skills that will meet the needs of employers in these developing and innovative industries. All profits go to the One Giant Leap Australia Foundation to fund scholarships to assist Australian students to attend Space Camp. One Giant Leap Australia was recently named Champion Educational Services at the 2019 Australian Small Business Champion Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony in Sydney. More information at https://onegiantleapaustralia.com/.
