A giant leap into 2023 for The Andy Thomas Space Foundation

By Andy Thomas Space Foundation

The Andy Thomas Space Foundation (ATSF), Australia’s National Not-For-Profit promoting space education, outreach and innovation, takes a giant leap into 2023 with a jam-packed year planned.

After experiencing large scale growth across the various Foundation activities in 2022, the trajectory is expected to not only continue but incline significantly with ‘out of this world’ offerings for the Australian community, to be made available in 2023.

These offerings include two bigger and better than ever before Australian Space Forums, highlighting the great expertise and scope of industry available nationally and globally, a further increased and expanded Education Fund, as well as, innovative and engaging community outreach opportunities.

With the 15th Australian Space Forum quickly approaching on Tuesday, 9 May at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the time is now to make your mark on the Australian Space Industry.

Each year the Forum attracts over 1,100 delegates representing industry, government, academia and start-ups, 100+ national and international organisations exhibiting their products and services, as well as a number of subject-matter experts supporting the Forum’s key themes.

This year the Forum will see some major updates, ensuring that the growing and diverse needs of the local, national and global space industry members are being met. Taking the opportunity to share some of the incredible talents and innovations that the Australian space ecosystem can bring to the global marketplace.

ATSF Annual Education Fund

In line with the Foundations mission, all income generated through the hosting of the Forum is directly dedicated to the ATSF Annual Education Fund.

Last year saw the ATSF dedicate $320,000 worth of scholarships, prizes and awards, celebrating students from primary school through to postgraduate, PhD and beyond. In 2023, this program of education opportunities will continue to grow and spread across Australia, ensuring that students around the nation have access to space, its applications and workforce pathways.

Recently, the ATSF alongside the Australian Space Agency launched the first activities of the national Kids In Space program, impacting thousands of students, their teachers and schools across each state and territory.

The first activity, state-based accredited professional development days, saw teachers from over 60 schools unite, learn and innovate together – training in all things 3D design, space industry and design thinking. Through the inclusion of professional development opportunities and free resource provision - with each school receiving a free 3D printer, it is hoped that the impact of this program can be felt within schools for years to come. Not only can this ensure long-term space education implementation in school curriculums but further encourages teachers to promote and support future space careers for their students, nurturing what will be the next generation of space leaders.

Kids In Space

The next phase of the Kids In Space program roll out will see students engaging in a semester long custom built spacebased Makers Empire design challenge. During this challenge students can take advantage of their varying skills – whether that be science, maths, arts, English, etc – educating students on the importance of cross and multi-disciplinary approaches to space industry careers.

Following the design course, students will have the opportunity to compete against other schools within their state/territory before each winning team is flown to South Australia to participate in the national showcase at the Australian Space Discovery Centre. This Australian-first program focuses on the use of space as a tool for inspiration - empowering students, their teachers and their communities to look beyond the stars and to see the importance of space in our daily lives.

This program is one example of our growing list of opportunities available and whilst Kids In Space caters specifically for primary students, the ATSF has implemented a holistic approach to offer tangible and productive offerings at each stage of education all the way to being an early career researcher or PhD student.

As the Education Fund continues to grow, so too does the opportunity to support the Foundations work. If you or your organisation are interested in supporting an existing education fund program or would like to collaborate on a novel initiative, please get in touch.

Enrico Palermo speaking with students

With an already exciting year underway, the Foundation would also like to celebrate the appointment of the Honourable Grace Portolesi as Executive Director.

Grace joins with an impressive record as a successful Member of the South Australian Parliament and former Minister in portfolios that included Education and Science. She has also been a prominent advocate for the interests of young people and for social development programs in general. She has more recent experience in the private sector, providing expert support for innovative projects involving, among other topics, space education in schools.

This appointment follows the retirement of former ATSF CEO, Nicola Sasanelli AM. We thank Nicola for his tireless work in establishing and building the events and programs of the Foundation and in particular in his contribution to the growth and success of the Australian Space Forum since its establishment in 2016.