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Australian Space Forum
PHYSICS STUDENTS VISIT THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORUM
On Wednesday 31 March, a group of Senior School Physics students had the privilege of attending the Australian Space Forum at the Adelaide Convention Centre, accompanied by Mr David Pyman and Miss Elyse Purkis. We had the opportunity to learn about current and future careers within the fast-growing space industry, with many key organisations and job prospects based right here at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide. It was a valuable experience to be able to participate in the Space Passport session, where we could interact with different booths at the forum to find out more about all the interdisciplinary fields in the industry. This allowed us to chat with experts and discover pathways to a career in their field or company. It was exciting to see this industry emerging in South Australia and we all left the forum with (lots of jellybeans) and new knowledge about the space industry. Annecy Cheung , Year 11
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During their visit to the Australian Space Forum, Senior School Physics students were thrilled to see two Wilderness Old Scholars, Melarn Murphy (2017) and Tori Tasker (2012), attending as space industry specialists. We took the time to ask Melarn and Tori about their journey into the industry.
Tori Tasker (2012)
Senior Programs and Operations Officer, Australian Space Agency
Something that was very apparent to me through my schooling was that I loved both sciences and humanities. It was often quite easy to feel that my future career could only be in one of those rather than in both. Understanding that sciences and humanities have immense crossover was crucial in beginning the career path I am now on. I started university in the sciences, with biology, chemistry and psychology. It was enjoyable enough, but I soon realised I was not passionate about it and did not feel drive and excitement. I knew that no matter what I pursued, I wanted it to be something I was excited about, so I moved into a Bachelor of Archaeological Practice specialising in forensic anthropology. I spent the following two years of my degree unearthing human bones at mock crime scenes, unpacking the intricacies of past civilisations across the world and learning about how we think about our own past and the narratives that get told. It changed how I thought about the world and reinforced how positive and productive I was when doing what I loved. The moment that changed the trajectory of my career and life was quite a mundane one. At the end of my undergraduate degree, I bumped into a friend with whom I had been through my archaeology degree with. I simply asked her what she was planning on doing following graduation. She told me she was pursuing a Master of Museum and Heritage Studies. It was an absolute light bulb moment for me. I had no idea this degree existed, but I had always loved museums and it was quickly very clear to me that this could be a great career path for me to pursue and explore everything I had studied so far.
With a slight obsession with learning, I decided to undertake a Master of Museum and Heritage Studies to pursue a new world I had stumbled upon – science communication. I had finally found the place where humanities and science combined for me. I spent the following year understanding the methods and practices behind storytelling, exhibition design, public engagement and science education – I was truly in my element. During my internship at Mount Stromlo Observatory, the National Museum of Australia and the Melbourne Planetarium, I soon realised that space was the place for me. Space is an incredible, aweinspiring context for both sciences and humanities, and I was thrilled to have found this world to be part of. ››››
The world of full-time work then began at the National Space Centre in the United Kingdom. After almost three years as the Public Engagement Manager, I made my way back to Sydney to pursue a job at the Australian Museum, but the love of space brought me to Adelaide, where I now work for the Australian Space Agency in the Australian Space Discovery Centre. My favourite professional memory would be the event I managed at the National Space Centre to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It was amazing to celebrate an incredible human feat with space fans who came from all over Europe to celebrate with us.
It was a fantastic team effort to create an event full of hands-on activities including a planetarium show and even a sleepover in the galleries overnight so we could watch the moon landing at around 4:00am as it would have been live 50 years ago. We did radio interviews throughout the night to share the legacy of the Apollo 11 moon landing with our broader audiences.
The advice I would give aspiring Wilderness girls would be to always be curious and always ask questions. Finding your passion and your ideal career path, in whatever form that takes, comes from asking lots of questions. This can lead you to incredible people, amazing experiences, unheard of jobs and allows you to make decisions that lead you to live your best life as your best self.
GERI WEITZMAN
Melarn Murphy (2017)
Mechanical Engineering Intern at Space Machines Company
I think every little girl at one stage in her life has dreamed of being an astronaut, and I was no exception. From Reception, I had my hands on any space-related book I could find, from atlases, image collections of galaxies and stars, as well as astronaut interviews. I read them over and over, constantly falling asleep with my favourite picture of Andromeda open on my bed. Through school, I felt the pressure to achieve academically, so I pursued what I was naturally good at – language and the humanities, completely neglecting the curious and creative aspects of my personality. However, I became restless and felt that I needed to get away from everything; not just travel the world but literally leave the planet (I tried traveling by going to India, but now I just have a travel bug). The issues of greater society began to really weigh on my mind during my final year of school and I became increasingly stressed and saddened by the state of our earth. Environmental issues, such as those brought forward famously by David Attenborough’s recent documentary, have caused me to feel deeply stressed for some years now and inspired me to choose a career path where change may be tangible. Straying from the classic law or medicine path was probably the best thing I have ever done. It was, at first, daunting, but aerospace engineering, mathematics, and computer science have placed me at the forefront of humanity’s greatest issues, and I am in the best position possible to help change the world. If I were to give any advice, I would say, if you’re going to try a lot, you’re going to fail a lot. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t know all the answers because no one actually does – that’s just your imposter syndrome talking. One of the most important things you can do for yourself is differentiate between the failure of your judgement and failure due to your lack of effort. That’s straight from a Seth Godin podcast. Golden opportunities do not usually present themselves as opportunities. They are usually hidden under rocks, require a lot of digging and, more often than not, they are really hard work. Being presented with an opportunity and actually making use of that opportunity are two entirely different things. You can do anything you want in the world – how are you going to use that opportunity? You may think you need to be a mega genius to become really good at something, but really, you just need 10,000 hours of practice and a strong support network. Finally, but most importantly, do not make any career choices dependent on anyone else’s happiness but your own. If you are not passionate and wholly devoted to something, you will never, ever be great at it. Do something that stirs you and is bigger than yourself. If you have no idea what that is, make it up until you figure it out. Read some books. Talk to people you disagree entirely with and reason out their mindset.
In my second year of university, I realised that I would have to differentiate myself from the rest of my cohort. People will hint that your engineering opportunities are solely because you are a female and companies need to “fill quotas”, and by extension, someone better could easily take your place. I undertook work experience during the mid-year break to really push myself. The confidence I gained in my abilities has transformed my outlook on engineering entirely. If you are actually better at what you do than your peers, no one can make you feel like your achievements are not entirely yours. Saying yes to as many things as possible, such as my current internship, has built and grown my character like nothing else.
