Welcome to the UNSW Canberra Space Education Seminars
Our Space Education Seminars have become one of the cornerstones of the academic experience at UNSW Canberra, uniquely designed to bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world applications in space engineering and operations. These enriching sessions are a part of our commitment to integrating hands-on, practical insights into our curriculum.
Initiated in 2020 by Dr. Lily Qiao as part of a signle course, the education seminars have been running for six years now and have expanded across the program due to their positive reception.
Overview:
Each semester, we are privileged to host leading experts from the global space industry. Our speakers include prominent figures from Australian projects as well as international missions, offering students a firsthand look at the challenges and innovations in space mission design. These seminars, initiated by Dr. Lily Qiao in 2020 as part of the ZEIT8008 Space Systems Design course, have since expanded to all courses in the program due to their positive reception from students. Accordingly, more academics are now involved in coordinating the seminars, including Dr. Melrose Brown, Dr. Trevor Lafour, Dr. Rabbia Saleem, and Dr George Bowden. Now these seminars play a critical role in broadening students' learning beyond traditional classroom settings. Students consistently report that these sessions are instrumental in deepening their understanding of the space sector, providing perspectives that textbooks alone cannot offer.
Student Testimonials:
- The guest lectures were the best part, as they gave an industry insight into different aspects of space systems design.
- The guest lectures were fantastic and showed a unique view into the space industry that the textbooks alone do not provide.
- It was such a privilege to hear from the industry's best during the guest lectures."
- The guest lectures provided a unique view into the space industry that textbooks alone do not provide.
- I found the course content to be relevant, especially the guest lecturers.
- Good engagement with outside lecturers, which gave the content a current/real-time quality.
- I found the course content to be relevant, especially the guest lecturers.
- I like how there are plenty of space seminars to hear about real-world careers and projects.
- I really appreciate how the educator organised the guest lecturers this year. I believe knowing how people apply the knowledge we learn in this course is more important than the content itself. Some of these lecturers have inspired me to continue pursuing a career in the space industry.
Award:
Building a learning community through space education seminars has received an Honourable Mention for a 2024 UNSW Scientia Education Academy (SEA) Exemplary Teaching Practice (ETP) Award and will go into the TNYCU repository.
2025 Speakers and Topics:
- Space Mission Design and Operations - Mr Michale McKinnell from Geoscience Australia.
- Systems Engineering at Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex and its role in the missions to Pluto and Mars.- Prof Ed Kruzins from UNSW Canberra
- Unlocking Opportunities in the Global Space Industry: Lockheed Martin Australia's Contributions and Future Growth - Mr Philip Citowicki from Lockheed Martin Australia
- Apollo and the ACT: Why Did It Happen Here? by Mr John Saxon, retired, operation manager at Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, JPL at Tidbinbilla JPL, contributing to Apollo, Viking, and Voyager programs.
2024
- System Engineering after University and Space at CSIRO - Mr. Sander Voss, Space Technologies Development Engineer at CSIRO.
- Space Jobs in the Digital Age - Johann Bell from Defence Digital Group.
- Engineering is a Team Sport – Space System Engineering is Pro Sport – An Experiential Overview - Roger Franzen, HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec NER APEC Engineer IntPE(Aus), AFAIAA.
- Space Businesses That Work - Dr. Craig Benson, Co-founder, Director, and Chief Innovation Officer at Skykraft.
- Space Engineering & Propulsion - Dr. Javier Martinez Martinez, Former Product Manager and Thermal & Fluid Dynamics Team Lead at ThrustMe.
- IT Challenges for Space Domain Awareness - Keith Anderson from Bluestaq P/L.
- From the Whiteboard to L2: A Personal Journey on ESA’s Euclid Mission - Dr. Jason Rhodes from NASA JPL.
- HEO’s Mission to Image Anything in the Solar System on Demand - Dr. William Coowe, CEO of HEO.
- Australia’s Space Industry and Opportunities in the Indo-Pacific Region - Ms. Isobel Haddow, Leader of Membership, Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA).
2023
- The Australian National Concurrent Design Facility (ANCDF) at UNSW Canberra by Mr Michael Mckinnell
- History and Geography: Australia’s space trajectory from the Fifties to today by Dr Tristan Moss from UNSW Canberra
- Harnessing Ansys Systems Tool Kit (STK) for Complex Orbital Mechanics Simulations by Mr Joel Thakker from LEAP Australia
- Discover Space Master Education Program to PG coursework students by Dr George Bowden (Space Program Coordinator)
- Distributed-AI in space systems. by Dr Bassel Al Homssi
2022
- Introduction to spacecraft propulsion and mission analysis by Dr Trevor Lafleur
- Satellite Control Systems by Samuel Boland
- Fleet Space - Designing, Manufacturing and Deploying a Satellite Constellation, by Ian Partis from Fleet
- Satellite communication, by Dr Edwin Peters from UNSW Canberra
- Thermal engineering in space mission by Clint Therakam
- Mechanical testing in space mission by Dr Nick Carter from CSIRO
- M2 separation in space by Dr Courtney Bright
- Uncrewed, multi-purpose space stations by Dr Gordon Roesler from USA
- Onboard processing design by Miriam Lim from UNSW Canberra
- Lessons learned from BINAR mission by Fergus Downey from Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy
2021
- The challenges and opportunities for space startups in Australia by Nicholas Lindsay from Gilmour Space
- Attitude Determination and Control Systems by Samuel Boland from UNSW Canberra
- Navigation and tracking in space by Dr Sanat Biswas from IIIT Delhi India
- New Results in Orbit Estimation and Space Situational Awareness Applications by Dr Yang Yang from Sun Yat-sen University
- Satellite operations at UNSW Canberra by Dr. Courtney Bright from CSIRO
- Satellite control system design and testing in NUAA by Professor Feng Yu from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Satellite communication system by Dr Edwin Peters from UNSW Canberra
- Exploring the Solar System and Beyond – Australia and NASA’s Deep Space Network by Glen Nagle from CSIRO
- Importance of thermal engineering in space missions by Clint Therakam
- Future of in-space propulsion by Dr Trevor Lafleur
- Accelerating Space Missions with the The Cloud by Mani Thiru from Amazon Web Services
2020
- Attitude Determination Control System by Samuel Boland
- Electrical board design By Igor Dimitrijevic, Lead Electrical Engineer UNSW Canberra
- Propulsion system by Dr. Trevor Lafleur from Plasma Potential
- Mining beyong Earth by Professor Andrew Dempster from UNSW Canberra
- The story of UNSW EC0: Australia’s First CubeSat Trio in Orbit by Dr Joon Wayn Cheong
- Australia’s future in (contested) Space by Malcolm Daris
For More Information
If you have any questions or would like further details about the UNSW Canberra Space Education Seminars, please feel free to contact Dr. Lily Qiao at l.qiao@unsw.edu.au.
We welcome inquiries from students, industry professionals, and anyone interested in learning more about our seminar series and its contributions to space education and research.
On behalf of the UNSW Canberra Space community, we extend our deepest gratitude to these distinguished speakers who have contributed to our Space Education Seminars. Your expert insights and personal experiences have profoundly enriched our curriculum and inspired our students.
We encourage all students participating in the UNSW Canberra Master Education Program and the Space Final Year Project to attend these seminars. This is an excellent opportunity to benefit from the expertise and experiences of our distinguished speakers.
Join us as we delve into the depths of space and enhance your educational journey!