Thanks to The Andy Thomas Space Foundation, what a great few days in Adelaide for the 17th Australian Space Forum from 24-25 July 2024. The team represented by our volunteer Ambassadors was proud to be Diversity Partner for the event. Thanks to Georgia Dallimore, Brenan Dew, Sheila Gough-Kenyon, Dwayne Fernandes, Mei He and Jacqui Tyack.
Our purpose at the Forum as Diversity Partner, was to spread the word about the Alliance and our mission is to advocate for inclusion, diversity, equity and access for all identities and intersectionalities, and ensure the space sector reflects the full spectrum of Australian capabilities and talent.
We asked delegates to help us design the best outcomes, through a quick VOX Pop Survey, we asked about membership benefits for organisations and their Team Members and partnering with organisations to deliver benefits across
o Leadership & Culture
o Representation & Career
o Pay & Flexibility
More to come on membership options! We appreciate all of your feedback.
We also participated in the Space Passport Program led by the super talented Sarah Baker from Hamilton Secondary College which encouraged high school students with an interest in space to talk to us about who we are, and what careers and pathways are available.
On Day 2, some of our Ambassadors represented the Alliance on stage. Mary Pillay, Space Missions Manager, Ant61 and Sheila Gough Kenyon, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer, Starbound Space Solutions shared more on Building a Sustainable Space Ecosystem.
Then in a highlight for the Alliance, Sheila Gough Kenyon facilitated a panel of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion champions and explored the importance of different perspectives, skill sets and approaches in the industry and how can the space ecosystem continue to develop in a sustainable manner for all.
Speakers included:
Zoe Janes, Research Scientist, Defence Science and Technology Group
Professor Chris Lawerence, Professor, Department of Human Centred Computing; Dean of Indigenous Engagement, Faculty of IT, Monash University
Michelle Lyon-Green, Director Talent And Workforce Planning, Nova Systems
Asha Stabback, Manager – Translation And Impact, ICRAR – UWA
Dwayne Fernandes, Ambassador of Amazement, Minds at Play and the Australian Space Diversity Alliance
Some comments from our booth staffers and Ambassadors.
Georgia Dallimore
“It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm from students and industry alike about how the Alliance could work to promote and strengthen Australia’s growing space workforce. I really enjoyed the inspiring conversations about how we could achieve this, recognising our space future needs skills and backgrounds from all walks of life for everyone to belong!
Dwayne Fernandes
”It was great talking to high school students at the Space conference, we discussed things like what is a career in the space industry look like now, and what will the space industry look like in the near future? And what skills do I need to build to get there and what Asda is doing to ensure the space industry is diverse for all of society.“
Mei He
“It was amazing to chat to a diverse range of people, from high school students to industry leaders, about how everyone has a place in space. Very inspiring to see the enthusiasm from students, who will be entering the workforce in a few years!”
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