VSSEC-NASA Australian Space Prize winner announced

NASA has announced the talented young Australian who will spend 10 weeks working at NASA Ames. Thanks to the VSSEC-NASA Australian Space Prize, Elizabeth Blaber from the University of New South Wales will be the first Australian student to join the NASA Academy program and realise her dream of working on a current NASA project.

“The VSSEC-NASA Australian Space Prize will permit me to collaborate and share ideas with other students from the field. It will enable me to work on a topic that is of international interest, as well as affording me the opportunity to learn how to utilize state of the art equipment to further enhance my research goals.” said Elizabeth.

Elizabeth investigated the influence of microgravity on human cellular function. Her research identified many proteins that can be correlated to systemic effects experienced in space conditions. These results are not only important for the health and survival of our astronauts in space, but may also give important insights into some ground–based medical problems such as osteoporosis and some heart conditions. As many spaceflight induced medical complications have parallels to medical problems found on Earth, any medical advances made in space can have valuable effects here on Earth.

The Prize was established to promote quality space related research in Australia and raise awareness of study and career opportunities for students. Elizabeth will work with the Victorian Space Science Education Centre to share her NASA experience with secondary students and teachers to inspire Australia’s future scientists and engineers.

For more information go to http://www.vssec.vic.edu.au/programs/sp_outreach_vnsp.asp