In close coordination with AMDA Foundation Limited, our thirteenth Endeavour team was selected from over 120 applicants nationwide! Through video presentations, the students demonstrated the importance of STEAM and the value they share in spreading this passion to their larger school communities. Following this first step, students then went through an interview process before a final selection. We’re continually impressed by this group of future leaders!
The team was honored at IndoPac 2023. The ceremony was attended by our partners and supporters such as Justin Giddings (AMDA Foundation), April Palmerlee (AmCham Australia), and Rear Admiral Rachel Durbin of the Australian Navy. The students even celebrated on the HMS Endeavour. What a night! View the photos here.
Scholarship Recipients
Hamish Blyth
My name is Hamish Blyth and I’m a 15-year-old student in Brisbane, Australia. I have a deep-seated fascination for space and physics, and I love to expand my knowledge on these fields in any way that I can. Whenever I look at the world around me, or gaze up at the night sky, I think of the infinite possibilities that await us. For many years now, I have known that I want to have a future in the space industry, which is why my goal is to become an aerospace engineer. It’s my belief that when it comes to humanity exploring the stars, the only way forward is to be united as one, and I therefore believe firmly in global collaboration and co-operation to reach our common goals. Outside of my aspirations, I enjoy spending time with my friends, being outdoors, and investing time in my schoolwork. I am incredibly thankful to have been selected as part of the 13th Mission Team, and I cannot wait to meet and work with everyone else participating in the program. This opportunity will broaden my horizons on what global collaboration looks like, and I will do my best to make the most of every second!
Ruby-Jane Roberts
Hi, I am Ruby-Jane Roberts. I’m 16 and from Geelong, Victoria, Australia. My interest in science started in primary school where I had a very inspirational teacher. I started doing experiments at home and even spent time shadowing a scientist at RMIT university working on a cure for cancer. At this point I knew I wanted a career in science! My love for space started a bit earlier when I received a telescope. I enjoy looking into the night sky and once watched a full lunar eclipse. I make videos with my brothers about science and space and how things happen. I find science and particularly space fascinating. When I spoke with Mark Vande Hei on the ISS my interest in space really grew. It left me wanting a career that incorporates science and space. I love being busy and my other interests are rowing, cooking, waterpolo, tennis, swimming, and piano. I’m also a venturer scout who loves adventurous activities like caving, skiing, abseiling, hiking, and overseas travel. I really enjoy design and I can’t wait to learn more about the role technology manufacturing and engineering play in space. I am looking forward to everything about space camp from how things work, what career paths are available, working in a team, making new friends and doing simulation activities. I feel very privileged and excited to be a recipient of the Endeavour Scholarship and I look forward to embracing everything that is involved.
Fergus Jones
Hi, my name is Fergus Jones. I am a 15 year old high school student from Sydney, Australia. While growing up, I have always been extremely curious about the “why’s” of the world, such as: how does the brain function or are we the only life form in the universe? I love the field of engineering, often tinkering with things on CAD or in my Dad’s workshop. I have dreamt of being an aerospace engineer ever since I was 9 when I saw a Mark Rober (NASA Aerospace Engineer, who worked on the Mars Curiosity Rover) video on YouTube. Due to this, an urge grew inside of me to want to learn more about the universe, and to become an aerospace engineer myself! I also have a very creative side to myself, playing piano, cello, ukulele and guitar along with singing. This creative mindset allows me to bring a distinct view to the table given that many innovative ideas often come from a diverse range of perspectives. I believe that STEM is enhanced with a creative, arts orientation which is often referred to as STEAM. To be part of ’Team Australia’ and to work alongside other Endeavour Scholarship recipients is a dream come come true. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and hope that this experience will take me one step closer to help tackling humanity’s major challenges.
Amelia Taranto
Hello, I’m Amelia Taranto, a 15-year-old high school student from Western Australia. Throughout my life, I’ve been driven by curiosity, always seeking to unravel the ‘whys’ of the universe, particularly when it comes to the realm of space. The cosmos, with its boundless mysteries and infinite potential, never cease to captivate my imagination, igniting within me a sense of wonder and anticipation. Space, for me, is the convergence of science and creativity, a global endeavour where humanity unites to accomplish astonishing feats. I’ve fuelled my passion through reading books like ‘Cosmos’, attending science lectures, and seizing every opportunity to admire the night sky. I have always wished to contribute to this inspiring field, with a particular ambition to become an astronaut or aerospace engineer. I am wholeheartedly committed to immersing myself in experiences to gain the best understanding of the subject that has captivated my mind for so long. Words cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity to be a part of ‘Team Australia’, and I look forward to partaking in a truly life-changing experience.
Meet Nadia Baker!
Hello, I’m Nadia Baker, and it’s an honour to lead Mission Team #13 representing Australia. I discovered my passion for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) through volunteering at the Investigator Science and Technology Centre in Adelaide, around the same age as the wonderful students I’ll be leading at Space Camp in Alabama. I embarked on my academic journey with a Mathematics and Computer Science Degree, which led me to earn a scholarship in Science Communication at the Australian National University. Awarded to just 16 science graduates across Australia, the course involved staffing the Questacon Science Circus, the world’s largest travelling science circus. We went to regional, rural, and remote Australia bringing STEAM to life through captivating science shows, workshops, and teacher professional development in both primary and secondary schools.
My interest in STEAM and education led me to become a maths and science teacher, and my commitment was recognised when I was awarded the most outstanding student teacher in my postgraduate university cohort at the University of Canberra. This paved my way to a 13-year career in England as a maths teacher, during six of which I had the privilege of working for the University of Cambridge Millennium Mathematics Project in the Department of Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics. My office was just one flight of stairs from the legendary Stephen Hawking! In my role, I travelled throughout the UK and Europe, popularising maths through entertaining shows and workshops in schools and organisations. A standout project was the Enigma Project, where I demonstrated a genuine WWII Enigma machine whilst explaining how maths changed history by cracking the Enigma code, just like in the movie ‘The Imitation Game’.
I returned to Australia in 2019 and took the role of Technology Curriculum and STEAM Leader within the Victorian curriculum. I introduced new STEAM subjects, whilst enhancing and teaching existing subjects including Rocketry, Drones, Robotics and Engineering. I oversee the running of the STEAM Club, excursions, competitions, and promote social enterprise projects. With our new STEAM Centre being built at the College, I aim to capitalise on the learning experiences of the Endeavour Scholarship to continue to elevate the profile of STEAM, inspiring students to pursue STEAM subjects and careers, to contribute meaningfully in the world.
Winning the Endeavour Scholarship is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to share these experiences and passion I have for STEAM, whilst inspiring the next generation of innovators and explorers, particularly young women. STEAM holds the power to improve our lives, and I’m excited to embark on this mission to demonstrate and encourage that potential in the students of Mission Team #13, Australia.
Thank You To Our Amazing In-Country Partner, AMDA Foundation Limited
