Eight Australian Students Traveling to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Eight First Nations university students from across Australia are traveling to the United States this year for a 10-week research placement at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. The placements run through Monash University’s National Indigenous Space Academy, a program founded in 2019 to build Indigenous participation in Australia’s space sector. Now in its eighth year, the academy has grown from a three-student pilot into a program that has taken 29 First Nations students to research institutions in the US and UK. The initiative won two Group Category awards at the 2026 Australian Space Awards, taking home the Indigenous Space Initiative of the Year and Diversity Initiative Program of the Year awards.
Boeing Scholarship Supports Queensland University of Technology Student
Jordan Roulstone, a proud Warumungu man from the Queensland University of Technology completing a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) (Honours) and Bachelor of Information Technology, has been named the inaugural Boeing NISA Scholar with full funding from Boeing Australia. “I want to build a career that contributes to Australia’s future in space and advanced engineering, but I also want to help create a future where more Indigenous young people can see themselves in STEM,” Roulstone said. The cohort includes seven other tertiary students selected from universities across multiple states. Tash Lee represents Monash University, Jamal Woods attends the Queensland University of Technology, Jaimie Duffy studies at the University of New England, Noah Davis attends the University of Sydney, Claire Weis and Alexander Cramp represent UNSW, and Alaxandrea O’Brien studies at the University of Western Australia.
Western Australian Student Secures Leadership Scholarship for California Placement
Alaxandrea O’Brien has become the first university student from Western Australia to be selected for the National Indigenous Space Academy program. A proud Dulgubarra-Mamu and Jirrbal woman currently in her third year of a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (Honours) at the University of Western Australia, O’Brien received the Andy Thomas Space Foundation Women’s Leadership Scholarship for her placement at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “This opportunity at NASA will serve as a powerful launchpad for my academic and professional growth, helping me advance my aspirations to drive meaningful socioeconomic and environmental impact,” O’Brien said. Professor Chris Lawrence, Director of NISA and Professor of Practice in Space Innovation and Security Capabilities in the Faculty of Engineering at Monash University, noted that students work in teams on real-life missions to search for other planets and examine life existence across galaxies.
Pre-Departure Boot Camp Prepares Scholars for Active NASA Missions
Before traveling to the United States, all eight students complete a Space Boot Camp at Monash University covering aerodynamics, robotics, rover technology, astrophysics, planetary science, engineering, computer science, and earth sciences. The cohort also tours Boeing Aerostructures Australia’s Port Melbourne facility, which builds components for Boeing 737, 777, and 787 aircraft. Once at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, each student pairs with a scientist or engineer mentor to work on active missions focused on ocean-exploration vehicles and the study of microorganisms aboard the International Space Station.