Otago PhD candidate Tait Francis at Parliament House with Space Minister the Hon Judith Collins
A life-long passion for space is taking off for an Otago PhD candidate who has been awarded an internship at NASA.
Tait Francis, from the Department of Chemistry, is the first Otago student to be awarded a New Zealand Space Scholarship for an internship at NASA. He was one of six New Zealand tertiary students to receive the scholarship from Space Minister the Hon Judith Collins at Parliament House this week.
The interns will work on projects guided by NASA mentors, gaining hands-on experience in their fields of study and access to NASA’s best and most advanced research facilities.
For his internship, Tait will carry out experiments using facilities at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California which are not currently available in New Zealand.
“The internship really is an unparalleled opportunity for me to take my research and obsession for space science to the next level, as well as an opportunity to grow and develop as a researcher.
“NASA is such an academically stimulating environment, and working alongside such a large collection of similarly passionate people is something not available anywhere else on Earth.”
Tait says he’s been interested in space for as long as he can remember and it's an interest which had intensified over the course of his life as he learned more about it.
“As soon as I realised I could direct my chemistry degree towards the study of space- astrochemistry- I leapt on that opportunity pretty quick.”
After completing his PhD, Tait plans to carry on with research in the space-science field. As well as astrochemistry, he also enjoys science education, communication and outreach.
“Fortunately, space is an inherently exciting topic I think, so it makes it easy to engage people in the science. I expect my extensive blogging of the NASA Internship experience will provide much time to hone my science communication skills!”
Tait learned about the scholarship opportunity in 2022 from his PhD supervisor. During the application, both the New Zealand Space Agency and NASA were involved; with Tait telling them about his current research and scientific skills, and how they are applicable to the future of the growing New Zealand space sector.
“The application process for such a massive opportunity is of course very competitive and it was only on my second try that I managed to get it,” he says.
Almost every branch of science, maths, engineering and arts can be applied to space in some way, Tait says.
“It's exciting to have this opportunity for myself, but also for young people interested in science from all over New Zealand in future years.”
At the Parliament House event, Ms Collins said “this is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. The interns are testament to the emerging talent we have in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in New Zealand.”
~ Kōrero by Sally Knox, Communications Adviser, Division of Sciences