Matt Dodds
Matt is a High School Physics Teacher with a passion for all things Space. During his upbringing in the Blue Mountains, Matt would look out his bedroom window at clear sky every night and marvel at it. Matt has run over 20 Space Academy programs in Canberra inspiring over 300 students from across Australia. Matt was recently selected to travel to CERN in Switzerland to take part in their International High School Teacher Summer School and was also awarded Highly Commended in the Prime Ministers Prize for Science Teaching in Secondary Schools. Matt enjoys designing new equipment for Science and along with Frank, developed an interferometer made of Lego. Matt is passionate about Astronomy and sharing the eyepiece of his telescopes with school students and the general public alike. His goal for AYSA is to continue to inspire the next generation of Space Scientists, Engineers, Doctors, Astronomers and more.
Frank Capurso
Frank Capurso is a biomedical engineer from Melbourne who has a strong interest for the technical engineering side of space related sciences. Frank has worked as a mechanical engineer in the medical engineering industry for the last 5 years, designing a prototyping products on projects which are developed for multinational companies, many of which are now sold around the world. Frank has been facilitating on Space Academy programs for the last 6 years. He has a passion for science communication and inspiring the next generation of students to take on a STEAM related career.
Katia Stephan
Katia is a former AYSA participant, and is now studying Mechatronics at the University of Technology Sydney. She is very passionate about sharing her love for STEM, especially space. She enjoys integrating robotics into the space industry through a combination of mechanical design, electronics and digital technologies. She is a recipient of the $10,000 Faculty of Engineering and IT Scholarship presented by UTS Women in Engineering and IT. She is also the Mechanical Team Lead of the UTS Formula SAE Motorsports Autonomous Team.
Chloe Johnston
Chloe is a former participant of the AYSA and has been involved in the program for many years. Having moved from rural Victoria, Chloe now lives and studies in Canberra at the ANU, studying a Double Degree in Earth Science and Aerospace Engineering. She is interested in all things STEM, though has a particular passion in anything space related! She has a love for sharing these interests and helping others find their love for STEM also. Chloe is the Recovery Team Lead for the ANU Rocketry team, and has helped design and implement a new and improved form of shock cord packing, retractable rail guides, in-house made parachutes including new testing and verification methodology, and more! As a young rocketeer, she has achieved her L2 certification, the second highest certification, and did so with an entirely self-built rocket. She has also had involvement with Robogals and Fifty50. She believes everyone should have a chance to be involved in STEM, no matter who they are or what their background is!
Lachlan Wilson
Lachlan is studying Aerospace engineering at University of New South Wales and has attended previous AYSA programs 4 times. With a deep passion for astronomy, specifically astrophotography, Lachlan has won the David Malin Junior Astrophotography Award in 2022 and 2023 as well as the Bintel Astrophotographer of the Year 2022. He was the judge for the Bintel 2023 competition and will be the sole deep sky judge for 2024. Lachlan was lucky enough to be invited by the Astronomy Society of Australia as a presenter onto a special Eclipse Cruise for the 2023 Exmouth Total Solar Eclipse. He presented on his Astrophotography as well as ran workshops. Lachlan loved 3D designing and printing which has led him to creating many 3D printed rockets that have then been launched successfully.
