Astronauts to be star attraction at engineering convention

Two legends of space exploration and an emerging leader within space engineering will share the stage at engineering event Convention 2014 to share their experiences and inspire the next generation of engineers and space enthusiasts.

Retired NASA astronauts Colonel Chris Hadfield and Australian-born Dr Andrew (Andy) Thomas will be joined by International Space Station (ISS) operator and engineer Andrea Boyd to present a keynote address entitled From Zero (gravity) to Hero at the largest ever engineering event in the Southern Hemisphere.

Andrea Boyd, who studied mechatronic engineering at the University of Adelaide, sees the event as an opportunity to celebrate the entire engineering sector.

“Engineers are great at what we do but not good at communicating our success. Convention 2014 changes that through bringing every type of engineer under the one roof to share ideas, talk about our collective achievements and sell the benefits of becoming an engineer,” Boyd said.

Adelaide-born Andy Thomas, who retired earlier this year, took part in four space missions for NASA. He logged more than 177 days in space, including 130 days in a single stay aboard the Russian space station Mir in 1998.

Dr Thomas, who also studied at University of Adelaide, believes Australia’s role in space is mixed. He contrasted the handful of Australian individuals and facilities contributing to global efforts with the lack of government policy.

“There is no real strategic thinking in Australia about space as a national interest. There is no real central space office that international agencies can contact. For a 21st century community, the lack of national policy is hard to understand,” he said.

He said the lack of policy is unlikely to motivate today’s children to pursue careers in the space sector.

“We must never underestimate the importance of providing real motivation for youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Every metric suggests current policies are failing in that.”

Convention 2014 is made up of six conferences covering defence, applied mechanics, climate change, complex projects, telecommunications and leadership. The convention will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 24-28 November.