First WA student reaches NASA through Indigenous space academy
Alaxandrea O'Brien, first WA student selected for Monash's Indigenous Space Academy, now works on satellite projects at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
O'Brien works on real projects at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, paired with a scientist mentor. She uses satellite data to see through plants and map water patterns for climate change.
Her work brings 60,000 years of Indigenous land management to modern science. Growing up in the Kimberley, she struggled with maths in high school but kept her dream of working in space.
She'll apply what she learns to her honours thesis next year, combining NASA's research with Indigenous wisdom. As a First Nations woman in STEM, she's breaking rare ground in a field that has few people like her.
- Alaxandrea O'Brien
- First WA student
- 10 weeks
- Placement duration
- 8 total
- Indigenous students placed
- 60,000 years
- Indigenous land management history
Why it mattersYoung First Nations people can reach the world's top space research organisations, and traditional knowledge matters to solving modern climate challenges.
AustraliaA WA student leading the way demonstrates Australian Indigenous science talent can compete globally at NASA level.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 50 min ago
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