In partnership with the UNAAWA Young Professionals, the SDG Forum hosted a successful event at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, sponsored by Woodside Energy in early November. The event was graced by the Hon. Minister Stephen Dawson MLC and Linda Dawson, Deputy Director of General Industry, Science, Innovation at JTSI, with an overwhelming support from members of science community, civil societies, public, private and education sectors.
The evening commenced with the traditional welcome to country and & housekeeping by Charlotte Moss, Convener of UNAAWA Young Professional Committee; following this was an introduction of the UNAAWA and SDG goals by Randhir Amoganathan current President. This was followed by the Minister introducing the importance of innovation development in space and how it can impact the advancement of the SDGs.
Mark Stickells, CEO of the Pawsey Supercomputing then highlighted the significant and impactful work that the organisation in making WA the southern hemisphere's global hub for space development and operations.
After the opening speeches, Benjamin Burridge, our SDG committee member introduced a video from Lindley Johnson, a leader at NASA's planetary defence coordination office, who outlined the critical importance of development within the fields of space exploration and the advancements. Following this, Ben led the event in a Kahoot game, engaging the audience and making them think critically about space and the role that it plays in the achievement of the UN SDG goals.
Moderated by Dr Sandy Chong, Founding Chair of the SDG Forums, the panel session begun with amazing speakers such as former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientist Dawn McIntosh, AROSE lead Michelle Keegan, JTSI’s James Yuen and ICRAR (International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research)‘s Dr Clancy James. They shed light on the importance of space exploration, the impact it has on the achievement of SDGs and the benefits be extended to all inhabitants on this planet.
Big thanks to our sponsors, partners including the US Consulate in Perth for obtaining a short video from NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, our awesome members and volunteers for organising yet another successful event.
