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PRESS RELEASE: The Mars Generation Announces 24 Under 24 Leaders and Innovators in STEAM and Space Award Winners for 2020

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN, UNITED STATES, September 16, 2020 / The Mars Generation (TMG) announced its third class of 24 Under 24 Leaders and Innovators in STEAM and Space Award winners (Class of 2020). The group is comprised of young people from around the world who are breaking barriers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) fields and bringing the sciences to the public through multidisciplinary interests. The youngest winners of this international recognition are 13 years old. To qualify for consideration nominees must be members of TMG’s Student Space Ambassador Leadership Program, be under the age of 24 on January 1, 2020, and be involved in work or a project that is focused on STEAM.

“The 24 Under 24 awards elevate youth accomplishments in STEAM fields, empowering and encouraging them to continue working for a brighter future,” said Abigail Harrison, Founder and President, The Mars Generation. “This year’s 24 Under 24 are doing exceptional work in STEAM, and perhaps even more importantly, in bringing STEAM interest and education beyond their computers and labs, including to rural towns and underrepresented communities.”

Sponsored in 2020 by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the winners for 24 Under 24 are involved in a variety of STEAM interests, including founding nonprofits for science education and inclusion, designing technology that will be used by astronauts in space, creating mobile apps for medical and healthcare resources, using machine learning technology to reuse natural resources, and facilitating in-class programs in places where science education has not previously been a priority.

The winners are not only active in academic communities, but also in helping to lift up underrepresented voices—inspiring young people to reach for their goals, improving accessibility in STEAM fields, and creating films or writing books about their discoveries. The 24 Under 24 embody the philosophy of “going above and beyond”–many of them founding their own organizations and/or mentoring young people.

“Like those youth honored in our inaugural 24 Under 24 class, this year’s winners are ambassadors of The Mars Generation mission to build a stronger tomorrow by energizing our youth today about space and STEAM no matter what it takes,” said Harrison. “STEAM changes the world, and so do people who not only innovate, but also share ideas with passion. That’s what 24 Under 24 is about, and how our 2020 class shines.”

The 2020 winners of the 24 Under 24 Leaders and Innovators in STEAM and Space are:

1. Anvi Bhagavatula, Age 13, United States

Founder / Coder

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Anvi Bhagavatula Founder Coder

Anvi is the winner of the SWENext STEM in Action Award, an award given to girls who are active in promoting STEM in their communities. She is also thefounder of MESSAGE, which stands for Math Engineering Science Studies Accelerate Girls’ Empowerment. This organization supports girls of any income level in STEM-related fields. Its members volunteer through partnerships with First Book, Connecting Hands-OC, Peace First, and Grandma’s House of Hope, a transitional living shelter for victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence. There, Anvi leads free classes in coding and robotics. Anvi began coding at a young age with the encouragement of her father, but it was her mother who showed her the greater implications coding could have in her life. Coding has opened up many STEM opportunities for Anvi. Being a musician, singer, and an artist, she has also used coding alongside her original compositions in app design and in making characters in original comic books. Since learning to code, Anvi has been passionate about teaching others, especially those with less exposure to STEM opportunities. She feels that when others can see someone as young as she is coding, they believe that they can do it too.

2. Danielle Boyer, Age 19, United States

Founder / STEAM Advocate

Mars Generation STEM Awards 2020 Danielle Boyer Founder STEAM AdvocateAs an Ojibwe girl, Danielle was drawn to robotics, but quickly realized how inaccessible and un-diverse so many STEAM resources were. She knew she had to do everything in her power to change that reality. She tackled the problem by self-publishing five STEAM books for grades K-3, which feature children of different ethnicities, religions, and disabilities participating in STEAM. In January 2019, Danielle founded The STEAM Connection, which creates diverse, accessible, and affordable STEAM educational materials for young kids. The STEAM Connection creates opportunities for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Within The STEAM Connection, Danielle’s work includes developing educational content, teaching classes, and running robot and book distribution. Danielle dreams of becoming a researcher in BioRobotics and plans to double major in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering while eventually pursuing a Ph.D. in BioRobotics or Aerial Robotics.

3. Regine Chan, Age 22, Singapore

Founder / Computer Scientist

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Regine Chan Founder Computer ScientistRegine believes that technology is the most powerful equalizer in our society, and hence founded Generation Z, a non-profit aimed at empowering underprivileged youths across Asia via meaningful economic opportunities with startups. A recent graduate from the Nanyang Technological University, Regine studied Business and Computer Science and has since then become a leader in technology and engineering. She has worked for a range of well-known STEM companies including McKinsey & Company, Google and Mercedes Benz, and also started Aelixir, her own enterprise software startup. Back in 2016, Regine launched the Insights into Financial Technology Roundtable, the first-ever student-led Financial Technology event in Singapore which attracted close to 300 participants. She has also won the Best Pitch Award in the National University of Singapore’s innovation hackathon, Grand Winner Award in Spark Tank Singapore, was the former President of The Investment Banking Club, and is a Project Leader at the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community today. Through these impressive achievements and experiences, Regine has been able to help other students find their way in school, rise up to leadership roles, and challenge conventional norms. She is also passionate about empowering women in IT and leads Project Womenpower, a social initiative which supports women in the corporate workplace with a strong focus on working moms.

4. Lauren Church, Age 21, United Kingdom

STEM Outreach / Scientist

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Lauren Church STEM Outreach ScientistLauren knew from a young age that she had a love for both space and medicine, and as a graduate student pursuing her masters degree in space physiology, she’s found a way to combine them! For her dissertation, Lauren is working with NASA and the University of Birmingham in the UK. Her ultimate career goal is to be a flight surgeon supporting astronauts as space travel moves toward exploration-class missions. In 2019, Lauren shared a TEDx talk about her space medicine journey, and she has been a part of starting the Next Generation Aerospace Medicine group at the Royal Aeronautical Society in the UK, where she serves as the group’s inaugural deputy chair. However, Lauren says the work she’s most proud of is her “space worms” with ISSET (International Space School Educational Trust), where she researches and conducts experiments involving flatworm regeneration and plastic digestion by waxworms in microgravity. Her experiments are launching to the ISS at the beginning of March on SpaceX CRS-20. Additionally, Lauren belongs to the Paraboladies, which is a group of four young women, based in London, who research aerospace medicine and focus on STEM outreach, with a goal of inspiring the next generation of females in the STEM workforce.

5. Ria Doshi, Age 16, United States

Founder / Computer ScientistMars Generation STEM awards 2020 Ria Doshi Founder Computer Scientist

Ria’s excitement for artificial intelligence and computer science started in ninth grade, when she participated in the Stanford AI4ALL program researching cancerous genes using machine learning. Since then, Ria has published the first book in her series, The Code Detectives, which centers around two middle school girls who love coding and use artificial intelligence to solve mysteries. Through her book series, Ria wants to eliminate common misconceptions about artificial intelligence. She’s currently working on the second book in her series. Ria is the founder of CodeBuddies, which uses workshops, panels, challenges, and more to promote problem solving through technology. She is also the founder of the Women in AI club at her school, where she teaches girls the impact of artificial intelligence in daily life. Ria is the creator of the app called Alleviate, which helps individuals with autism overcome challenges they face using speech recognition. The app has gained recognition from Congress, impacted over 2,000 people, and was awarded the US Champion in the Technovation Challenge. Ria’s goal is to learn as much as she can about artificial intelligence through real-world research projects and hopes to study computer science and artificial intelligence in college.

6. Makiah Eustice, Age 23, United States

Founder / Aeronautical Engineer

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Makiah Eustice Founder Aeronautical EngineerIn 2017, Makiah was chosen for the Brooke Owens Fellowship, an organization that boosts the careers of a select group of exceptional undergraduate young women in the aerospace industry, through which she experienced her first internship at The Aerospace Corporation. When she was involved in the Texas A&M chapter of SEDS, Makiah founded the Aggie Astronaut Corps Program, so aspiring astronauts and researchers would have more opportunities for technical and professional development in human spaceflight. She’s currently an officer and aeronautical engineer in the US Air Force and works on the C-5M Super Galaxy cargo plane. Makiah hopes to eventually pursue her master’s degree in Human Factors or Aerospace Human Performance. Her ultimate goal in the Air Force is to become a Flight Test Engineer, which may also position her to apply as a NASA astronaut or for commercial spaceflight opportunities.

7. Elizabeth Gabler, Age 22, United States

Space Educator

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Elizabeth Gabler Space EducatorFor Elizabeth, volunteering at the Community Observatory is what helped shape her career path around the aerospace industry. It ultimately led her to an internship at Aerojet Rocketdyne during her sophomore year of College, where she became the youngest member of NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) team. Additionally, Elizabeth has worked as an Outreach Coordinator at the Sacramento State University Society of Physics Students, where she helped run the new Sacramento State University planetarium, putting on shows for the public and managing four field trips a week for grade school students. Elizabeth truly enjoys educating the public on astronomy, as she believes aerospace can inspire anyone, anywhere in the world. Elizabeth’s long-term goal is to work with NASA, and to make a difference inspiring the next generation of space explorers.

8. Aakash Gautam, Age 21, India

Founder / Space Educator

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Aakash Gautam Founder Space EducatorFor Aakash, there was never a specific moment when he fell in love with the cosmos. Instead, his life has always been fueled by a curiosity about the unknown. Aakash is always looking to educate and foster excitement in people about astronomy, and as a result he founded the Planet Aakash School, an online astronomy and space education website that he says is the perfect place for young space enthusiasts to learn about the basics of astronomy. In 2019, he also became the co-founder of India’s first independent astronomy magazine, CosmosNow. So far Aakash has released seven issues of the magazine and has interviewed astronomers, astrophysicists, and astronauts to inspire and motivate young readers and aspiring astronomers. Currently, he is working on a new series of visual books on the solar system and science communication, which is specifically geared for high-school-age students. In the long term, he ultimately sees himself as an educator. Whether it’s through space, science, or programming, Aakash ultimately wants to help other young people satisfy their thirst for knowledge.

9. Dan Hirst, Age 21, United States/United Kingdom

Founder

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Dan Hirst FounderDan is a co-founder of the non-profit corporation, Chapel Thrill Escapes, which sought to provide art, engineering, and business students opportunities to collaborate on a single project: an escape room. Today Chapel Thrill Escapes operate a thriving escape room called “The Belltower.” They employ seven students who run the room, and the group is bringing on more to build a second escape room experience. Dan has also served as the Chair of SEDS USA, the world’s largest student-run space organization, which organizes conferences, competitions, scholarships, and events for thousands of students around the US. Currently, Dan and his friends are working on a business plan to make Earth observation insights more accessible for all. This would be Dan’s first foray into space entrepreneurship, and he looks forward to learning and improving his approach throughout this process. Ultimately, Dan wants to spend his life working in the Earth observation industry and dreams of being a part of an influential geospatial company or even starting a company of his own.

10. Erica Hsueh, Age 17, United States

Founder / Computer Scientist

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Erica Hsueh Founder Computer ScientistThough she has yet to graduate high school, Erica has already set a large goal for herself: to improve people’s lives everywhere by seeking solutions through technological innovation. And Erica has already accomplished a lot. As the founder of Bytes of Code, a program that introduces STEM to underserved girls of color with little exposure to computing, Erica is actively working to end the gender gap in high-tech fields. Erica says that by the end of 2020, she will have raised over $30,000 in grants and sponsorships, spent over 2,000 instructional hours teaching and developing a multilingual curriculum, impacted over 800 girls through her own workshops, and appointed 20 global ambassadors in Asia, Africa and Central America, whose outreach activities have impacted over 75,000 girls around the world. It’s these kinds of experiences that have solidified Erica’s decision to pursue computer science and engineering in college, as well as an eventual MBA. Erica’s ultimate career goal is to start a company focused on social entrepreneurship and to use her multilingual and cultural background to expand her company globally. She says that despite going off to college next year, she plans to bring her Bytes of Code efforts wherever she goes.

11. Thendral Kamal, Age 17, India

Founder / Space Advocate

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Thendral Kamal Founder Space AdvocateFrom the first time Thendral looked through a telescope at the Sharjah Science Museum at 10 years old, she has dreamt of going to space–more specifically, she has dreamt of being the first Indian woman to step foot on Mars. Thendral is the founder and president of her school’s astrophysics club, and in 2019 she designed her own curriculum called “Bringing Space to Classrooms,” and she organized the first ever “Space Day,” where students used virtual reality headsets to tour the lunar surface and participated in a rover and moon lander building competition. Thendral has been able to share her passion for space through a variety of platforms, from her interview on the Gilli Radio FM morning show to her 2019 TEDx talk in Dubai titled “We Choose to Go to Mars.” She is the winner of the UAE Zero Gravity competition, and her short story won the MBRSC’s Send to Space Competition in 2019. Thendral plans on pursuing degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Earth and Planetary Sciences in the United States, and she hopes to pursue a PhD before applying to become an astronaut at NASA. Besides her involvement in space and STEM, Thendral also loves acting and performing. Who knows, Thendral just may be the first woman to be on Mars AND Broadway!

12. Sandali Kumarasinghe, Age 19, Sri Lanka

Founder / Space Advocate

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Sandali Kumarasinghe Founder Space AdvocateSandali has always enjoyed pondering questions about the universe, but it wasn’t until after joining her school’s astronomical society and later, The Mars Generation, that she fully realized his passion for space. In 2019, Sandali was selected as a Scholarship Winner in the Leadership category and was able to attend Space Camp at the US Space and Rocket Center. Since then she has dreamed of being an astronaut. Sandali has helped found her own space club where she serves as the Director of Public Relations, encourages younger students to engage in activities related to space and STEAM, and organizes space-related events such as celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Now that Sandali has completed her high school studies, she plans to pursue her college education in engineering, robotics and astronomy. She is also planning to pursue her SCUBA diving license and her pilot’s license. Sandali’s ultimate dream is to work as an aerospace engineer, an astrophysicist, and eventually, an astronaut.

13. Caeley Looney, Age 23, United States

Founder / Aerospace Engineer

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Caeley Looney Founder Aerospace EngineerCaeley’s Twitter bio pretty much sums it up: Rocket scientist by day, editor in chief by night. While working full time at L3Harris Technologies as a Mission Analyst, Caeley is also the Founder and President of the non-profit organization Reinvented Inc., which aims to reinvent the general perception of women in STEM fields while inspiring interest in STEM for young women across the globe. Caeley accomplishes this through Reinvented Magazine, the nation’s first ever print magazine written for women in STEM, by women in STEM. Reinvented Magazine breaks down barriers and tells the untold stories of brilliant women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, reaching over 2,000 young women across the globe. Caeley says that the more light that we shine on empowering female voices, the more accepted the idea of women in STEM workplaces become. Caeley is currently enrolled in Johns Hopkins University’s Masters in Space Systems Engineering program and hopes to pursue her PhD in either Aerospace Engineering or Engineering Physics with a focus on control theory. While Caeley balances her nonprofit work and aerospace career, she is determined to continue making a difference in advocating for women.

14. Anna MacLennan, Age 16, United States

STEAM Educator

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Anna MacLennan STEAM EducatorFor Anna, the biggest thing she’s learned from being a young person in STEAM is to set goals based on dreams, not doubts. In 2018, Anna was an Education First Global Citizen Scholar, which allowed her to attend the Education First Global Leadership Summit. In 2019, Anna worked as a NASA intern through the STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) program. This year, Anna started an all-female rocketry team at her high school, co-authoring a grant to fund all supplies and software. Anna has also organized local outreach to introduce students to basic rocketry. Anna has been honored as a national finalist in Education First’s WeShare Video competition for her video on how to inspire youth to believe in their capacity to change the world through innovation.

15. Sahith Reddy Madara, Age 23, United Arab Emirates

Research Engineer

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Sahith Reddy Madara Research EngineerSahith believes that, as we stand on the verge of the next frontier, it’s important for everybody to be educated about space and space technology. He’s passionate about learning and sharing his knowledge of the cosmos with everyone. Sahith works as a research engineer at the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology at the University of Sharjah. During his education at Amity University Dubai, Sahith was elected Vice President of the SAE International Chapter, Chair of the ASHRAE, and Head of Black Box Newsletter for the Aero-Club. He was the 1st person from the MENA region to be awarded the 2020 “20 under 35 honor” by the Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), USA. In 2020, Sahith was nominated for the Aleem Achievement Award for research innovation, and in 2019, he was awarded the Distinguished Speaker Award at the MBRSC – IEEE Young Professionals in Space Conference in Dubai. To date, Sahith has published over twenty-five research and review papers at various International peer-reviewed journals, presented 10 technical papers, and repeatedly received top awards at various international conferences around the globe. Sahith is committed to inspiring passion for space in the next generation, convinced that education is the most powerful tool we have to change the world for the better.

16. Artash Nath, Age 13, Canada

Founder / Inventor

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Artash Nath Founder InventorArtash has had a love for science and engineering from a young age. At 13, not even yet in highschool, he has already participated in over 35 hackathons and has been using sketches, experiments, and prototypes to try to answer questions on STEM and space. Artash was seven years old when he started making small electronics projects using motors, transistors, integrated circuits and LEDs. He picked up programming skills using MIT Scratch, and has moved to writing small programs using Arduino, making more complex projects and merging them with fascinations with space. Artash built his first autonomous rover at the age of eight for the 2014 NASA SpaceApps Challenge Toronto. Artash is a member of the Ontario Science Centre and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. He is the co-founder of the HotPopRobot.com initiative to bring the love of science, space, and technology to other students.

17. Emily Pattison, Age 20, United States

Founder / Filmmaker

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Emily Pattison Founder FilmmakerA student at Wellesley College, Emily has pursued an interdisciplinary major in Economics and Media Science and is incredibly excited to see what new media opportunities are created when technology is integrated. Emily recently worked as an intern on America’s #1 science and documentary show, NOVA at PBS, as a part of the “Polar Extremes: Antarctica” series, where she worked with Emmy-winning broadcasters and digital producers. Emily is also working to form a student production company with hopes of providing students with the opportunity to experience filmmaking and use storytelling to effect meaningful change. The first project Emily’s group is working on is a documentary about the struggles formerly incarcerated individuals face when trying to gain meaningful employment. This summer, Emily is interning at a global consulting firm that specializes in media and technology, and after graduating she plans to pursue her MBA. Her ultimate goal is to be a studio or network executive of a company that produces socially-minded content.

18. Audrey Pe, Age 18, Philippines

Founder / STEM Advocate

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Audrey Pe Founder STEM AdvocateAudrey knew she was passionate about coding and technology at a young age, but early on she also recognized the impacts of gender inequality and lack of accessibility within STEM fields. At fifteen, Audrey started a blog called WiTech, which stands for Women in Technology, where she conducted interviews and wrote features on women in tech in order to celebrate their achievements. WiTech eventually grew from a blog into an organization with a mission to educate, inspire, and empower youth to break gender barriers and use technology to make a difference in society. Since its creation, WiTech has hosted the first ever women in tech conference for students in the Philippines, curated tech talks centered around sustainable development goals, and launched an outreach program to teach high school students from war-torn Marawi basic programming skills. In addition to her work with WiTech, Audrey has presented at over 40 schools and events across the Philippines, Thailand and Portugal; spoke at the ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Carnival; and given two TEDx talks. Audrey will attend Stanford University in the fall. Her greatest goal is to provide every Filipino youth with access to technology, regardless of gender or socioeconomic status. Audrey’s call to young people is this: if you see something in your community that needs to be changed, don’t be afraid to step up and be that change.

19. Gia Ramos, Age 16, Puerto Rico

Founder / STEM Outreach

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Gia Ramos Founder STEM OutreachIn 2017, Gia designed her first mobile application called SNAPStroke, which she created to predict strokes in real-time and help people get treatment. For her innovation, she became the first-ever highschool freshman named the 2018 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing National Winner. Gia was also the first Puerto Rican to win the 2017 ProjectCSGIRLS National Award. In 2018, Gia founded her social enterprise, Girl Innovation, with a mission to close the gender gap in the tech fields. The program offers summer camps, workshops, and mentoring services which introduce girls to programming, robotics, and cybersecurity. For her initiative, Gia received the 2018 Puerto Rico Leadership Award in the Innovation & Technology category, the Puerto Rico Governor’s Medal for her contributions to society, and the Mayor of Gurabo medal for her leadership and entrepreneurial skills. She was also selected as a 2019 HERLead Fellow and a 2019 T-Mobile Changemaker. And, as if this 16-year-old wasn’t busy enough, Gia is the president of her school club, Girls Who Code, a team captain of her school’s VEX Robotics team, which was a finalist in the 2015 VEX Robotics Worlds Championship, and a mentor for girls in STEM. In the future, Gia dreams of becoming a biomedical engineer where she can use her technological skills in the healthcare industry and better people’s lives as a result.

20. Arunima Sen, Age 18, India

STEM Advocate

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Arunima Sen STEM AdvocateBecause of her parents’ jobs at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Arunima basically grew up in a space agency’s headquarters. Now, despite obstacles of gender discrimination, she is working toward being the first woman in her family to pursue a career in engineering. Arunima’s biggest accomplishment so far has been Homestead Green–a project aimed at solving some of the environmental challenges caused by rapid urban expansion in the last few decades. This work led Arunima to be awarded the United Technologies Future of Buildings and Cities Challenge, and she was selected among thousands of applicants as a 2020 Global Teen Leader. Arunima will begin college in the fall and is interested in studying several subjects, including engineering, environmental and urban studies, and physics. In the future, she envisions herself working to achieve the UN 2030 agendas, advocating for women’s rights, and fighting to increase the representation of girls and women in STEM.

21. Antonio Stark (KangSan Kim), Age 23, South Korea

Aerospace Engineer

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Antonio Stark Aerospace EngineerBetween reading about space elevators and watching string theory documentaries, Antonio became fascinated with how future societies would be changed through space technologies. What began for Antonio as a hobby in aerospace engineering became a career in space policy. Antonio’s most famous project is the “space toilet,” which is a toilet that works in microgravity and can be operated without electricity. His invention won the grand prize at the Conrad Challenge, and now he serves as a member of the Alumni Leadership Committee. Antonio is also involved with the Space Generation Advisory Council, where he works in regional event management and public relations, as well as with the National Space Society. Additionally, he’s been the National Coordinator for the World Space Week Association, a space policy lobbyist for the Alliance for Space Development, a Co-Director for Yuri’s Night Bay Area, and a judge for the NASA Space Apps Challenge. Right now, Antonio is working on a series of academic papers and is hoping to do his postgraduate studies in international policy, strategy, or business management.

22. Piotr Torchala, Age 23, Poland

Founder / Space Outreach

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Piotr Torchala Founder Space OutreachGrowing up, Piotr worked with everything from remote-controlled cars to motorcycles. These days, he’s upgraded to more sophisticated projects, like working on the Mars Rover. Piotr is the co-founder of the Innspace group, a collective gathering of people from various universities in Poland who take part in competitions related to space, particularly Mars. The group organizes lectures and workshops, and its members will be presenting their recent publications at the SpaceOps 2020 conference in CapeTown. Piotr is currently working on his master’s thesis on the research of industrial robot work. After completing his master’s, Piotr wants to head his own start-up and focus on furthering the development of technology that will accomplish easy and cheap removal of debris from the orbit of the earth.

23. Bianca Vasquez, Age 22, United States

Founder / Space Outreach

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Bianca Vasquez Founder Space OutreachBianca’s philosophy has been to follow her heart but be guided by her head, and that combination has brought her to some pretty remarkable places. She was a part of the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program. Bianca is also the founder of the Society of Women in Space Exploration (SWISE), an international organization that promotes women and diversity in the world of space exploration. Bianca founded SWISE with hopes of highlighting women of the past, present and future in space, encouraging more dialogue about equality and inclusion, and promoting leadership opportunities for college students in their community. Bianca is also working with a team at the University of California, Santa Barbara, on building an atmospheric water generator (AWG), a device that takes water vapor from the atmosphere and condenses it into potable water.

24. Sobina Yu, Age 19, Philippines

Founder / Space Advocate

Mars Generation STEM awards 2020 Sobina Yu Founder Space AdvocateSobina says that part of the beauty of STEAM is striving to give explanations to the mysteries of the world we live in. One of the ways Sobina has been able to do that is through her non-profit, the Judenite’s Astronomical Organization (JAO), which is the official astronomical organization of Saint Jude Catholic School, where Sobina attended. Through JAO, Sobina organized various conferences, free telescope viewings, and stargazing trips, all with the goal of promoting astronomy in the Filipino community. Sobina is also the founder of The Cosmic Wonderer, an online platform used for sharing the stories of young aspiring astronauts and astronomers worldwide, and showing what they are doing to achieve their dreams. Sobina is passionate about empowering young people and providing quality education to marginalized sectors in the Philippines through book drives, educational sponsors, and community outreach. As a current undergraduate student, Sobina is studying French, and plans to take SCUBA diving classes and pursue her pilot’s license. Her goal is to get her masters degree in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics. Sobina’s long-term aspirations range from being a STEM researcher to modeling and studying art, while also dreaming of being an astronaut. Whatever she does, Sobina knows she wants to keep contributing new knowledge to the world of space and STEM.

 

About The Mars Generation

The Mars Generation is a volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an advisory board that includes astronauts, engineers, scientists, and professionals from the nonprofit and business communities. Reaching millions of people since 2015, the organization has served students and adults from around the world through multiple programs, including the Student Space Ambassador Program, Future of Space Outreach Program, and Space Camp Scholarship Program. The Mars Generation is supported by private donors, members, influencer work, and major corporate sponsors. Through an innovative approach of leveraging new media technology and providing engaging content and programs, the organization aims to excite and educate students and adults about the importance of human space exploration and STEAM education to the future of humankind.

For more information on The Mars Generation, go to: TheMarsGeneration.org

 

About Aerojet Rocketdyne

Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion systems and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, and tactical systems areas, in support of domestic and international customers. For more information, visit www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com. Follow Aerojet Rocketdyne and CEO Eileen Drake on Twitter at @AerojetRdyne and @DrakeEileen.

The post PRESS RELEASE: The Mars Generation Announces 24 Under 24 Leaders and Innovators in STEAM and Space Award Winners for 2020 appeared first on The Mars Generation®.


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