Bede’s Upper Sixth pupil, Ellie Abel, has been invited to the IAC (International Astronautical Congress) in Paris later this month, following her success at this year’s ISSDC (International Space Settlement Design Competition) which was held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center this summer.
Ellie was approached by Kevin Simmonds, the CEO of Bluecube Aerospace, who invited her to the conference. Bluecube Aerospace provide incredible opportunities for pupils aged 10 to 18 to design, build, test and fly CubeSats (miniaturised satellites) before they reach university. Ellie is currently taking part of some incredible Bluecube Aerospace large-scale space projects including building a Lunar Rover for 2025, and creating a satellite for bacteria that can digest non-biodegradable plastic and seeing how it handles a low-earth orbit.
When asked about the conference itself, Ellie says, “I am really looking forward to it! It will be a fantastic networking opportunity. I am hoping to gain some inspiration on presenting to people at a conference as this is something that hopefully may be in my near future.” Ellie is hoping that the conference will grant her the chance to connect with professionals who may be offering some material science opportunities. She says, “On top of my ongoing projects with Bluecube Aerospace, I aspire to partake in a number of projects that I can apply my knowledge to. I would love to gain internship opportunities with some experienced professionals.”
Alongside these fantastic opportunities outside of school, Ellie is also focused on studying for her A Levels. When asked about balancing her schoolwork and making time for all of the external projects she is working on, she said, “It can be very difficult. You have to prioritise tasks. What I like to do is create lots of lists and calendars in order of priority. If some things do not get done, I will push them to next month, rearrange them, or (if I can) leave them for a different time.”
Bede’s have been extremely supportive of Ellie’s success outside of the classroom and are continuing to work with her on balancing her studies. “Bede’s have helped me dramatically, simply because I was not even interested in Science before Year 10. I had an operation, which meant I was out of school for six months so I had to shift my focus to academics. Bede’s provided me with opportunities like the UK Space Design Competition and the Chemistry Founders’ Festival, as well as STEM-based extra-curricular activities, and opened my eyes to a side of academics that I had not seen before.” As a result of her new-found passion for Science, alongside her teachers’ encouragement, Ellie decided that she wanted to pursue a career in Science. “Bede’s have provided me the opportunity to gain qualifications I need to make my CV stand out – including competitions and opportunities for work experience.”
This is just the start for 17-year-old Ellie Abel, who is confident that one day she will be back at Bede’s, inspiring younger pupils, specifically girls, to get involved in Science and Engineering. “My hopes for the future are to be a part of a programme which might involve aerospace engineering from a structural, material science aspect. Or I would love to be an F1 engineer! Ultimately I would love to come back to Bede’s, tell my story, and inspire young people like myself because there is a distinct lack of exposure for aerospace and engineering opportunities for people of my age.”
Bill Richards, Maths Teacher at Bede’s, who also runs the UK Space Design Challenge and chairs Galactic Challenge is extremely proud of Ellie’s progress. He comments, “Ellie is certainly our most successful student to have participated in the UK Space Design Competition (UKSDC). She was in Year 10 she was selected to go to NASA to compete in the international Final (ISSDC), only for Covid to mean that it was switched to an online event, so I was thrilled when she was selected to travel to the in-person event this summer. To say that she made the most of her opportunity would be a huge understatement and I am delighted that her talents were recognised and that she has been invited to get involved in the CubeSat project.”
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