On Passion, Grit, and Space Biology as a Pathway to Interplanetary Sustainability: An Interview with Sarah Kessans Artwork

SpaceBase Podcast

SpaceBase is a social enterprise who's mission is to democratize access to space through education, entrepreneurship and community building starting in New Zealand. This podcast is dedicated to creating the journey from space enthusiast to space entrepreneurs through insightful interviews with aerospace specialists, investors, and entrepreneurs sharing their experience and knowledge of the space industry, and their personal journeys.To support the podcast, please consider becoming a patron.Since its incorporation in 2017, SpaceBase has collaborated with economic development agencies, local and national governments, and advocacy groups to deliver over 100 educational presentations and workshops, national space and aerospace competitions, as well as helping birth space communities and organizations locally and globally. SpaceBase also assists in technical due diligence, consulting projects for investors, industry stakeholders, and space startups. SpaceBase created a platform for the NZ Aerospace Directory and a free course, Catalysing a Space Industry in Your Region, for anyone interested in creating a local space industry. Recently, it delivered the Space for Planet Earth Challenge competition for the Pacific region in partnership with satellite company Planet.

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On Passion, Grit, and Space Biology as a Pathway to Interplanetary Sustainability: An Interview with Sarah Kessans

May 01, 2020 • Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom • Episode 11

An interview with Dr. Sarah Kessans, a US-born New Zealand scientist and biochemist, a multi-national champion in rowing and was in the top 50 applicants—out of over 18,000—in the NASA's 2017 Astronaut Candidate Selection.

She’s earned degrees in plant and molecular biologies, worked on a plant-based HIV vaccine, and is now working at the cutting edge of synthetic biology solutions to combat climate change, facilitate space settlements, and advance innovations in medicine and agriculture. Most recently, she got a $500,000 Catalyst grant from MBIE to support her proposal to develop nanosatellites for protein crystallisation over the next three years.

In this interview, she talks about her passion for biology and adventure, both of which have yielded incredible experiences. She talks about her perspectives on how biology can create humanity's sustainable pathway to future space settlements and how her work can lead to a thriving space synthetic biology research hub in the region.

For more info on Sarah:
Linkedin
University of Canterbury

Her resource recommendations:
NASA.gov
The Martian by Andy Weir

Hostd by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder, SpaceBase
Music: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)

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