mini传媒

Photo caption:听UC PhD candidates Felix Goddard (left) and Jack Patterson (right) are interning with NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | University of mini传媒 (UC) PhD candidates Felix Goddard and Jack Patterson are working alongside scientists and engineers involved in world-leading NASA missions during their prestigious three-month internship at . Both were awarded New Zealand Space Agency Scholarships in early June by Space Minister Honourable Judith Collins KC, along with five other students from universities.听

Goddard is completing a PhD in Physics with a focus on atmospheric and climate sciences. 鈥淎t first glance, my PhD seems pretty disconnected from the work at JPL, but satellite technology is vitally important for Earth observation and NASA has a whole series of satellites and instruments that have provided crucial data for studying the atmosphere,鈥� he says.听听

He is uncovering new ways to understand airborne particles and their impact on our climate. As part of an international project using the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro Radiometer (MISR) aboard NASA鈥檚 Terra satellite, Goddard is analysing images to better detect and understand atmospheric particles like dust and smoke. His day-to-day work involves developing computer code to process vast amounts of satellite data.听听

鈥淚n every other room there's someone else who has an insane story about some project they worked on that pushed the bounds of science or technology. It reminds you that it's just people achieving all of these incredible things,鈥� Goddard says.听听

鈥淔elix and Jack鈥檚 internships at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory are an outstanding achievement that reflects the calibre of students we鈥檙e nurturing at UC,鈥� says听Professor Stuart Parsons, UC Amo Matua | Executive Dean Science. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not only excelling academically but contributing to global science and innovation.

鈥淣ew Zealand鈥檚 space sector needs scientific minds who can analyse complex data, model climate systems, and develop intelligent technologies. Degrees in physics, computer science, and aerospace engineering at UC provide that vital foundation.

鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to building New Zealand鈥檚 capability in space and climate science. Through strong research, partnerships, and real-world learning, UC students are helping shape the future of this growing sector.鈥�

Fellow student Jack Patterson is completing a PhD in Computer Science focusing on exploring deep learning听techniques to tackle challenges involved in surveying and characterising the outer solar system.

鈥淭his project at JPL has given me the opportunity to get hands-on experience building machine learning pipelines in a new (to me) application area: autonomous robotics,鈥� Patterson says.

鈥淭he work I'm doing with anomaly detection aligns closely with my PhD research, as both involve identifying rare or unexpected patterns in complex, high-dimensional data streams, whether from spacecraft systems or astronomical observations.

鈥淚t's inspiring to see engineers, scientists, and researchers from completely different backgrounds working together seamlessly towards common goals. The scale and ambition of the missions, combined with the trust placed in early-career researchers to contribute meaningfully, has been incredibly motivating.鈥�