Space 102 Shetland’s Annual Space Conference

UHI Shetland, in partnership with Saxavord UK Spaceport, are hosting Shetland ‘Space 102 Day’ on Saturday 04 February at the Scalloway Campus, Port Arthur. Shetland Space 102 Day is an opportunity for people across Shetland, and beyond, to learn more about space and what it means for the Shetland community. This event will have a specific focus on women working in the sector and their experiences.

This community event will see talks on a range of space-related topics will run throughout the day, some in person at the Scalloway Campus at Port Arthur. All talks will be streamed on both UHI Shetland and Saxavord Spaceport’s social medias to allow interaction and to be accessible to as many members of the community as possible.

The talks include a panel with astronauts from America, and an-person lecture and visit from the Executive Director of Space Scotland.

· Saxavord UK Spaceport representatives discussing the future of space in Shetland, with an emphasis on women in STEM and Space.

· Space+ and Uplift Aersopace discussing the dynamic world of space through web3 space program development and a metaverse demonstration.

· Astronaut Panel with Sydney Hamilton and Joan Melendez-Misner. Ms Melendez-Misner is an Integration Engineer at NASA working on space and asteroid planetary defence missions. Ms Hamilton is a rocket scientist with Boeing, and the first African-American to win the Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Promise Award.

· Dr Hina Khan, Executive Director of Space Scotland, will deliver the keynote speech about the journey to space, and working, living and playing in the space industry.

As well as the programme of talks, some activities will also be available at UHI Shetland’s Scalloway Campus. Including:

· Bookbug at 10am with Shetland Library

· A ‘Kids in Space’ play area

· UHI Shetland offering activities for ages P7-S4 to allow young people to find out more about Space.

· Business Development session at 14:00 with Space+ for local industries interested in finding out more about metaverse, web3 and how it can be utilised by companies

Professor Jane Lewis, Principal and CEO of UHI Shetland: “UHI Shetland are delighted to work with Saxavord Spaceport to promote women in STEM in Shetland, and to showcase the opportunities in Shetland for the future of space learning and development”.

Dr Mason Robbins, Education and Innovation manager, Saxavord Spaceport said "We are thrilled to host a group of accomplished space professionals and astronauts who are dedicated to promoting women in STEM. Their visit serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and we look forward to their inspiring message of encouragement for future generations of female leaders in space."