Researching the heat transfer in space vehicles and metal combustion has earnt two University of Queensland engineering students international scholarships.
Bianca Capra, 23, from Yerongpilly, and Terese Suvorovs, 23 from Everton Hills, have each been awarded Amelia Earhart Fellowships worth more than $8000 from womens’ service club Zonta International.
Amelia Earhart was a famous aviator who was the first woman - and second person - to fly solo over the Atlantic but disappeared in 1937 while trying to fly around the world.
Zonta has been awarding Earhart fellowships since 1938, encouraging women to enter traditionally male-dominated arenas such as aerospace sciences and engineering,
Ms Capra, who is finishing a PhD in hypersonics, has been testing the heat transfer of re-entry vehicles and is developing a gauge to measure the radiative heat transfer in the atmosphere of Titan – one of Saturn’s 28 known moons.
She is working on a 28mm model of the Apollo re-entry vehicle and testing it in X1, one of three test tunnels under the Hawken Engineering building.
“It’s a really good scholarship to get and is quite tough to get. I was very excited about receiving this award,” Ms Capra said.
Miss Suvorovs is trying to improve the understanding of metals combustion and fire safety in oxygen systems in diving gear, operating theatres and in industrial and air and spacecraft systems.
“The misuse of oxygen, particularly in applications involving high concentrations or pressures, has led to numerous, sometimes fatal, incidents,” Miss Suvorovs said.
“My research will provide a better understanding of the compatibility of metallic materials with oxygen and increase awareness of the potential hazards associated with oxygen use.
“I am delighted to be receiving the Amelia Earhart Fellowship and the money will contribute greatly towards research equipment that will improve the quality of my work.”
After finishing her PhD, she hopes to work in the United States, possibly with NASA.
The pair will be presented with their scholarships at a Zonta Club breakfast in Brisbane in September.
The scholarship award may be used for tuition, books, fees and living expenses at any university or college offering accredited degrees in aerospace studies.
UQ engineers Susan Anderson, Amanda Edwards and Charlotte Higgins have previously won Amelia Earhart Fellowships.
For more information contact Miss Suvorovs (phone: 0403 991 597, email: t.suvorovs@uq.edu.au), Ms Capra (phone: 0402 314 292, email: b.capra@uq.edu.au) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (phone: 07 3365 2619, email: m.holland@uq.edu.au)
