Lana’s out of this world experience
A Stonelaw High School pupil is meeting with astronauts and scientists on a space programme after embarking on the journey of a lifetime.
Lana Duncan is among 10 talented school students who travelled to NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, on October 14.
The pupils, from schools around Scotland, earned their places on the trip after attending the Space School, a week- long residential event at the University of Strathclyde aimed at inspiring young people to consider careers in engineering.
Lana, who has a passion for maths and science subjects, has a rare opportunity to meet astronauts, engineers and scientists working on the space programme.
She said: “The Space School motivated me to seriously consider the possibility of studying engineering and the wide variety of options that this would open up to me.
“Having the opportunity to travel to Houston and meet inspirational people who are from the same field of work that I hope to be in one day is incredible and will aid me in making my career choice.“
First held in 2004, the Scottish Space School at Strathclyde has been attended by more than 1300 secondary pupils, more than half of whom have gone on to work in engineering, science and technology.
Gordon McVie, outreach coordinator with Strathclyde’s faculty of engineering, said: “The Scottish Space School has been attended by many young people who have since progressed to successful careers with links to their experiences with us.
“The trip to Houston is a fantastic opportunity for this year’s pupils to see for themselves some of the world’s leading professionals in science and engineering. They showed great promise at the Space School and will be shown the vast range of possible careers open to them.”
For further information on the space programme, please visit: http://www. strath.ac.uk/space/