This week, academics from the Faculty of STEM are celebrating Space Science at the OU by supporting the UK Space Conference 2017. In addition, they are eagerly awaiting the Centenary Sir Arthur Clarke Awards Ceremony, for which the OU has been shortlisted for two categories.
Space Achievement – Academic Study/Research
The Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI) has been shortlisted for this Award, which recognises “outstanding achievements in space research.” Nominated by Professor of Planetary Sciences, Ian Wright, the CEI develops imaging sensors for space missions, and has supported ESA and NASA on projects such as Athena, Gaia, and SMILE. Since it was established in 2004, the CEI, which is led by Professor of Electro-Optics, Andrew Holland, has trained 20 PhD students, with 90% of them starting a career in aerospace industry or space science research.
Space Achievement – Student
Research Student at the School of Physical Sciences, Nathan Bush, has been shortlisted for research on the effects of radiation damage on EM-CCD sensors. This technology will be used by NASA on the Wide-Field Infra-Red Survey Telescope (WFIRST), which is due to launch mid-2020s. As the EM-CCD sensors are developed in the UK, this will bring in valuable funding to the UK Space Sector. Nathan has also ensured that the UK is represented on the WFIRST science team.
