Flinders PhD candidate in cultural studies and creative writing Bronwyn Lovell has been awarded the Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith Fund scholarship to attend the 2019 Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program in Adelaide.

The writer, researcher and award-winning poet who specialises in science fiction poetry is writing her PhD thesis on depictions of women in space narratives. She believes there is something revealing about the way women are represented in fictional and non-fictional space narratives, and she wants to identify the extent of gender exclusion in the space industry.

“Attending the International Space University Space Studies Summer Program will assist me to write realistically about humans in space, and to share the things I learn with readers in a way that is enlightening and engaging,” says Ms Lovell. “As a female poet writing specifically about women in space, I believe that my creative engagement with the concept of space exploration will offer a unique cross-disciplinary perspective for other course participants, which will make a positive and diverse contribution to the group.

“With the increased focus on achieving equality for women in STEM fields, this analysis is timely and urgent.”

The 2019 Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program is a five-week, live-in experience being conducted in Adelaide between 14 January and 15 February 2019.