Post by Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence & Aerospace Centre

The April 2026 Young Women in Aerospace & Defence Program, delivered by the Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence & Aerospace Centre, was the first program of the year and another outstanding success, with two more programs to follow in 2026. Now in its third year, the program continues to grow in both scale and impact. Developed in 2023 by Jo Zimpel Ph.D., it has evolved into a flagship initiative within RMIT's STEM College, with more than 400 applications received for this most recent intake. Across four days, participants engaged in hands-on learning experiences including Python, CAD, and rover design and programming, tackling challenges that fostered creative problem-solving, confidence, and teamwork. A sincere thank you to Teagan G., Program Event Coordinator, for delivering an exceptionally well-executed program and ensuring a seamless experience for all involved. We are also grateful to our industry and academic contributors: - Director and Aerospace Engineer Cameron Devries, MBA, GAICD, Textron Systems Australia, for offering students direct insight into real-world aerospace and defence applications. - Dr Patrick Taylor, RMIT AWS Cloud Supercomputing Hub, for sharing his work and career journey - Professor Sebastian Sardina and Dr. Timothy Wiley, RMIT Data Science & Intelligence, for delivering an immersive robotics and coding workshop - Dr Ian Peake, RMIT Digital Innovation (VX Lab), for showcasing cutting-edge technologies including simulation, AI, and mixed reality environments - RMIT Motorsport Team, whose student facilitators played a key role in creating an engaging and memorable experience for participants Programs like this are made possible through strong collaboration between industry, academia, and passionate educators. The Centre looks forward to continuing this work and inspiring the next generation of women in aerospace and defence. #WomenInSTEM #Aerospace #Defence #RMIT #STEMeducation

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