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Student wins out of this world prize in space competition

Published: 8 August 2022
Eleanor received a £2000 cash prize
Eleanor Stanton pitching her idea to industry experts at the Harwell Space Cluster, Oxfordshire

A student from the University of Southampton has won £2,000 in a UK Space Agency competition, to develop the idea of using satellite data in an interactive app, to help people be more energy efficient.

Eleanor Stanton, an MSc Oceanography student from the School of Ocean and Earth Science, received the runner-up cash prize in the national SatelLife competition last month.

She will now get the opportunity to develop her idea with industry experts.

Eleanor said: “Receiving this news was incredibly exciting.

“My idea was inspired by the current energy and climate crises, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to develop it further and hopefully make a real difference.”

Eleanor’s idea involves creating an app that uses satellite data from a range of sources, including small modular reactors and meteorological satellites. If successful, she hopes it will help people monitor where their energy is coming from, learn more about renewable energy and nuclear energy, and encourage conservation.

Eleanor added: “I'd love to work with energy companies to bring this app to life and help develop an eco-friendly solution to our energy needs, and the opportunity to work alongside the space sector to achieve this is an absolute dream.”

Now in its fifth year, the ‘SatelLife Competition’ awards young people a share of £50,000 for the best ideas on how data collected from space could be used to benefit daily life.

This year’s judging panel was made up of experts including industry representatives, the UK Space Agency, Satellite Applications Catapult and European Space Agency.

Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “It is fantastic to see young people so passionate about using space tech to improve our lives and my congratulations go to Eleanor.

“It is this imagination and creativity that will ensure the UK space sector continues to grow.”

 

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