About the event

Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shoot for the moon and meet real-life astronaut, Dr. Kate Rubins!

STEMFest/STEM Wana Trust are excited to be partnering with NASA to host Kate for her first touch down in Aotearoa New Zealand as we embark on this STEM in the Community initiative for a tour across the central North Island.

As the final stop on this tour, we are hosting an A night in with NASA Astronaut extravaganza from 6pm - 10pm, Tuesday 10th January.

We're inviting you and your whānau to join us for some family fun - activities include a gravity visualiser, interactive astronomy displays, water rocket launching (weather dependent) and face painting. There will also be popcorn and candy-floss available to grab as the night goes on, so bring some pocket money.

Taking the stage at 7:30pm, Dr. Kate Rubins will share an inspiring story about her exciting career and experiences from space before she is joined by a panel of women in tech and aerospace to talk and take questions from the audience.

Featuring special guests:

Dr. Sarah Kessans – Biochemist and senior lecturer from University of Canterbury’s School of Product Design.
Kate Breach – Aerospace engineer and President of Women in Space Aotearoa NZ.
Emma Comrie-Thomson – Environmental management specialist and Team Lead for regulatory compliance and environmental innovation at Rocket Lab.

Before the night ends, drop by for your meet and greet opportunity where you can get up close and grab a photo with a NASA astronaut!

Suitable for all ages and members of the whānau, we can't wait to see you there for this magical evening.

Registration is required so make sure you get your free tickets today!

NOTE: Tauranga Boys' College is an alcohol-free zone and there is no vaping while on the event site.

About NASA Astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins

Kathleen Rubins was selected by NASA in 2009. Rubins completed her first spaceflight on Expedition 48/49, where she became the first person to sequence DNA in space. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of California and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford University Medical School Biochemistry Department and Microbiology and Immunology Department.

Dr. Rubins conducted her undergraduate research on HIV-1 integration in the Infectious Diseases Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. She worked as a Fellow/Principal Investigator at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and headed 14 researchers studying viral diseases that primarily affect Central and West Africa.

Rubins most recently served aboard the International Space Station as flight engineer for Expedition 63/64. Across her two flights, she has spent a total of 300 days in space, the fourth most days in space by a U.S. female astronaut.

She was born in 1978 in Farmington, Connecticut, and raised in Napa, California. She enjoys running, cycling, swimming, flying, scuba diving and reading.

Funders and Sponsors

This tour forms part of Tauranga STEM Festival (STEMFest) 2022. With thanks to headline sponsor Manawa Energy, funders Tourism Bay of Plenty and Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund and other sponsors for their support to ensure that these events are free to attend.