The founder of Robinson Aerospace was selected during a ceremony in Adelaide for helping students make sense of textbook maths and science by bringing real-world engineering into classrooms.
“Edward developed a passion for space in high school and set about building his own rocket. Soon after starting an electrical and mechatronic engineering degree, he began to see how the equations he was learning in textbooks could actually apply in real life. He thought others might benefit from practical, hands-on experiences too,” said a public statement from the Australian of the Year Awards.
“So, in 2022, he founded his company Robinson Aerospace, which manufactures an educational satellite kit called RASCube that enables students to build a functional satellite replica, collect live data and run experiments.
“He has delivered more than 1,700 space education kits to over 200 schools in 18 countries, allowing tens of thousands of students to design and analyse genuine space systems.
“In his programs, students develop the same problem-solving, teamwork and technical skills used by professional engineers, making advanced STEM education accessible, regardless of a school’s location or resources.”
Other 2027 Australian of the Year Award recipients for South Australia included Dr Fariba Behnia-Willison (2027 Australian of the Year for South Australia), Dr Roger Hunt (2027 Senior Australian of the Year for South Australia), and Neil Davis (2027 Local Hero for South Australia).
The South Australian award recipients will join those from all other states and territories for the national awards, to be announced on the evening of 25 January 2027 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council CEO Carrie Leeson congratulated the South Australian award recipients.
“Our South Australian recipients are a truly inspiring group of people ... Edward is bringing space to young people all over the world,” Leeson said.
The awards also farewelled 2026 South Australians of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Mac Benoy, James Currie, Chloe Wyatt-Jasper and Ayesha Safdar.
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