Southland Girls High School year 12 student Sophie Ineson is this year’s recipient of the Prime Minister’s Space Prize for student endeavour and will receive $50,000 to support her tertiary education, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds says.

“This is a wonderful achievement. Congratulations to Sophie – she has done herself, and Invercargill and Southland proud.

“I have followed Sophie’s endeavours over several years and have been impressed with her passion for all things related to Space and Science.

“This prize is a huge accolade. It’s a recognition of her wonderful talent, but also a reflection on her education right here in the South.

“It’s incredible that this award has come to Invercargill and it should inspire all local students to aspire to be leaders in their field.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Sophie’s innovative research, “exploring how Southland’s natural materials could enhance wound care for astronauts, is highly impressive.”

“This kind of forward-thinking not only holds promise for space exploration but also for the future of healthcare on Earth.”

Sophie’s project focused on an important challenge: how wounds heal in space?

Sophie designed ways to prevent infection in the context of microgravity, low pressure, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and lunar dust.

She considered both medical and engineering concepts which will be essential to space exploration and targeted the goal of developing new wound dressings for future Artemis missions. She designed an approach that incorporated natural materials from Southland.

“The Prime Minister’s Award panel members were impressed with Sophie’s initiative, determination, and critical thinking, and the sheer amount of testing she managed to complete and analyse.

“The Government sees it as crucial to celebrate the achievements of people like Sophie, as we continue to position New Zealand as a leader in the global space industry,” Mrs Simmonds says