Meet the rising star who has just taken one step further to exploring outer space. Tully Mahr is a Gundungurra woman studying a Master of Mechanical Engineering, specialising in aerospace, at the University of Melbourne. Her career recently launched into the stratosphere with a 10-week internship at NASA in the United States.
She was chosen as one of five First Nations students - the first ever cohort to partner with a scientist or engineer mentor at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.
Growing up surrounded by aircraft, Tully became curious about the way mechanics shaped and made progressions in the modern world. It was this passion combined with her enjoyment of the cognitive processes of problem-solving that led her to pursue Mechanical Engineering.
Working at a space agency has always been her ultimate career aspiration, so she was thrilled to be given this chance to fulfil her dream.
“I’m excited to be part of the program, which gives me the opportunity to continue to advocate for careers in STEM for Indigenous Australians, something I am very passionate about. It is a lifelong network that I will carry with me into the future,” she said on being granted her internship. Tully was selected as one of the first five students to qualify for the National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA), led by Professor Chris Lawrence and Associate Dean (Indigenous) with the support of the Australian Space Agency. The program paves the way for First Nations STEM students across Australia to intern at NASA and provides rich learning and research across space missions, rovers, robotics for unexplored ocean worlds, robot perception control, AI and path planning.
I envision a future where my work not only contributes to the fields of space exploration but also serves as a bridge, bringing together modern scientific techniques, engineering innovations, and the rich, often untapped traditional Indigenous knowledges.
During her NASA internship, Tully was part of the Origins and Habitability Laboratory within the Planetary Science Division. Her project, exploring compositional gradients in hydrothermal chimney systems, not only demonstrated her engineering prowess but showcased the interdisciplinary nature of her work, bridging the gaps between engineering and astrobiology. She and her fellow interns were mentored by JPL’s employee resource group, Native Engagement in Building a Unified Leadership Alliance (NEBULA). It strives to offer a safe space for guidance, support, mentorship, networking, outreach, and celebrating Indigenous culture to increase inclusivity at the Jet Propulsion Lab.
“My mentors at JPL provided guidance not just on the technical aspects of my project, but also on broader professional and life skills. The chance to interact daily with NASA's scientists and engineers was an extraordinary aspect of the internship. The combination of rigorous scientific work, invaluable mentorship, and the welcoming community at JPL made my internship a truly unforgettable chapter in my career,” she said.
As a passionate advocate for Indigenous Australians pursuing STEM careers, Tully has formed a unique approach to her work through the application of Indigenous insights. First Nations people have the deepest and oldest connections with our lands and skies. She believes this knowledge can be harnessed and learnt from to inform engineering research and innovations.
“Indigenous perspectives and methodologies offer a wealth of insight, particularly in understanding and interacting with our natural world. These knowledge systems provide unique viewpoints and approaches that are often overlooked in mainstream research. My goal is to be at the forefront of merging these three distinct yet complementary areas: science, engineering and Indigenous knowledge. Once I complete my master's degree, I hope to pursue a PhD that focuses on this intersection.”
An inspiration to her fellow students, Dean of the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Engineering and IT Professor Mark Cassidy congratulated her on the internship.
“We are absolutely thrilled for Tully – she is a trailblazer for diversity in STEM and the world would benefit more from talented people like her. It is incredible that we are able to empower our Indigenous youth to learn from the best in the world so we can nurture Australian capabilities in space research, and ultimately it would be great to see NISA produce the world’s first Aboriginal astronaut,” he said.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is responsible for some of the most famous space missions of all time. It was the first to capture an image of that little blue dot we now easily recognise as Earth. A leader in robotic space exploration since 1958, it has been sending rovers, probes and satellites into the farthest reaches of the solar systems to advance understanding of our home planet. Tully said the opportunity to learn from NASA’s JPL scientists was nothing short of a life-changing experience and has further propelled her to realise her ambitions.