ARCAA-QUT postgraduate student Onvaree Techakesari was recently awarded one of the prestigious Zonta Amelia Earhart fellowships.
As a recipient, she will be awarded US$10,000 as a result of her achievements in aerospace-related engineering.
Ms Techakesari graduated from QUT in 2008 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace Avionics).
She is currently completing a PhD in the research areas of multiple model target tracking and air traffic separation management at the Australian Reseach Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA).
“My research project investigates the use of advanced decision technology in air traffic control and estimation,” she said.
“The research is motivated by the fact that the operations of air traffic management are moving towards automation to improve system performance while maintaining high levels of safety.”
Ms Techakesari says that she is honored to be associated with the famous pilot Amelia Earhart.
“This fellowship not only help me financially with my PhD project, but also becoming an Amelia Earhart Fellow gives me a great support mentally to achieve my research and professional goals,” she said.
“It’s great to know that my capabilities, research interests and project are actually worthy of such a prestigious award.”
Dr Jason Ford, a QUT lecturer from the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering, who is also one of her research supervisors, is obviously proud of her achievement.
“In my opinion, she won because she did well at university, she is very dedicated, and she is very hard working at what she does,” he said.
The fellowship program is run by Zonta International, an international organisation aimed at advancing the status of women all over the world.
The Amelia Earhart Fellowships are awarded each year to women around the world who are currently completing PhD/doctoral degrees in aerospace-related sciences and aerospace-related engineering.
Since the program began in 1938, Zonta International has awarded 1,297 fellowships to women from 64 different countries.
By Lauren Furey
