Now the project revealing her research has won Southland Girls’ High School student Sophie Ineson, 17, the Prime Minister’s (PM) Space Prize for Student Endeavour.
The year 12 student was presented with the $50,000 prize by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister of Space Judith Collins at Parliament on Monday night.
Sophie said she was researching a topic to enter into the NZAS Southland Science and Technology Fair earlier this year.
"I knew I wanted to do a project about space, because that’s where my interests lie and I feel it’s easy to do a project on something that you’re passionate about."
In the process she learned that wounds heal slower in space because of microgravity, which reduces the rate that tissues repair themselves, increasing the risk of infection.
"So even small cuts, like a paper cut, can lead to a serious problem in space, due to reduced oxygen delivery to wounds, impaired immune systems and slower cell regrowth," Sophie said.
She decided to design a wound covering that would help the healing process but be easy to use in the extreme conditions of space.
It could not be like the dressings people usually covered cuts and wounds with, she said.
"It had to be sustainable enough that it could last for a long period of time and not create a lot of waste, due to payload limits."
After more research, she settled on the idea of using a jelly-like dressing that had wound-healing properties.
She made four hydrogel dressing prototypes and tested them on apple skin.
The top-performing prototype used an ingredient grown in Southland.
"My best prototype has hempseed oil from a Southland business, Hopefield Hemp, and ... cytosine, which are both really beneficial for wound healing benefits."
Sophie said she had been interested in science since primary school and had chosen to attend Southland Girls’ because of its science programme.
She was grateful for the support teachers, including science department head Brenda Goodwill, had given her and for encouraging her to enter the PM prize.
She enjoyed experimenting to find out how things worked and to find solutions, Sophie said.
"You’re using knowledge and creativity to solve problems in ways that hopefully have positive impacts now and in the future."
Her grandmother, who lived at Ocean Beach and enjoyed watching the International Space Station in the night sky, had helped awaken her interest in space, she said.
"She sort of encouraged me to go out and watch it with her some nights and that’s sort of where it led me."
She had also learned dance since she was a 4-year-old.
"The creativity I have learnt from dance, but also the persistence required to work hard towards a goal and work through challenges, has been a big part of my world."
When she was in year 7, she won television’s Fair Go Consumer Heroes competition for her project about getting more women into space and had won the New Zealand Space Agency’s Nasa Scientist for a Day essay competition twice.
She started the InnovateHer club at school this year to promote science in the school.
"I want to encourage the girls at my school to be involved in science, and make the people of Southland proud."
On the day she was telephoned about the win she nearly did not answer the call as it was from a number she did not know.
She was "quite overwhelmed" but "very pleased" to hear the news.
"I didn’t really know what to say."
After completing her last year at school she planned to go to university and study psychology and neuroscience, she said.
"I want to look at the psychological and neurological factors that affect people in space.
"In the medical context, aspects like pain and discomfort from slow-healing wounds would impact the ability of astronauts to perform missions by reducing morale and affecting overall crew performance."
Mr Luxon said Sophie’s research exploring how Southland’s natural materials could enhance wound care for astronauts was very impressive.
"This kind of forward thinking not only holds promise for space exploration but also for the future of healthcare on Earth."
Co-chairs of the judging panel Auckland University of Technology’s Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research founder Prof Sergei Gulyaev and University of Auckland professor Kathleen Campbell said the panel were impressed by the methodology Sophie developed and the amount of testing she did.
The project was independently completed and well thought-out, the panel said.
"It combines biomedical knowledge with engineering design and shows clear commitment.
"The work is a solid proof of concept with real potential for both space missions and healthcare on Earth."
