成人大片

Astronaut Andy Thomas receives honorary degree

NASA astronaut and 成人大片 graduate Dr Andrew Thomas
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NASA astronaut and 成人大片 graduate Dr Andrew Thomas
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Wednesday, 20 December 2006

The 成人大片 will tomorrow present one of its greatest graduates, astronaut , with an honorary doctorate in recognition of his outstanding achievements.

At the University's last graduation ceremony for the year (2.30pm, Thursday 21 December), Dr Thomas will be awarded the degree of Doctor of the University honoris causa.

Dr Thomas will also be the guest speaker at the graduation ceremony.

The honorary degree recognises Dr Thomas's distinguished contribution as a research scientist in fluid mechanics.

"Andy's achievements in space and here on earth as an engineer, a scientist and an astronaut have had a profound impact on all Australians. He has helped us to understand that there are no limits to what we can achieve," says the Vice-Chancellor and President of the 成人大片, .

"Throughout his career, Andy has been a great ambassador for the 成人大片, for the State and the nation, and we are extremely proud of him."

Dr Thomas says receiving the doctorate from his alma mater is a "great honour".

"When I left the 成人大片 from a very similar graduation ceremony, over 30 years ago, I carried a dream, which by all the standards of the day was quite unrealisable. That I was able to turn that dream into a realistic ambition and which ultimately took me to space, I owe largely to the education that I received at this institution," Dr Thomas says.

"To be able to return to the University after those tremendous journeys and have that personal dream acknowledged with this award is truly humbling."

One of the students who was awarded the to study at the 成人大片, Ryan Arbon, is graduating with a Bachelor degree in at the same ceremony in which Dr Thomas will receive his honorary degree.

About Dr Andy Thomas

Dr Thomas was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1951. An alumnus of the 成人大片, he graduated with First Class Honours in in 1973 and received a PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1978.

In 1977 he joined Aeronautical Systems Company in Georgia, US, as a research scientist. In 1987 he became manager of Lockheed's Flight Sciences Division and directed the technical efforts in vehicle aerodynamics, flight controls and propulsion systems that supported the company's fleet of production aircraft.

In 1989, Dr Thomas moved to Pasadena, California, to join the , and shortly afterwards was appointed leader of their NASA-sponsored program which conducted research to support the development of the space flight hardware for future missions.

In 1992, Dr Thomas was selected for by NASA, and a year later was appointed a member of the astronaut corps.

In May 1996 he took his first flight into space as the payload commander and mission specialist aboard the . Dr Thomas made three subsequent trips into space, including a space walk and an extended stay on the Russian .

Dr Thomas has received numerous awards for his contribution to the exploration of space, including and a . He is an Honorary Fellow of the .

Andy Thomas Scholarship

In 1999 the 成人大片 named a scholarship after Dr Thomas, with one scholarship per year awarded to a new student studying for a Bachelor degree in either , Mechanical Engineering or Mechatronic Engineering.

The prestigious Andy Thomas Scholarship pays for all tuition fees and provides the recipient with a living allowance of $5000 a year for four years.

So far, there have been eight Andy Thomas Scholars.

received his Andy Thomas Scholarship in 2002. This year's recipient of the Andy Thomas Scholarship was .

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