Astronomer Kirsten Banks Explains How Her Aboriginal Identity (and Leo DiCaprio) Fueled Her Passion For the Stars
Kirsten Banks is an astrophysicist, a finalist for the CSIRO Indigenous STEM Award and a speaker at this year's TEDxYouth in Sydney.
That's a pretty big deal, especially when you consider she's just 21 years old.
Kirsten can actually pinpoint the moment she realised her passion for the stars, and it's all thanks to a school excursion to see the Leonardo DiCaprio-narrated documentary Hubble.
"I remember just watching these fantastic photos of space and astronomy," she tells Student Edge.
"The universe [was] just flashing up on this screen and [I thought] 'That's what I want to do.'"
After that, everything changed. However, her passion for astronomy and the night sky wasn't just shaped by Leo. Largely, she came to love it because of her family background.
As a proud Wiradjuri woman, Kirsten believes it's important to have a well-rounded perspective of astronomy, and her knowledge of Aboriginal astronomy has helped her to better appreciate the night sky.
"I've learned about how different constellations can be used to know what sort of food is available, when the seasons are changing and even when the weather is going to change as well," she explains.
"We can learn about what's happening on the land by looking up to the stars."
And in the case of rain, Kirsten says that many Indigenous nations used astronomy to predict the weather.
"A lot of Indigenous nations see the intensity of the 'twinkly-ness' of stars and that can let people know when rain is approaching."
"We can learn about what's happening on the land by looking up to the stars."
(Image: iStock.com/Eerik)
Kirsten took a keen interest in physics and mathematics at school, but remembers not really having many options to study astronomy until it came time to elect them for her HSC.
She'd now like to see more of it taught in high schools, which coincides with a larger push to students, particularly girls, to take up STEM subjects.
At least the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) recently announced a plan to introduce more teaching around the historical scientific contributions made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities during their estimated 65,000 years on the Australian continent.
"I think that's the really important part for people of a non-Indigenous background to see; that there are different perspectives and to appreciate them," Kirsten says.
"I think it'll widen the worldview of astronomy and kids can learn new ways to look at the universe and the world around them."
On the horizon, Kirsten has one of her first major speaking engagements: TEDxYouth in Sydney. While she's tight-lipped about what she'll be talking specifically, you can expect it will showcase her knowledge of Aboriginal astronomy and her passion for the night sky.
It's just one small step towards her life's goal.
"I want to be Dr. Kirsten Banks," she says without hesitation, adding she'd like to be known as a "science communicator so [she] can share [her] passion for space and astronomy with the universe."
Kirsten also has advice for anyone out there who maybe hasn't had their Hubble revelation yet: "Give everything a go."
"If you're interested in something, give it a try and if you don't like it, you can rule it out. If you do like it, you can pursue it more."
You can catch Kirsten Banks' talk at TEDxYouth in Sydney's Seymour Centre on 4 April.
Header Image: Supplied
