The school is already host to the Murrumbidgee Academy of STEM Excellence and the NSW Virtual STEM Academy.

As part of the AVA Program, the girls had world class opportunities, and the means of influencing space missions in the future as a result of a partnership with Magnitude.io.

Co founder and CEO of Magnitude.io Ted Tagami said the level of enthusiasm shown by students in experiencing life as 'virtual astronauts' was unparalleled.

"We have been very pleased with the level of interest and engagement the program has provided to students in NSW, across Australia and even around the world as we bring students together to imagine a better future here on Earth and beyond," Mr Tagami said.

Students were challenged to pitch to Mr Tagumi about what the next plant growth mission in September 2022 should be on the International Space Station (ISS) or on the moon.

Deputy Principal of the NSW Virtual STEM Academy Ian Preston said that the opportunities the students had access to were unlike no other.

"These kids have a real opportunity to pitch their ideas and influence the next Exolab mission to occur on the International Space Station or the Moon," Mr Preston said.

"The girls were able to replicate experiments conducted on the ISS through a device called an ExoLab in real time, MRHS having three of the five Exolabs in all of Australia."

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The program also featured a host of impressive presenters including Dr Adrian Brown from NASA, Dr Scott Sleap, Ben Newsome, Wendy Bode, Lori Waters and Ted Tagami from Magnitude i.o and MRHS's own Ian Preston.

Girls who participated told The Area News how inspired they felt by the speakers who provided a range of interstellar insights.

"The program has encouraged me to become something affiliated with STEM in the future," Jayda Cook said.

"My favourite weekly activity that we did was trying to find a plant with medicinal needs that we can grow in space."

"My biggest takeaway from this opportunity is that, if I ever wanted to take a path into space science I could and know that I might succeed," Holly Muller said.

"My favourite personal mission was when Lori Waters spoke and was talking about how she was in space type environment and she grew plants to see what ones could strive in the space environment."

"We have had so many beneficial days, it is so hard to choose a favourite," Brooke Stewart said.

"I think that the most interesting thing we have learnt would be that galaxies are carnivores, they can collide and fight until one of them eats the other and becomes a bigger galaxy, Kirsten Banks taught us this."

Deputy Principal of MRHS, Meg Taipaeti said watching the girls participate in the program was 'motivating as an educator' very exciting.

"To see the diversity of opportunities that are open to them as young women and see these girls wrap their heads around the world beyond here in Griffith is wonderful," Mrs Taipaeti said.

"It has been great to listen to new ideas and concepts and think deeply about how we as humans live and how fragile human life is on earth.

"They just flourished in this environment."

More information about the AVA Program can be found here.

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