Age 16-18
Emma Velterop has worked at the European Space Agency, and is now living in the USA working on her PhD in Geophysics (Radar Remote Sensing) at Stanford University in California.
The former Bancroft’s School pupil completed an MEng in Civil Engineering at UCL, during which she spent a year abroad at ETH Zürich on exchange.
Her experiences during this time include satellite data applications for oceanography at ETH Zürich; analysing one of the Earth Observation satellite’s data at the European Space Agency; using Earth Observation satellites over Antarctic glaciers at Caltech; generating risk maps for cities from satellite data at Sarmap (a Remote Sensing company); and satellite instrument calibration at the University of Oxford. She also currently co-leads the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) project group on Space Technology for Disaster Management.
Emma, who studied at Havering Sixth Form College from 2010 to 2012, achieved 2 A*s and an A grade in Fine Art, Maths and Physics.
She said: “College gave me a strong first step on the path to where I am now and I have had some amazing opportunities already. I would say to prospective or current students, don’t be intimidated by world-class institutions, apply to any opportunity that takes your fancy. Internships and placements give you priceless experiences and open so many doors. If there’s nothing that piques your interest, be pro-active – e-mail that professor, get in contact with that industry leader – you’ll be surprised at how open these people are and they’ll be impressed with your efforts.”
Emma is currently enjoying being in America at Stanford University, which is a private research university in California, known for its academic strength, wealth, proximity to Silicon Valley, and ranking as a top-10 university in the world.
