Meet the Team – Peter Lee!
Meet Peter, the member of JoinThe.Space International Team from New Zealand. He is a very ambitious and energetic student of Mechatronics.
Having lived in Europe previously, Peter is now highly focused on developing his educational background. He not only attends regular classes at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch but also actively participates in various student activities to broaden his mind and shape his future interests, particularly in space technologies.
Get to know Peter’s thoughts on the space industry in New Zealand and discover his most significant achievement.
- What are you studying, and why did you choose this field of study??
I am in my 3rd year of Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. I chose Mechatronics Engineering because I always enjoyed learning about how the world works, and I like the creativity of being able to build anything you want.
- You’ve lived in both Europe and New Zealand. What are the biggest similarities and differences you’ve noticed between the two?
New Zealand is slower paced and very relaxed, but Europe has a very rich history and culture.
- How did you join your rocketry scientific circle? What are your biggest achievements as a group?
When I came to university I always wanted to join an academic club and be involved with hands-on projects. In my first year at university I participated in the Aerospace club’s Level 1 rocketry program where you could build and launch your own kit-set rocket for free. This was an amazing experience and motivated me to become more involved with the club. This year, the club competed in the 2023 Spaceport America Cup, and our team won the 30k COTS category and placed 3rd overall in the competition.
- Do you find your involvement in extracurricular activities to be personally enriching? How do you manage to allocate time for them?
I think extracurricular activities are extremely valuable. A lot of my personal learning and development has come from the projects I did outside of the school curriculum. The opportunity to apply the knowledge and theory we learn in the classroom to real-life projects is an invaluable experience. Allocating time for personal projects is always difficult as engineering students do not have much free time. I would have to sacrifice time from my sleep or my social life to make time for studies and projects.
- How did your journey with JoinThe.Space begin? Do you believe creating a global networking hub related to the space industry makes sense?
Our club was contacted by JoinThe.Space on LinkedIn. When I heard about the group’s purpose, I was supportive of it so agreed to help in what way I can. I think it is a great idea as the aerospace community is still quite small but growing rapidly. It is a great opportunity for networking and allowing groups sharing the same goals and vision to collaborate and learn from each other.
- What are the job prospects like in the space industry in New Zealand, in your opinion?
The aerospace industry is still small in NZ, but it is growing extremely fast. There are a lot of start-up aerospace companies and there are more opportunities for engineering students to choose a career in aerospace.
- Where would you like to work in the near future? What brings you the most joy?
I would like to work in any job that is using technology to improve people’s lives. I get fulfillment from accomplishing challenging tasks that will have a positive impact on society.
- What are your interests outside of technical areas?
I play golf and train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in my spare time.
