It is a dream for many young scientists – to be in the presence of some of the world’s most revered scientific minds. This dream is coming true for a graduate of the North-West University (NWU). Dr Sarah McKee is one of only eight young scientists from South Africa who have been chosen to attend the 73rd Lindau Nobel laureate meeting in Germany.

Sarah is based at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) in Hermanus. She graduated with a PhD from the NWU on 3 May this year. “I am honoured and humbled to be selected for this opportunity, but at the same time I am aware of the responsibility to uphold the name of my country and of my institutions, SANSA and the Centre for Space Research at the NWU.”

The annual Lindau Nobel laureate meetings present a forum for young scientists from around the world to engage in-depth with Nobel laureates on research and overall career management aspects. This year’s meeting will take place from 30 June to 5 July.

Sarah explains that the meetings take a discussion format. “In a way it is like an open-mic session. A Nobel laureate proposes a topic and the selected young scientists take turns to contribute. Participants then have to present an idea that is new or can generate money in a certain field to the panel of laureates. This may also lead to inclusion in one of the Nobel research groups.”

Experience and illness equipped Sarah for meeting

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), as the official partner of the Lindau Foundation and with funding from the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), nominates young scientists from South Africa to attend the annual Lindau Nobel laureate meetings.

According to Sarah, part of the application process involved writing a motivation letter about her experiences and what she aims to achieve in the future. “We also had to share ideas on how we could contribute to the global understanding of crucial problems such as climate change.”

Sarah believes she was chosen for two reasons. Firstly, she worked on projects across various disciplines in physics, such as solid-state physics and crystallography, astrophysics and space weather, among other things. This experience will allow her to contribute meaningfully to the broader aim of the physics meeting, which is to share ideas and derive solutions from it. Secondly, she survived a deadly illness while she was completing her PhD studies. As a result of the illness, she had to learn to walk again during her second year of her PhD studies.

“The illness gave me a unique perspective on the suffering of people, specifically in South Africa. I want to improve the lives of people and decided that I could contribute to topics that include infectious diseases in Africa as part of my future career.”

Rubbing shoulders with revered scientists

Sarah says she is very excited to share her ideas with and receive feedback from some of the most respected scientists in the world. “I want to learn more about how physics can be used to empower people. The meeting also creates an opportunity for a new network of inspiring friends and colleagues.”

She believes the honour of being invited to attend the meeting would not have happened without the support of her colleagues at the NWU. “It really has helped to have the opportunity to study at a university that has a culture of excellence, both in the way we conduct ourselves and in our academic careers.”

Her advice to students who also hope to achieve new heights and honours in their careers? “Never underestimate the power of small beginnings. Consistency and commitment are two investments that you can make today that will later reward you.”

Dr Sarah McKee graduated in May this year. Her PhD studies were a marriage between the study of aviation in sub-Saharan Africa and the study of extreme space weather. Sarah investigated the extreme manifestations of space weather, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections, and how these might affect the safety and functionality of aviation processes. She found that very large solar radio bursts may contribute to a hazardous chain of events on board an aircraft, during which navigation and communications are lost.