A TEENAGER from Carnoustie has stars in her eyes after being selected to take part in a prestigious NASA Space School programme in Houston, Texas.

Carnoustie High School pupil Katherine Farquhar (15) is one of 52 youngsters from across Scotland who have been chosen for the unique experience at the Johnson Space Center next year.

Katherine, who is in S5, is involved in the Careers Scotland space school programme, which aims to encourage interest in science and technology and to show young people how these subjects apply to real career choices.

She will spend ten days in Houston in September, where she will work with NASA astronauts and scientists.

She will participate in lectures, workshops, group tasks and assignments and will also enjoy a tour of the Mission Control used during the Apollo space flights.

Katherine was selected from around 3000 pupils who take part in the Careers Scotland space school programme every year through distance learning modules.

Expressing her delight, but managing to avoid saying she was over the moon, Katherine said, “The Space School programme has been great to work on and I am really excited about going to the Space Center in Houston to see how some of the subjects I have studied are put into practice.

“Taking part in something like this makes you realise that there’s a lot more to science than just sitting in a lab with bulbs, batteries and meters—there are loads of different careers that you can get into if you study science.”

More than 80% of pupils who have taken part in the Space School have gone on, or intend to go on, to study science, technology, engineering and maths at university.

Alex Blackwood, of Careers Scotland, said, “Space School is a unique programme for young people, which gives them an extraordinary insight into the world of science and education and a taste of the diverse career opportunities available to them.

“It is frequently described as a life-changing experience and early indications suggest that the Space School is making a difference to the levels of interest in and the uptake of science among young people in Scotland.”