Meet the voices of SEEC South Africa 2027

A classroom educator who flew on Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-32 on 31 May 2025, Aymette is the first Hispanic K–12 teacher and first Puerto Rico–born astronaut. A Career and Technical Education teacher at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, Texas with 17 years in education, she has flown over 60 research projects to space and facilitated more than 75 student microgravity projects. Her journey is the subject of the documentary Maestra Astronauta.

A NASA astronaut who lived and worked aboard the International Space Station for six months as a flight engineer and science officer on Expeditions 17 and 18. Greg returned to space in 2011 on STS-134, the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, where he carried out two spacewalks. He holds a PhD in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT and now teaches and researches at Texas A&M University.

A Space Camp alumna and Canadian Principal Investigator for Magnitude.io's Plants in Space programme, Dianea became the first Canadian teacher of colour trained as an Analog Astronaut at the Mars Desert Research Station in 2025. A SEEC CREW Educator since 2021 and Space Foundation Teacher Liaison Ambassador, she has trained over 40,000 educators worldwide.

Founder and former CEO of NewSpace Systems, James brings 35+ years across the UK, European and US space economies to Africa's commercial space sector. He built Africa's first dedicated commercial satellite cleanroom and co-founded Cape Constellation and the PULSAR Space Alliance.

Daniel opens SEEC South Africa with the Day 1 keynote, bringing over 40 years of Space Center Houston's space-education leadership to the Cape Town stage.

Delia Kench is an experienced IT educator, author and CEO of Funworks, with over 25 years of teaching experience and a Master's degree in Computer Science. She co-authors the Exploring IT, Exploring CAT and Exploring Coding & Robotics textbook series and has contributed significantly to the IEB IT and ISC Computer Science curricula. Her extensive experience includes serving as an IEB Practical Examiner, Theory Examiner, Portfolio Moderator and Internal Moderator. As founder of TeacherWorks, she supports IT, CAT and Coding & Robotics teachers through professional development and teaching resources. Passionate about STEM education, she strives to make programming accessible, empower teachers and inspire young people to pursue technology.

Charne Rohland is the Science Engagement Officer at the Iziko Planetarium and Digital Dome in Cape Town. She develops and delivers astronomy and science education programmes for schools, families, and the public, with a focus on making science engaging and accessible to diverse audiences. With a background in education, she is passionate about inspiring curiosity through hands-on learning and immersive experiences, and about science communication that inspires the next generation of scientists.

A passionate educator at Reddam House Bedfordview in Johannesburg, Brenda Kahl teaches a variety of Science and Technology subjects. In 2015, she attended the Honeywell Educators at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, where her passion for space exploration was ignited. Since then, she has adapted these experiences to bring a variety of science concepts to life, sparking curiosity and encouraging students to dream for what seems impossible.

Don Duffield is a Physical Sciences educator with over 35 years in education and serves as a Conference Programme Co-ordinator for SEEC Africa 2027. He coordinates Parklands College’s STAR Programme, providing learners with authentic STEM experiences in space science. Having introduced the International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) to South Africa and founded the SAYPT, Don is passionate about empowering young scientists to undertake authentic research and present their findings to professional scientists. His contributions to STEM education have earned him several national awards, including the international 2011 IEEE Pre-University Educator of the Year Award.