Dona Marabe
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2026IAF Emerging Space Leaders Grant Programme: Awardee
Selected as one of 40 students and young professionals worldwide from 300+ applicants.
Read the IAF announcement
Dona Marabe
A BS/MS Mechanical Engineering student, aerospace researcher, aspiring astronaut, and dreamer proudly from the Philippines. Driven by her goal of becoming the first Filipino to cross the Kármán line, she became the Philippine Space Agency’s first volunteer intern, founded DLSU-Manila’s competitive rocketry team, launched its first rocket and CanSat, and was selected as one of 40 awardees of the International Astronautical Federation’s 2026 Emerging Space Leaders Grant Programme.
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Highlights
Awards, recognitions, and the roles that shaped them, from pioneering a volunteer internship program at the national space agency to a rocket launch.
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2025Young Pioneer Award in Aerospace: Finalist
Awarded by the International Astronautical Federation at the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia.
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Oct 2024 – PresentArchernauts: Founder and Team Leader
De La Salle University's first CanSat and model rocket team.
- Led the team in design, fabrication, testing, launch, and post-flight analysis
- Designed and simulated rocket flight systems in OpenRocket, covering aerodynamic stability (CG/CP) and mid-flight payload deployment
- Conducted a hands-on rocketry outreach workshop for high school students, introducing participants to fundamental rocket design and flight concepts
- Awarded Best Can Satellite Project with a Successful Rocket Launch at the first Philippine National Can Satellite & Rocket Competition, hosted by Indiana Aerospace University in Jul 2025
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Jun 2024 – Apr 2025Philippine Space Agency: Volunteer Intern
Spacecraft Mechanical & Autonomous Systems Development Division, Space Technology Missions & Systems Bureau.
- Pioneered the agency's first volunteer internship role
- Designed satellite component attachments in SolidWorks and contributed to the MULA satellite scale model
- Co-authored the Philippines' first permit manual for emerging aerospace technologies
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2021Youth Excellence in Science: Awardee
Awarded by the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI).
Research & Projects
77th IAC, Antalya 2026
Three Papers Presented in the International Astronautical Congress
To be published in the conference proceedings.
- Biomimetic Penguin Feather-Inspired Surface Textures for Passive Ice Accretion Mitigation and Flow Control in Aerospace Structures
- Development and Flight Validation of a Novel Non-Pyrotechnic Pneumatic Deployment Mechanism for Amateur Rocketry in a Non-Spacefaring Nation
- Advancing Aerospace Interest in an Emerging Space Nation Through Student-Led Initiatives: A Philippine University Case Study
76th IAC, Sydney 2025
The Design Concept of an Ultrahaptic Glove for Extravehicular Space Suits
Solo author and presenter at the International Astronautical Congress; Developed and prototyped an ultrasonic-based haptic concept for material differentiation using variations in acoustic propagation velocity.
Read the paper (DOI)
ILASS-Asia, Tainan 2025
CFD Analysis of a NACA 4412 Airfoil with Finite Span Effects
Primary author and solo presenter at the Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems – Asia conference; Evaluated varying spanwise clearances through ANSYS Fluent to demonstrate the importance of the infinite wing configuration.
SGAC AP-SGW, Cebu 2025
Sat4Blue: EU‑Copernicus Youth Challenge
Conceptualized a satellite data & community-driven solution to mangrove depletion and blue carbon crediting as presented at the Asia-Pacific Space Generation Workshop 2025; Event organized by the Space Generation Advisory Council [SGAC] with the European Union Delegation to the Philippines and the European Space Agency [ESA].
- 1st PlaceWorking Group 4: EU‑Copernicus Youth Challenge – Transforming Earth Observation into Action for the Asia-Pacific
Science Fairs, 2020 – 2021
The Development of a Slow Drift Motion–Based Water Turbine
- Best in Sustainable EnergySingapore International Science Challenge 2021
- Gold MedalInternational Science Inventions Fair, Applied Science (Indonesia) 2020
- ChampionScience Castle in ASEAN Research Fair (Singapore) 2020
Education
Philippine Science High School – Main Campus
Physics core with electives in Design & Make Technologies, Engineering, and Practical Astronomy. Graduated with High Honors.
- Excellence in Research Award: given to 2 of 240+ students
- Gawad Liknayan (Award in Physics): competed on the student honors physics team and served as Physics Youth Honors Society President
- Special Citation in Engineering
De La Salle University – Manila
BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering, specialization in Mechatronics Engineering (Honors Ladderized Program). Current GPA 3.698 / 4.000.
- Thesis: The Investigation of Aerodynamic Properties of a Penguin Flipper Surface Biomimetic NACA 4412 Airfoil
- STAR Scholar: one of the top 15 student applicants nationwide
- ERDT Scholar: Engineering Research and Development for Technology, under the Department of Science and Technology
INSA Toulouse
Study abroad: MS in Mechanical Engineering coursework.
- Composites Module: Erasmus FRP++ 1, 2 and 6 (15.95, ECTS A), part of the European Masters Course in Advanced Structural Analysis and Design using Composite Materials
- Smart Machining: 15.6, ECTS A, with Airbus SE as partner and client for the design and manufacturing concept
Speaking Engagements
Talks, panels, mentoring and training, most recent first.
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“Suntok sa Buwan”
Shooting for the Moon
Philippine Space Agency Resource Speaker & Panelist
The first Philippine Activities in SpaceTech (PHAST) Talk, part of the National Philippine Space Week Exhibit 2026. A talk on pioneering opportunities in aerospace.
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Beyond the Horizon: The Future Is Already in Orbit
La Salle Computer Society, DLSU Technology Summit Guest Speaker
Space systems engineering from the perspective of a student researcher.
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Design to Data: CAD-Prototype-Test
De La Salle University, Central Instrumentation Facility,
Analytical Science and Engineering Technologies (ASCENT) Symposium I Resource SpeakerResearch development and implementation procedures for a wind tunnel experiment.
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Ignite: Launching ME to New Heights
Far Eastern University, Mechanical Engineering Chain of Societies Guest Speaker
Why a mechanical engineering foundation matters in aerospace research, at the organization's general assembly.
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NASA Space Apps Challenge, Philippines
Virtual Mentor
Guided teams through project ideation for the national competition.
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Wonder Women Tech Virtual Summit
Amplify Stage, Global Event Solo Speaker
On the struggles of being a woman in STEM from a third-world country.
Sidequests
Activities, leadership experiences, a workshop, and
the parts bin of skills that goes into every build.
Activities
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Ultimate Frisbee
Varsity Athlete
DLSU Ultimate
2023 – Present
WFDF Advanced Certification - EXP: 12/12/2026
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Bouldering
2025 – Present
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Skydiving
Newcastle, Australia
04 Oct 2025
Leadership Experiences
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University Student Government: Engineering College Government
- Student Opportunities Director
- 2024 – 2025
- 76th ENG Batch President
- 2022 – 2024
- Public Relations Chairperson
- 2021 – 2022
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Mechanical Engineering Society
- Academics Assistant Vice President
- 2023 – 2025
- External Relations Assistant Vice President
- 2022 – 2023
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Lasallian Scholars Society
- Marketing and Publicity Assistant Vice President
- 2022 – 2023
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Youth for Women in Technology (WiTech)
- Vice President for Internal Relations
- 2020 – 2022
Workshops
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Mapping Research Impact: A Bibliometric Analysis Writing Workshop
Participant
DLSU‑Manila, The Libraries
Jul 2026
A three-day hands-on workshop from topic conceptualization, data cleaning and analysis with RStudio, Biblioshiny, and VOSviewer, to a publication-structured manuscript output.
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Space Fundamentals Boot Camp
Participant
Lockheed Martin Space, Grand Hyatt Manila
Jun 2025
A two-day intensive on foundational space systems, mission planning and industry applications.
Skills
Technical
- SolidWorks
- OpenRocket
- ANSYS FEA / CFD
- MATLAB & Simulink basic
- Arduino IDE basic
- Microsoft Office
- Google Workspace
Laboratory
- Additive manufacturing FDM / SLA resin
- Soldering basic
- Test set-up & instrumentation
- Workshop tools basic
Professional
- Team leadership
- Cross-cultural communication
- Systems thinking & iterative design
- STEM education & public engagement
Languages
- English native / bilingual
- Filipino native / bilingual
- French A1