MPavilion Opening November 2020

Krystal De Napoli

Image by Ross Calia

Krystal De Napoli is a Kamilaroi astrophysics student at Monash University, researching the ways in which the love for her culture and her passion for science intersect. Krystal delivers public talks on the topic of Indigenous Astronomy, presenting the knowledge which describes the intricate, complex understanding our First Nations people have of the night sky and its objects.

Since 2018 she has worked as a summer intern within the CSIRO’s Data61 division, and has completed research into detecting exoplanets from light curve data and the astrophysical significance of the Pleiades in Indigenous astronomical traditions.

Wominjeka (Welcome). We acknowledge the Yaluk-ut Weelam as the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet. Yaluk-ut Weelam means ‘people of the river camp’ and is connected with the coastal land at the head of Port Phillip Bay, extending from the Werribee River to Mordialloc. The Yaluk-ut Weelam are part of the Boon Wurrung, one of the five major language groups of the greater Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to the land, their ancestors and their elders—past, present and to the future.