Representing Canadian Alumni of the International Space University and Informing any Interested Party about Space Activities in Canada

News & Events

Yuri's Night Montreal

Come to Yuri's Night á Montreal this coming Saturday and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagrin's maiden voyage!

SSP10 Alum Wins University of Waterloo Essay Contest

Dr. Farhan Asrar, SSP10, was one of the winners of the recent Loving to Learn Day 2011 essay contest. Here is his winning entry:

Learn to Love in order to Love to Learn

I heard about this contest near Valentine's Day and since the title had 'love' and 'learn', naturally I assumed the title was “Learning to Love”, a quick second later I realized it was “Loving to Learn”. Pondering on this, both sentences are not so different as I realize that we need to 'learn to love' in order to 'love to learn'. This can be achieved through life's experiences, family/mother's upbringing, Faith, excellent supervisors , role models and educational experiences. I have been blessed with all the above which encouraged my strive for knowledge.

One experience which opened doors to a universe of knowledge (literally) was the Space Studies Program (SSP) at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. I was awarded a scholarship to pursue the SSP, an intensive 9-week program that trains future leaders of the global space community in an 'intercultural', 'interdisciplinary' and 'international' environment. It is sponsored by several organizations and agencies which include NASA, Canadian Space Agency and European Space Agency.

Dr. Farhan Asrar and Canadian astronaut Dr. Bob Thirsk

I always had an interest in Space but this experience enlightened me about space in ways I could not imagine; The program included a variety of lectures, workshops and projects taught by renowned experts, astronauts and the who's who of Space organizations. I was amazed to learn how diverse Space studies is; involving Space Law, business, Space Life Sciences and Medicine, etc. This experience gave me a better understanding of how Space technology benefits us and makes a difference in our everyday lives without us even realizing it (Daily weather forecasts uses Satellites. Enriched foods, water purification methods, thermal gloves, ear thermometers, smoke detectors, etc. all originated from technology meant for the space program).

There was one key feature which made this experience memorable and enhanced my love to learn; which was the people I worked with; Astronauts, faculty, speakers and students is what counted the most. The group resided from over 30 countries from various backgrounds (ranging from being Deans, Professors and Directors of programs in their home countries to current students).

The love of learning about space brought us closer together on Earth; people from different professions, cultures, religions and backgrounds working on a common goal. It reminds me of a quote by Canada's noted Astronaut Dr. Bob Thirsk "When I'm on Earth I dream of space, and when I was in space I dreamed of Earth". We worked together as one, explored new heights together, spent sleepless nights studying together to meet project deadlines and in the process got to know each other, sharing our experiences (Such as Dr. Jim Burke, a true pioneer in Spaceflight shared his vast space experiences. Dr. Zhao Wen, a director at China's Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology taught me to write my name in 3 Chinese dialects and Walter Schroeder, PhD candidate originally from Germany shared his amazing experiences including showing his talent of fire-breathing!).

My beliefs and experiences in life has taught me that I love to learn by learning to love others.

By- Dr. Farhan M. Asrar MD, MSc, MPH(c)
Resident Physician – in the Dual Community Medicine (FRCP) and Family Medicine (CCFP) Residency Programs, McMaster University
Master of Public Health Candidate – University of Waterloo

ISU Board of Trustee's Meeting Results

Some interesting information came out of the January 19-20 ISU Board of Trustee's meeting that happened at the ISU Central Campus in Strasbourg, France:

Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program (SHS-SP)

• concluded February 4
• 9 countries represented: Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, South Africa, China and Hong Kong, India, Italy, Sri Lanka
• 77% Southern Hemisphere, 23% Northern Hemisphere
• 77% male, 23% female, 60% Australians, first ISU student from New Zealand

Applicant statistics

Gender

• SSP10 – 71% male, 29% female
• SSP11 – 79% male, 21% female
• MSS10 – 60% male, 40% female
• MSS11 – 74% male, 26% female

Background

• SSP10 – 61% engineering, 14% physical sciences, 8% life sciences, 5% space applications, 4% info tech, 4% policy and law, 3% business/management, 1% humanities
• SSP11 – 54% engineering, 18% physical sciences, 7% business/management, 6% life sciences, 5% policy and law, 5% info tech, 3% space applications, 2% humanities
• MSS11 – 59% engineering, 13% physical sciences, 6% life sciences, 6% info tech, 5% space applications, 4% business and management, 4% humanities, 3% policy and law

How applicants hear about ISU

• SSP10 – 26% Internet, 26% friend/colleague, 23% ISU conference/presentation/faculty, 12% ISU alumni, 6% employer, 5% affiliate/liaison, 2% poster/bulletin/press
• SSP11 – 55% Internet, 16% ISU conference/presentation/faculty, 13% friend/colleague, 11% ISU alumni, 2% employer, 2% affiliate/liaison, 1% poster/bulletin/press
• MSS11 – 41% Internet, 22% friend/colleague, 19% ISU conference/presentation/faculty, 10% ISU alumni, 3% employer, 3% poster/bulletin/press, 2% affiliate/liaison

Highlights of 2010

• Increased use of new laboratory facilities, including concurrent design facility (CDF)
• Graduation of first EMBA class
• Largest Strasbourg SSP ever
• Record application volume continuing in Masters and SSP
• Inauguration of SHS-SP

Update on Academic Issues

MSS10

• 51 graduates, 1 cum laude
• Increased use of hands-on facilities including concurrent design facility (CDF), rotating chair for life sciences, ground station/radio astronomy dish

MSS11

• 24 countries represented in three main atypical blocks (China, India, Nigeria)
• highest percentage of women (40%) in any Masters class to date

ISU Symposium, 15-17 February 2011

• International Space Station: Maximizing the Return from Extended Operations
• NASA was general sponsor
• High-level speakers included head of China’s taikonaut training program, who talked about China’s space station plans
• Record application volume continuing in Masters and SSP

SHS-SP academic program

• January 4th to February 4th, 2011
• Weeks 1-3 – core lectures, workshops and white paper, followed by exam
• Weeks 4-5 – focused on white paper and workshops, followed by white paper presentation
• Several professional visits occurred during 5 week session
• Convened international astronaut panel
• Developed white paper on space policy issues relevant to Southern Hemisphere countries
• Culture nights, space masquerade party, other social events

ISU/Stevens Institute of Technology (United States)

• Joint space systems engineering certificate and masters program inaugurated
• 11 “ISU” students have signed up for two courses to be given online
• One resident faculty member will be "hard auditing" the fundamentals of space systems engineering course to begin the process of qualification to teach the program
• All ISU faculty are welcome to teach in the program after successfully meeting the SIT qualification process
• ISU will continue to advertise and promote this new program
• No scholarships available (yet)

EMBA10

• 12 participants, first class of EMBA
• Excellent 3I distribution:
  • 42% women
  • 50% industry, 25% governmental, 25% other
  • 42% non-engineers

Space Odyssey Institute (SOI)

• Now concurrent with the 2 week Policy and Law module of the EMBA
• Presently double the number of applicants compared to last year. Mainly from NASA, as SOI is now listed in the agency’s training catalogue

Status of ISU faculty

• 8 resident faculty at present, 3 will be leaving soon
• 1 resident lecturer
• New resident lecturer recruited – Dr. Chris Welch, new director of masters program
• 66 faculty, 13 associate faculty, 32 adjunct faculty. Includes first adjunct faculty from South America and Africa

Academic activities of resident faculty

• Publications in 2010: 2 books, 50 book chapters, 7 conference papers, 1 Ph.D dissertation, 6 peer-reviewed journal articles, 44 conference/seminar/workshop presentations of which 21 were invited
• Research proposals: 15 research proposals submitted, 14 research proposals accepted, including 5 ISS experiments, 4 ISU students working on proposals awarded
• ISU resident faculty currently sit on 12 technical or professional committees or working groups external to ISU
• 4 resident faculty participated in other external academic activities including reviews for journals and technical conferences and presentations other than conferences or workshops

Research tools

• Concurrent design facility (CDF): Growing database of engineering models; successful use for MSS10, SSP10 and ESC10; enabled very interesting MSS student projects
• Ground station/radio astronomy dish: Used during SSP10 for direct contact with ISS and for MSS lectures and workshops; facility operational thanks to ESA YGT; new ESA YGT recruited since December 2010 with emphasis on navigation applications (Benoit Henin, SUPAERO and NASA Ames internship)

International Institute of Space Commerce (Isle of Man)

• Held workshop in December 2010 on relationship between space and government policy
• Study on orbital space tourism to be published by IISC
• Considering publication of a book on international cooperation and space, following up on previous book on space commerce
• Website: www.iisc.im

Short courses and research

• Partner in EU FP7 program called NordicBaltsat (NBS), which is a centre of excellence in the Baltic states
• Partner in human spaceflight social aspect proposal with European Science Foundation led by John Farrow

Other matters

• Stefano Fiorilli re-elected as academic council chair for another year
• Hugh Hill is the academic council vice-chair
• ISU alums can get e-mail addresses in the format firstname.lastname@alumni.isunet.edu. Request to Joel Hermann if you would like one.
• Revamped ISU website now includes alumni and job sections
• ISU online channels for alumni:www.youtube.com/spaceuniversity and www.twitter.com/isunet
• International Space University page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Space-University/27628200660

Biennial CAISU conference NSAW2010 in Ottawa
November 2010

This biennial event is hosted by the Canadian Alumni of the International Space University (CAISU) and aims at promoting space awareness among students, young professionals and the community in general by having the participants work on topics in a space-related theme immersed in a dynamic and interdisciplinary setting. The theme for this workshop is: "ISS to Commercialization: Canada's Future Space Contributions"

Canadian SSP'10 Students Win The Barcelona Aerobatics Zero-g Challenge
October 20, 2010

Congratulations to three Canadian SSP'10 students (AlexandraKindrat, Heather Allaway and Alexander Melynshyn) who recently won the Barcelona Aerobatics Zero-g Challenge:

The Barcelona Aerobatics Zero-g Challenge is an international contest in which graduate and undergraduate students from different countries worldwide are challenged with the problem of designing and building a zero-g experiment in a limited period of time. The winners are offered the unique opportunity of flying their own experiment with the UPC Microgravity Aerobatics Platform held in Sabadell Airport. This innovative infrastructure is a result of a research led by Prof. Antoni Pérez-Poch from CRAE, Space Research Group at UPC since 2007, and the first of its kind in Europe.

See the press release for more info.

Kingston Road Show
October 1st, 2010

The next road show will be at Queen's University:

• Presenter: Amanda Knutson
• Date: Friday, October 1st, 2010
• Time: 10:30-11:30 AM
• Location: 117 Chernoff Hall, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario

Vancouver Meetup
October 29th, 2010

Here is another chance to meet up with a few ISU folks in the Vancouver-area. This time we have Eric Choi coming to town, so the plan is Dinner:
   Date: Wednesday, October 29
   Place: Milestones - Cambie and 8th
   Time: 18:30
If you can make it then send me an email to lilianab0@yahoo.com.

CAISU embraces the Social Web
Monday August 9, 2010

CAISU is on Facebook

CAISU is on LinkedIn

CAISU is on GoogleDocs

CAISU is on Twitter

The upcoming NSAW conference is on Twitter

Please note: These new sites are for CAISU members only.
Become an active member of the CAISU family online!

Yuri's Night 2010 in London, Ontario, Canada

Discovery 10, Ontario Centres of Excellence
Monday May 17 and Tuesday May 18 2010

Where: Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Keynote speaker on May 17, 2:30pm:
Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder.
Visit CAISU at Booth 648 at OCE Discovery 10
For all details visit the Discovery 10 website. c

Will My Head Really Explode in a Vacuum?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 7:30PM

Will My Head Really Explode in a Vacuum?
(What Really Happens When You Go to Space)
Canadian Space Society Lecture Night
By Shawna Pandya
Where: Canadian Air And Space Muesum
When: May 5th, 2010 at 7:30 PM
(meet and greet, setup)
8:00 PM Presentation Start
Email: events@css.ca
Phone: 416 899 0843
Free Refreshments will be served!

ISU alumni spotlight: Shawna Pandya
April 19, 2010

ISU interview with Canadian alumna from the MSS class of 2007, Shawna Pandya.

2010 Yuri's Night in Canada

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first human to leave the bounds of Earth and enter outer space. Yuri's Night is an annual celebration of human space exploration. The celebration has grown from 64 events during its first year in 2001 to over 150 individual events in 53 countries around the world in 2010. Locations will include Los Angeles, Stockholm, Antarctica, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Houston, and the International Space Station! In Canada, Yuri's Night celebrations will be held starting April 9 in the following locations listed below. For more information about Yuri's Night visit the website.

London, Ontario
University of Western Ontario
April 9, 20:00 - 1:00 (Party)
April12th, 3:30 - 5:00 (Panel Discussion)
website

Montreal, Quebec
Snap! Lounge
April 10th, 21:00 - 02:00 (Party)
website

Toronto, Ontario
The Charlotte Room
April 17, 2010, 21:00 to 02:00 (Party)
website

Winnipeg, Manitoba
The Manitoba Museum's Planetarium
190 Rupert Avenue
April 12th, 19:00 to 23:00 (Party)
Contact Scott Young

2010 CAISU Board of Directors

The CAISU AGM was held on November 20 2009 and the new 2010 Boards of Directors was elected. CAISU would like to take the opportunity to thank the 2000 Board of Directors for their hard work and would like to welcome your new 2010 Board of Directors.

ISU Promotion Video
March 6 2010

Tom Hirmer, an SSP09 alumnus and current MSS student, recently created a promotion video for the ISU. Anyone interested in the ISU Master's programs will find this video very useful.

ASX Event: 7th Annual "Expanding Canada's Frontiers" Symposium
Friday January 29 2010, 6:30PM

You are invited to attend ASX's 7th Annual "Expanding Canada's Frontiers" Symposium. Organized by the Astronomy & Space Exploration Society (ASX) at the University of Toronto, this event features:

Dr. Narendra Bhandari (Indian Space Res. Org.): India's Space Program finds water in the lunar desert

Doors open at 5:30PM and there is a reception at 10:00PM.
LOCATION: Convocation Hall, University of Toronto
Address: 31 King's College Circle, Toronto
ADMISSION: Students: FREE with registration online
General Public: $20 ($15 until Jan 7, 5pm) from UofT TIX: online
Phone #: (416) 978-8849
Please note: There is a special discount to CAISU members for this event: $15 tickets instead of $20, if purchased prior to the event. Mention code "7A129" when ordering from U of T TIX (phone or in-person orders). This event has attracted over 1,000 attendees in the past, so do book your ticket early!

ABSTRACT: The search for habitable worlds other than our own, from nearby in our solar system to far away exoplanets, is one of the greatest scientific endeavors of human history. The discovery of many exoplanets in recent years as well as the astonishing discovery of water on the moon has propelled this quest to the forefront of today's scientific research. With these discoveries in mind, ASX is pleased to present a truly inspiring cast of speakers who are at the forefront of this field. Please come out on January 29th to hear these speakers talk about their latest work and accomplishments as well as their perspectives on the search for other worlds and space exploration.
Fore more info: http://asx.sa.utoronto.ca/symposium/

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CAISU Roadshow at the University of Western Ontario
January 20 2010, 12:00noon-1:00PM

You are invited to attend a CAISU Roadshow Presentation by Dominic Veillette (SSP2007) and Marianne Mader (MSS2006) on Wednesday January 20 2010 at 12:00 noon at the University of Western Ontario. The location is: Graduate Lounge (basement level of Middlesex College), Back Room.
For more information contact Dominic Veillette by email dveillet@uwo.ca or contact Marianne Mader by email marianne.mader@gmail.com

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CAISU Roadshow at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies
Monday January 18 2010, 12:00 noon

You are invited to attend a CAISU Roadshow Presentation by CAISU President Jian Feng Shi (SSP2007) on Monday January 18 2010 at 12:00 noon at the University of Toronto Institue of Aerospace Studies. The location is: 4925 Dufferin Street, Toronto.
For more information contact Jian Feng Shi by email jianfeng.shi@gmail.com>.

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CAISU Roadshow at the University of Toronto, Downtown Campus
January 11 2010, 2:30PM

You are invited to attend a CAISU Roadshow Presentation by Reyman Rahnama (SSP2005) on Friday January 15 2010 at 2:30PM at the University of Toronto. The location is: Engineering Science Building, Graduate Lounge.
For more information contact Peyman Rahnama by email Peyman.Rahnama@comdev.ca>.

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CAISU Roadshow at the Université de Sherbrooke
January 14, 2010, 12:40PM-13:30PM

You are invited to attend a CAISU Roadshow Presentation by Guy De Carufel, Tomas Hirmer, and Martin Cote (SSP2009) on Thursday January 14 2010 at 12:40PM at the the Université de Sherbrooke. The location is: Agora du Carrefour de l'Information, Pavillon Georges-Canada, 2500 boulevard de l'Université. Guy and Tomas will participate via Skype videoconference.
For more information contact Martin Cote by email martin.cote.4@gmail.com>.

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CAISU Roadshow at York University
January 7 2010, 2:00PM

You are invited to attend a CAISU Roadshow Presentation by Reyman Rahnama (SSP2005) on Friday January 7 2010 at 2:00PM at York University. The location is: Petrie Science and Engineering Building, Rm. 258.
For more information contact Peyman Rahnama by email Peyman.Rahnama@comdev.ca>.

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CAISU Roadshow at the University of Waterloo in Galt, Ontario
December 16 2009 12:00 noon

You are invited to attend a CAISU Roadshow Presentation by Reggie MacIntosh (SSP2009) on Wednesday December 16 at 12:00 noon at the University of Waterloo's School of Architecture, Main Lecture Hall.
For more information contact Reggie MacIntosh by email reg_macintosh@hotmail.com>.

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CAISU Roadshow in Calgary, Alberta
December 11 2009 9AM-11AM

If you are in Calgary, you are invited to attend a CAISU Roadshow Presentation by Natalie Panek on Friday December 11 at 9:00am at the University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering Engineering (ENGG) Student Lounge. The address is: Block E, Main Floor, Room 134
For more information contact Natalie Panek by email nmpanek@gmail.com.

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CAISU Roadshows in Montreal at McGill University and INRS-ÉMT
December 8 2009 6PM and December 10 10AM

It is that time of the year again for CAISU Roadshows!.

If you are in Montreal, you are invited to attend a CAISU Roadshow Presentation by Adam Halpert,on Tuesday December 8 2009 at 6:00pm. The location is Room 310 in the Bronfman Building at the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University. The address is: 1001 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec.
For more information Contact Adam Halpert by email adamhalpert@mail.mcgill.ca.

And on Thursday December 10th at 10am, INRS doctoral student Alexandre Perron will present a CAISU Roadshow at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique - Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications. The location is: Place Bonaventure, 800, de La Gauchetire West, gate North-West, suite 6900, Conference Room.
For more information contact Alexandre Perron by email perrona@emt.inrs.ca.

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CAISU Toronto Social Gathering at the Madison
November 24 2009 8PM

Join Tahir Merali (SSP08, MSM09, SSP09) and CAISU President Jian Feng Shi (SSP07) at the Madison Avenue Pub in downtown Toronto on Tuesday November 24 at 8:00PM! The pub is located at 14 Madison Avenue, off of Bloor Street West, and slightly east of Spadina (near the Spadina TTC subway station).

Peruse the menu and and drinks list. Bring your hearty appetite!
RSVP with Jian Feng Shi by email jianfeng.shi.caisu@gmail.com.

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Canadian Space Summit, Kingston Ontario
November 20-22 2009

Attend the annual CSS Space Summit at the Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario. Full details are available online. Keynote speaker: noted Canadian astronomer, Terence Dickinson, editor of Skynews and author of The Backyard Astronomer's Guide.

CAISU will hold its Annual General Meeting at the Canadian Space Summit on Friday November 20 at 5:30pm. The location is RMC Room MK350. Following the AGM, you are welcome to join CAISU family dinner at The Keg at 7:00pm at 300 King Street East in Kingston.
For those interested in attending the AGM in person or by teleconference call, please contact CAISU President Jian Feng Shi by email jianfeng.shi.caisu@gmail.com.

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Message from Dr. Michael Simpson, President, ISU
October 2009

This year's Masters students began their academic year on September 1st with enrollment at 55 -- just as the SSP, with a class of 131 students from 35 countries, concluded at the NASA/Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

The 2008-2009 academic year was extraordinary in many ways:

• An Executive MBA program (EMBA) uniquely focused on space was launched in June 2009 with 12 students in its inaugural class. The program's initial offering has two-week residency modules in both the U.S. and Europe over an 18-month period.

• A new academic position, Associate Dean, was created and Angie Bukley, ISU alumnae and a leading educator in the field of space systems, joined the permanent faculty in Strasbourg, France in this position.

• New members, with solid credentials in both teaching and research, have been added to our faculty in the areas of engineering and Space Life Sciences.

• The Executive Space Course continues to flourish, offering a one-week comprehensive multi-disciplinary understanding of space for professionals, particularly those with academic background outside of engineering & science.

• Scholarship support has increased. The Ilan Ramon Scholarship Fund enabled four Israelis to attend this year's SSP, and a generous donation from the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation served as the chartering gift to establish a Fellowship endowment in honor of ISU's visionary first Chancellor, Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

• This year's SSP at NASA/Ames received record financial support from generous donors including Boeing, Cisco, Lockheed Martin, the World Bank, Northrop Grumman, Oracle and Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies.

• Our worldwide alumni community is reaching significant mass with more than 2,900 members -- it is rare to find a major space endeavor these days that does not involve ISU people. Plus alumni have become the university's largest source of new students.

• With graduates from 100 countries, in its brief 22 years of existence, ISU has become not only one of the strongest advocates for international cooperation in space activity, but also one of its best exemplars.

Perhaps the best thanks ISU provides to the many individuals and institutions who have helped the university reach this point is via recognition that our alumni are a "force" in today's vibrant space endeavors around the globe, both in space science & exploration and in providing "down-to-earth" benefits to society from space technology and activities.

I invite you to join us in this adventure of learning and growth by staying in touch with ISU over the years. Working together, we can expand our understanding of space while building a brighter and more sustainable future for the planet we all share.

Ad Astra!

Mike Simpson

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NASA searches for water on the moon
October 2009

Read the Globe and Mail article on NASA's mission to find water on the moon using a rocket that was purposely crashed into the Cabeus crater near the moon's south pole. According to Anthony Colaprete, the chief scientist for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission, the mission found approximately 25 gallons of water in the form of ice and vapor.

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ISU Students' IRIS experiment on ISS
September 2009

Read the SATNEWS article on ISU students' experiment IRIS (Image Reversal in Space) conducted on the International Space Station by Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk.

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Canadian Astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk addresses ISU with ARED on ISS
August 20th, 2009

Canadian Astronaut Robert Thirsk onboard the ISS speaks with ISU SSP2009 students at NASA Ames International Space Station on a live downlink. Bob Thirsk performed an evaluation of the aRED (advanced Resistive Exercise Device), a high-tech exercise machine. aRED counteracts muscle atrophy and bone demineralization caused by prolonged exposure to weightlessness in space.

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Robert Thirsk Heads to the ISS
May 27th, 2009

Robert Thirsk, a Canadian astronaut and great friend and supporter of CAISU, launched today to spend six months aboard the International Space Station. Read more about his adventure: CBC - Canadian astronaut Thirsk bound for International Space Station.

Robert Thirsk visits SSP07 students in Beijing.

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Mission STS-127: Julie Payette on the ISS
July 2009

Read the CSA summary of Julie Payette's activities on the ISS. Julie Payette was the flight engineer for STS-127 shuttle mission to the International Space Station, which delivered critical supplies and experiments. On this mission, she operated three robotic arms: the Shuttle's Canadarm, the Station's Canadarm2 and a Japanese arm on Kibo.

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Prime Minister Visit
May 26th, 2009

Dear Friends,

During the NATO Summit in Strasbourg (April 3rd & 4 2009), the Office of Prime Minister Harper and the Canadian Embassy in Paris extended an invitation to meet the 10 Canadian students currently studying at the ISU in Strasbourg.

On April 4th, students met with Prime Minister Harper for about 30 minutes, participating in a photo shoot & brief chat and listened to the PM's address.

The students took advantage of this unique opportunity to present the PM with a letter written on behalf of all Canadian students andalumni, as well as presenting the PM with an ISU polo-shirt as a token of appreciation. Once the official photo is released, it will be sent along.

Reprinted below is the letter:

April 3rd, 2009

Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A2 Canada

International Space University Canadian Students and Alumni Greeting

Dear Right Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper;

On behalf of the International Space University's (ISU) Canadian students and alumni, we the undersigned, thank you for meeting us during your visit to Strasbourg during the NATO Summit April 3rd and 4th 2009. This initiative, of your office and the Canadian Space Agency, expresses the importance the Canadian Government places on the Canadian space program, its role on the global stage, and its future leaders.

Our ethnic and educational backgrounds are a microcosm of Canadian multiculturalism at its best. We look forward to joining the Canadian workforce complemented by the international, interdisciplinary and intercultural experience gained at ISU and are hopeful that these skills will contribute to the further development of Canadian technologies. Through the ISU program, we understand the necessity of engaging the greater Canadian society in Canada's space activities and are appreciative of the active interest your office has taken in us as young Canadian professionals.

We appreciate your visit and look forward to playing a role in shaping Canada's future in space.

Sincerely,
The Undersigned

Tahir Merali - MSM'09, SSP'08
Zauher Abdullah - MSS'09, SSP'08
James Barth - MSS'09
Axel Bergman - MSM'09
Mario Ciaramicoli - MSS'09
Donny Cosic - MSS'09
Douglas Hemingway - MSS'09
Heather Henry - MSS'09, SSP'08
Farnoud Kazemzadeh - MSS'09
Jeremy Webb - MSS'09, SSP'08
Jian Feng Shi - SSP'07 - President, Canadian Alumni of the ISU (CAISU)
Kevin Shortt - SSP'07 - President, Canadian Space Society (CSS)

Regards,
Tahir Merali - SSP08, MSM09

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CAISU Logo Design Survey

You are invited to participate in the CAISU New Logo Survey !
Cast your vote for your favorite design by Monday April 20 2009.
The winning logo design will be announced on Friday April 24 2009.

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National Space Awareness Workshop 2008

The National Space Awareness Workshop 2008 was a success!

Thank you to all those who contributed to turn this event into a smoothly running workshop with very interesting presentations and many networking opportunities. The final NSAW report is now available online.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the next National Space Awareness Workshop, which will be held in Ottawa in 2010.

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Roadshows

It is that time of the year again for CAISU Roadshows. If you are doing a roadshow or have already done one, please send us an e-mail and let us know the time, place and your contact for setting up your roadshow, as we are keeping a database to make roadshows easier for new alumni in the future. I you would also like some posters for ISU 2009, please let us know.

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