Class of 2001 Biographies

Catherine Beaulieu

Catherine holds a Master's degree in clinical psychology and business administration. Specialized in work performance, she is a consultant for Employee Helping Programs. Since 10 years, she works as a research assistant in the Management and Technology department at University of Quebec in Montreal. She also has a counseling practice in Montreal. After she worked as a department manager, she developed strong interests in employee training. She is currently doing a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational psychology where she wants to validate a psychological training program for astronauts assigned to long duration missions. She would like to become a member of an in-flight support team for space missions.

Pierre Boisvert

Pierre is a mechanical engineer, graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, in 1985.  He performed graduate studies in the Master in Aeronautics program from the McGill, Concordia and Polytechnique universities.  He currently works as a Payload Integration and Operations Engineer on the ISS program at the Canadian Space Agency.  Before joining CSA, he worked for several years in the aerospace industry, namely at SPAR Aerospace (now EMS Technologies) where he worked for about 10 years, specializing in the thermal analysis field.  He was thermal lead on several satellite projects such as the Radarsat 1 and 2, and the ASAR antenna for the Envisat spacecraft.  He his married and has two daughters.  He enjoys biking and playing hockey, and has a private pilot license.  He also enjoys making presentations on space topics to kids in schools.

Richard Giroux

Richard got is undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, Canada.  During his degree, he spent one year at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Lausanne.  He attended a Master's in Applied Science at the Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal in May 1998 and completed it in November 1999.  His research was partly sponsored by Bombardier Aerospace and was entitled: "Optimization of observation missions and path following control for a VTOL-UAV".  After working for a while at Oerlikon Aerospace, Canada, he has been admitted at the Ecole de Technologie Supérieure, in September 2000, where he is currently a Ph.D. student.  He is working on the improvement of electronic inertial navigation system performance and autonomy by use of suitable filtering and data fusion techniques.

Ryan Granlund

Ryan is an Advanced Member of the Technical Staff with the COM DEV Space Group specializing in the design and testing of microwave multiplexers, filters and passive structures. He completed a Bachelor of Aerospace Electronics and Systems Engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa in 1999.  He has 2 Initial Patent Filings for an RF Microwave to Fiber Optic converter and for a satellite constellation design. He attended Space Academy Level 2 in Huntsville, Alabama in 1992. Ryan is an avid private and glider pilot and a groundschool instructor with the Air Cadet League of Canada. He enjoys hockey, water/downhill skiing, travelling and outdoor activities.

Suzanne Green

My name is Suzanne Green and I work for a remote sensing company in BC, Canada.  I was born in the UK and I have dual nationality for both Canada and the UK. I obtained a B.Sc. Hons. Degree in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems from Bath, UK.  Since graduating in 1996, I have worked within the remote sensing field in both England and Canada and I have obtained a broad knowledge of the International space community.  My current work focuses on optical and radar satellite image processing and analysis. I am a very enthusiastic person and I enjoy learning for the advancement of my career.  I am a keen team player and thoroughly enjoy the challenges of problem solving. I am very much looking forward to the opportunity of meeting everyone at Space University and the challenges of the course.

Jameel Janjua

I am currently completing my first year of a Master of Science degree in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  In May 2000, I received a Bachelor of Chemical and Materials Engineering degree from the Royal Military College of Canada and was commissioned as a Second‑Lieutenant in the Canadian Air Force. Following the completion of my graduate work, I will return to Canada to continue my wings training as a pilot in the military.  In the future, I hope to become involved in the experimental testing and evaluation of aircraft.  I hold valid Glider Pilot's and Private Pilot's Licenses and enjoy recreational aviation.  In my leisure time I also enjoy playing most sports, especially ice hockey and football.  I look forward to meeting all of you and having an exciting summer.

Catherine Laurin

I was born in Montreal (QC) in 1976, but I grew up in St-Hyacinthe (QC) with two younger sisters and parents that I love. For as long as I remember, space has always interested me. In 10th grade, I had the opportunity to attend the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. I knew from then on that I wanted to pursue a career in the space sector. Throughout my last year of high school, I looked for universities offering undergraduate programs in a space-related field. The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) had a space science degree and with its demanding academic program, variety of sport activities and challenges, it sounded like the best option. At 17, I enrolled as an aerospace engineer in the Canadian Forces. I spent the next five years juggling between school, military responsibilities, sports, dancing and friends. After I graduated from RMC in 1998, I went on to do my Master degree at the University of Toronto in atmospheric physics, which I completed in 1999. Since then, I have been working at the Canadian Space Agency in St-Hubert (QC). I am a member of the Mission Management Office for RADARSAT-1 and I love it. But work is not everything. I am a big outdoor fan. I love doing activities outside: hiking, cross-country running, mountain biking, rock climbing, camping, etc. I need to continuously move. I need this feeling of freedom. It is my way of relaxing. I also like listening to music (all kinds), reading space literature and going out with my friends.

Nancy Martineau

Nancy is currently pursuing graduate studies in the field of astrophysics at the Université de Montréal. Her research focuses on the dark matter distribution in spiral galaxies. This project is part of the international collaboration called GHASP (Gassendi survey of HAlpha Spirals) and was conducted at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) 3.6m telescope in La Silla, Chile. During her electrical engineering degree at École Polytechnique de Montréal, Nancy was involved with the development of an active vibration‑suppression system applied to twin‑tail buffeting of the Boeing F/A‑18 jet aircraft at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). While working for LinCom Corporation, she had performed simulations of escape trajectories for the International Space Station (ISS) Crew Return Vehicle (CRV). As part of exchange programs, she also studied at the University of Alberta in Canada and at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico. Her interests include biking, mountaineering and climbing.

Simon Nolet

I'm 25 years old.  I am currently achieving a M.Eng. degree in Aerospace Engineering at MIT. My specialization is Systems Engineering.  Before coming to MIT, I completed a B.Eng. degree in mechanical engineering, with a concentration in aeronautics, at Universite de Sherbrooke.

Laryssa Patten

Laryssa completed a B.A.Sc in Engineering Science at the University of Toronto in 1998. She began working at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as a Mission Planner on the RADARSAT satellite program and was a  member of the operations team responsible for planning payload images. She managed the activities of RADARSAT foreign ground stations and was part of the international team that established the operational baseline of the Charter on Space and Disasters, a cooperative program set up with CNES, ESA, and CSA, to coordinate acquisition and utilization of spacecraft resources to aid in disaster relief. Laryssa is currently working for CSA as an Operations Engineer/Robotics Instructor on Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS), the Mobile Servicing System (MSS). She has a personal interest in planetary exploration; she completed a thesis related to development of an atmospheric model of Mars. She speaks English, Ukrainian, French, and is learning to speak Russian.

Joan Saary

I am the Chief Resident in the Occupational Medicine program at the University of Toronto, and am doing a PhD in health outcomes research in the Clinician Scientist program concurrently with my residency training.  I recently participated in a one month Aerospace Medicine elective at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, for which I was sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency.  One of my favourite hobbies is travelling, second only to watching my young son’s fearless exploration of the world; which makes me think about the reasons why we are all so interested in the exploration of space.  He will see us reach Mars, won’t he?

Jennifer Sokol

I was born in Southern Ontario, Canada in August 1972.  My undergraduate honors degree in Environmental Studies was completed in 1996 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.  I am currently pursuing my master's degree, part-time, at Carleton University.  My research goals are focused on using various remote sensing platforms, both satellite and airborne, for wetland research in Atlantic Canada.  I am currently employed as an Environmental Scientist in the Applications Development Section of the Canada Center for Remote Sensing.  Personal interests include camping, canoeing, boxing and running.