On December 3, David Saint-Jacques will launch with two crewmates from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station. David will spend six months aboard the Station as part of the ‘C3’ expedition, Canada’s third long-duration mission. Preparation for an ISS expedition is a significant undertaking requiring the […]
Education
Skills for Success in the Digital Economy
I dropped in last week on an educational workshop being held at the Vancouver office of SAP Canada. 40 Grade 6 to 9 students and their teachers from local schools were engaged in a hands-on project called Living Space. As I moved about their workspace, I noted that the students and teachers were coding tiny […]
To the class of 2018…
My four-year term as Chancellor of the University of Calgary will end later this month. It was a privilege to serve my home university, to gain a deeper understanding of its dynamic role in the Calgary community, and to work with many of its impassioned supporters from our campus and elsewhere. A special highlight was […]
Looking back on four years as Chancellor
My four-year term as Chancellor of the University of Calgary is coming to an end. It has been an enjoyable ride. Many people think of the chancellor solely as the official who attends formal university events and participates in convocation. The chancellors of Alberta’s three largest universities have responsibilities that go beyond simply presiding over […]
Failure: a critical element on the path to success
Several years ago, when I was a novice astronaut, I was asked to participate in a training simulation. The training session lasted about eight hours and involved mission managers, flight controllers and crew. As a participating crewmember, I was stationed in a high-fidelity simulator of the International Space Station in a building at the NASA […]
Why I nominated David Naylor
Last month we held the convocation ceremonies for the 2017 University of Calgary autumn graduates. During the morning ceremony, we also conferred an honorary degree on David Naylor, a respected scientist, scholar and health-care leader. I noted that university Senator Jocelyn Lockyer, a professor in our Department of Community Health Sciences, spearheaded the nomination for […]
Remembering Leonard Cohen
Last evening a concert was held to celebrate the life, songs and poetry of Leonard Cohen. Entitled Tower of Song: A Memorial Tribute to Leonard Cohen, the concert brought closure to the beloved artist’s passing one year ago. Fans and performers from around the world came to Montréal, Leonard’s home town, to pay tribute. In […]
International Space University’s Space Studies Program: a path to a career in space
Congratulations to Maliyat and TJ for determining that I was in Cork, Ireland earlier this month to participate in International Space University (ISU)’s Space Studies Program (SSP). I’ll put signed photos in the mail for both of you. My visit to Cork was brief but I did have the opportunity to deliver a lecture, adjudicate […]
Where am I?
I went for a walk yesterday (see the red track below). I’ll provide a signed photo to the first person who can state where I am and why I am visiting this city. Good luck! Hint: My starting and ending coordinates (green and red markers) were N 51° 53.059’, W 8° 31.922’ so it should […]
Retiring UCalgary Senator Gord Aker kept wheel of progress accelerating
Gord Aker has been a stalwart University of Calgary volunteer. For six years he held a variety of leadership positions within Senate, and mentored several students and new senators. Most significantly, he helped craft a new strategic plan for Senate that will guide our actions until 2019. Gord is retiring as a senator and participated […]