More Canadian Universities with a Space Connection

One of  the reasons why Canadian universities contribute to space activities. Since the graphic was created in 2009, government funding for space has stagnated, while private sector funding has continued to grow.

The September  3rd, 2012 post on "Canadian Universities with a Space Connection" provided a high level overview of some of the post secondary educational facilities which help to supply space science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals for both commercial and government space efforts.

Here's a slightly updated version of that earlier list, covering recent changes over the last year. The revised list now includes:

• The Carlton University Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering – Students from this faculty came in third in the 2008 NASA Great Moon Buggy Race. Its also the home of the CU3SAT micro-satellite project, which competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge.

• Concordia University - Home of Space Concordia, a team of Concordia University engineering students interested in the techniques and processes of astronautical engineering. The team was an entrant in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge. 

• Laurentian University – The 2011 Lunabotics Challenge (now known as the NASA Robotic Mining Competition) was awarded to a team from Laurentian University.

• McGill Institute of Air and Space Law – Focused on "training aviation and space focused lawyers to serve throughout the world." The faculty maintains close relationships with the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum Committee on Air and Space Law and publishes the Annals of Space Law Journal.

• The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics - A basic research centre dedicated to "exploring the world around us at its most fundamental level." The institute supports over 80 resident researchers and a vigorous visitor program of cross-disciplinary research in condensed matter, cosmology & gravitation, particle physics, quantum foundations, quantum gravity, quantum information theory, superstring theory and related areas.

• The Ryerson University Engineering Graduate Program – Focuses on aerodynamics and propulsion, aerospace structures, manufacturing, avionics and aerospace systems. 

• The University of Alberta - Home to both the Centre for Earth Observation Sciences (CEOS), which uses Earth observation and imaging technology monitor environmental changes, manage resources and formulate sustainable development policies, and the Institute for Space Science, Exploration and Technology (ISSET), a pioneering interdisciplinary centre for planetary and space research. University faculty have also organized the annual Canada-Norway Student Sounding Rocket (CaNoRock) exchange program and the University AlbertaSat-1 team competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge.

• The University of British Columbia - Home of the UBC Orbit team which competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge and Dr. Jaymie Matthews, who acts as chief scientist and principal investigator for the Microvariability & Oscillations of STars (MOST) microsatellite.

• The University of Calgary (UofC) - Home of the Institute for Space Research, which is part of the Department of Physics and focused on the areas of space plasma, aural imaging and analysis and modeling plus the Institute for Space Imaging Science which is leading the development of the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (e-POP), a scientific payload for CASSIOPE, the first, made-in-Canada multi-purpose small satellite mission from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

• The University of Guelph Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) - Part of Ontario Agricultural College, CESRF and its Space and Advanced Life Support Agriculture program focus on plant research for space and other closed environment related activities. Has useful connections with the Canadian Space Agency and the strong support of NASA's Advanced Life Support (ALS) community.

• The University of Manitoba - Home of the UMSATS, which competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge. 

• The University of Saskatchewan Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies - Focused on the observations, theory and models are used to investigate the earth's troposphere, middle atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere. Possesses strong links to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) through various contributions to the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (ODIN OSIRIS), the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission, the Canadian Geo-space Monitoring (CGSM) programs and the Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change (CANDAC) plus international research connections through the Climate And Weather of the Sun-Earth System (CAWSES) program, the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) and the Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) program.

• The University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team (USST) - A student run organization which dominated the 2011 NASA sponsored Space Elevator Games and competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CSDC).

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• The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) – The first Canadian academic institution able to build low cost spacecraft, micro-satellites and nano-satellites. Collaborates with business, government and academic institutions on the development of new space technologies and strengthening the Canadian skill base in space systems engineering. According to Wikipedia the institute “has seen a number of firsts: world’s first microwave-powered aircraft, the world’s first engine-powered ornithopter (both inventions of James DeLaurier) and Canada’s first space telescope MOST.” Areas of expertise include aircraft design (particularly at subsonic speeds), flight simulation, space robotics, micro satellite technology, computational fluid dynamics and nuclear fusion. The facility has close relationships with Bombardier, NASA Ames, and MD Robotics. 

• The University of Waterloo –  Home of Canada's largest engineering faculty (divided up into several different schools and research centres, most notably Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) the university also hosts the Waterloo Space Society (WSS), which organizes and promotes space-related events at Waterloo and the larger community. The WSS also has two active engineering sub-teams: WatSat which is participated in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge and UW Rocketry which is participated in the  Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition.

• The University of Western Ontario (UWO) – Home to the Canadian Lunar Research Network (CLRN), composed of people from a range of professions (scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs) and from a variety of organizations (academia, industry and government) focused on Moon research, plus the Centre for Planetary Science & Exploration (CPSE), focused on building planetary science, exploration and space systems design.

• York University - The old Faculty of Science and Engineering split apart into the Faculty of Science and the Lassonde School of Engineering in 2012. The new Lassonde school includes the department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering (which bills itself as the only accredited "space engineering" program in Canada) and the Earth and Space Science graduate program. It's expected that the new curriculum slowly being rolled out at Lassonde will also include student co-op placements plus (in co-operation with the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School) an emphasis on business and law components considered relevant to high tech engineering firms. York scientists, engineers and students have contributed the Phoenix Scout Mission, SCISAT (the Canadian Space Agency mission to research the ozone layer) the Canadian WINDII instrument (on NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) and the Canadian OSIRIS instrument (for Sweden’s Odin satellite). York is also home of the York University Rover Team which competed in the 2011 University Rover Challenge, an annual event organized by the US based Mars Society.