Queen's Space Conference

Case Competition

Unearth: The Exploration of Space!

January 26th - 28th, 2018

Queen's Space Conference 2018

The Queen's Space Conference (QSC), held at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, is an annual, non-profit, student-run conference focused on connecting undergraduate students with space industry leaders.

What Is QSC?

The conference is centered around a series of exciting talks, innovative workshops, and networking opportunities. We strive to bring together industry professionals in order to provide delegates the most informative, inspiring, and memorable conference possible. QSC is about sparking thought and idea-generation, raising awareness of the space industry, and piquing the interest in space for the future generation.

Unearth: The Exploration of Space!

What milestones have already been achieved in developing an understanding of space and in exploring the great unknown? Where will the future of space take us, and what's in store for the next generation of the Canadian space industry? Join us at QSC 2018 to Unearth the answers! This year, QSC will take place January 26th - 28th at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. This promises to be a stellar experience, and the best space conference yet!

Delegates

Get Ready For An Unforgettable Weekend!
  January 26th - 28th, 2018  

Discover

With talks from engaging speakers in varying fields and a case competition centred around a relevant problem, discover new perspectives and insights into space and all of its opportunities. Learn about what the next big steps are and how they will revolutionize the industry.

Connect

Our conference brings in students from various universities across Canada, providing the opportunity to develop a network with like minded individuals. Speakers and for the conference are industry leaders, providing cutting edge information on everything space.

Interact

People in this industry are some of the most passionate around. The Queen's Space Conference goes beyond just providing content by creating an unrivaled experience. Events outside of the speaker talks allow for delegates to interact in a more casual setting and share their excitement for what is yet to come.

Tickets

Unearth the mysteries of space exploration with QSC

2018 Applications Closed.

Saturday Day Pass

  • Just want a taste of QSC?
  • Talks by Professionals in the Space Industry, including the Keynote Speaker
  • A Case Competition & network opportunities
  • Lunch and a Banquet Dinner on Saturday
  • Exclusively available to First Year Queen's students

RMC Weekend Pass

  • Talks by professionals in the space industry
  • A case competition
  • A banquet on Saturday night
  • Meals throughout the weekend
  • Hotel stay not included
  • Exclusively available to RMC students

Regular Ticket

  • Talks by professionals in the space industry
  • A two night Stay at the Four Points Hotel
  • A case competition
  • A banquet on Saturday night
  • Meals throughout the weekend

Platinum Ticket

  • Talks by professionals in the space industry
  • A two night stay at the Four Points Hotel
  • A case competition
  • A banquet on Saturday night
  • Meals throughout the weekend
  • Exclusive networking event with speakers and sponsors
  • Priority seating for all talks

Applications Closed

Sponsors

Recruit

Throughout our application process, we ensure that every delegate at QSC is forward thinking and passionate about space, and what the future holds. Our delegates - intelligent and open to new opportunities - will excel at companies like yours.

Network

Each year at QSC we host a Platinum networking event that brings together all speakers, sponsors, and VIP delegates. Everyone in the room will have something to offer, enabling company reps to network with the brightest and most passionate Ontario undergraduate students.

Gain Exposure

Your company can be featured in QSC's newsletters - reaching all faculties at Queen's, as well as groups from other universities across Ontario. With us, you will have the opportunity to network and share with delegates, to build brand recognition, and to make a lasting impact at Queen's and beyond.

Partners

2018 Speakers

Dave Williams

Astronaut, Physician, Public Speaker

NASA / CSA / Exploration Inc.

"Dafydd Rhys "Dave" Williams OC is a Canadian physician, public speaker and a retired CSA astronaut. Williams was a mission specialist on two space shuttle missions. His first spaceflight, STS-90 in 1998, was a 16-day mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia dedicated to neuroscience research. His second flight, STS-118 in August 2007, was flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station. During that mission he performed three spacewalks, becoming the third Canadian to perform a spacewalk and setting a Canadian record for total number of spacewalks. These spacewalks combined for a total duration of 17 hours and 47 minutes. In 1998, Williams became the first non-American to hold a senior management position within NASA, when he held the position of Director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Center."

Ewan Reid

President and CEO

Mission Control Space Services Inc.

"Ewan Reid is President and CEO of Mission Control Space Services Inc. founded in 2015 to pursue opportunities in the space/robotics sector.  Prior to founding Mission Control he held several positions at Neptec Design Group including Rover Power and Electrical Lead.  During his tenure in this role he was a lead designer on three rover prototypes for the Canadian Space Agency and supported a NASA/CSA lunar mission simulation on the slopes of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, manning the ROVER support console answering directly to the mission’s Flight Director.  Previously he was a systems and electrical designer and operations engineer for Neptec’s Laser Camera System.  In this capacity he was a mission controller for nine of the last 12 Space Shuttle missions at Mission Control at NASA JSC.  He also conducted numerous testing and verification activities at NASA KSC.  Ewan has degrees in Electrical Engineering and Economics from Queen’s University and is currently wrapping up a Master’s degree in Technology Innovation Management at Carleton University."

Dr. Chris Damaren

Ph.D, P.Eng., Professor and Director

U of T Institute for Aerospace Studies

"Christopher J. Damaren is a Professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) and currently serves as its Director. He received a BASc in Engineering Science (Aerospace Option) from the University of Toronto in 1985. He went on to receive both MASc and PhD degrees in 1987 and 1990, respectively, both in aerospace engineering from UTIAS. From 1990 to 1995 he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering at Royal Roads Military College in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. From 1995 to 1999 he was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Since 1999 he has been at UTIAS. From 2008 to 2013, he served as the Vice-Dean Graduate Studies for the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. His research interests are in the areas of dynamics and control of space systems.  He has made significant contributions to the control problems for structurally flexible robotic manipulators, flexible spacecraft, and spacecraft attitude control. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics."

Ed Birchnall

Robotics Training Lead/Mission Controller

Canadian Space Agency

"Mr. Birchnall graduated from our very own Queen's University in 1999 with a degree in Engineering Physics. Currently, he works for the Canadian Space Agency as the Robotics Training Lead and ISS Robotics Flight Controller. Mr. Birchnall is responsible for the planning and execution of real-time operations involving Canadarm2, a 17-metre long robotic arm that is routinely used to move supplies, equipment, and even astronauts in space."

Alex Ahern

PhD Candidate - Planetary Geology

Stony Brook University

"Alexandra Ahern is a graduate student at Stony Brook University in the Department of Geosciences under Dr. A. Deanne Rogers, where she studies the thermophysical responses of surface materials on Mars as part of the Mars Odyssey THEMIS team. She completed her B.S. and M.S. in Geology at Brigham Young University, where she studied tectonic and volcanic processes on Jupiter's moon Io with Dr. Jani Radebaugh. While also at BYU, she worked as a researcher, preparator, and educator at the BYU Museum of Paleontology. Alex has also worked on various projects for energy companies and in science outreach with children of all ages. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano and a variety of traditional Irish instruments with local Irish music enthusiasts. Alex is also an avid southern Utah explorer, a diehard sports fan, and a crossword puzzle enthusiast. "

Bayar Goswami

Doctoral student

Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University

"Mr. Goswami is a Doctoral student at the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University. After receiving his law degree from the Institute of Law at Nirma University in India in 2015, he went on to pursue LL.M. in Air and Space Law from IASL where he wrote a thesis titled "Theorizing Cosmic Environmental Law" dealing with cosmology and studying the Anthropocene epoch vis-á-vis the International Environmental and Space law. Mr. Goswami is passionate about triggering dialogues which challenge the developmental paradigm, particularly at the onset of modern space age. Welcome, Mr. Goswami!"

Dr. Alan Thompson

Chief Systems Engineer

RADARSAT Constellation Mission

"Alan Thompson is the Chief Systems Engineer on the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) at MDA. RCM is a constellation of three Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites being developed by MDA for the Canadian Space Agency. Alan has worked on RCM since its very beginning as a study in 2003 until the present, where the program is nearly ready for launch. Alan joined MDA in 1999 to work on RADARSAT-2 as a senior systems engineer. Prior to working at MDA, Alan worked on RADARSAT-1 SAR processing at Array Systems in Toronto. Alan has a Ph.D. in mathematics from MIT (in the field of integral geometry) and also a B.Sc. (Hon) in mathematics and computer Science from Queen’s university. While his Ph.D. was in pure mathematics, the radar imaging systems he currently works on are applications of the types of mathematics he used to study and develop."

Andre Dupuis

Col (Ret) Canadian Armed Forces

Director of Space Requirements

"Col (Ret) Andre Dupuis retired from the Canadian Armed Forces as the Director of Space requirements. In that capacity he was responsible for the requirements definition, space mission design and acquisition oversight of the Department of National Defence's national security space programme, to include Surveillance of Space, Space-based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance. Satellite Communications, Navigation Warfare and Research and Development. Currently, Mr. Dupuis is the President and CEO of Space Strategies Consulting Ltd, a company that provides advice, mission concept development and mission planning across a broad spectrum of space programmes. Mission expertise includes earth observation missions, especially space-based maritime domain awareness, space surveillance and SATCOM."

Dr. Marianne Mader

ROM Managing Director

Centres for Earth & Space/ Fossils & Evolution

"She’s dedicated her career to sharing her love for science and space exploration through innovative public engagement, participatory education, and planetary science research. Currently, the Managing Director of Earth & Space/Fossils & Evolution at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Marianne leads multidisciplinary initiatives to help people understand the Earth, our solar system and how life evolved over time. As part of her mission to make education accessible and engaging, Marianne co-founded STEAMLabs, a non-profit community makerspace, where people of different ages and abilities come together to learn and create using digital fabrication, coding, and more. With over 13 years of research & field experience, Dr. Mader has studied some of the oldest rocks on Earth in Greenland, explored impact craters across the globe, and collected meteorites in Antarctica. She’s worked with the Canadian Space Agency, NASA, and numerous Canadian space companies. She’s Visiting Lecturer at the International Space University, and her education includes a PhD in Planetary Science, MSc in Space Studies, and an MSc in Earth Sciences."

Past Speakers

Dr. Robert Thirsk

Former Astronaut, Canadian Space Agency

Dr. Jeffrey Sutton

President & CEO, National Space Biomedical Research Institute

Ryan Anderson

Director of Satellite Systems, QShift Inc.

Eric Choi

Aerospace Engineer & Science Fiction Author

Jeff Lee

Professor, Center for Astrophysics, Space Science, and Engineering Research

Kate Howells

Global Community Outreach Manager, The Planetary Society

Ewan Reid

President & CEO, Mission Control Space Services Inc.

Dr. Odette Laneuville

Co-Investigator, MARROW Study aboard the ISS

Our Team

Rachel Steinhart
Co-Chair

Fiona Burns
Co-Chair

Speakers

Colin MacLeod
Speakers Director

Becca Bonham-Carter
Speakers Coordinator

Sam Roper
Speakers Coordinator

Sponsorship

Aaron Rosenstein
Sponsorship Director

Matthew Skarsgard
Sponsorship Coordinator

Jack Ellis
Sponsorship Coordinator

Marketing & Media

Douglas Gowing
Publications & Media Coordinator

Cory Crowley
IT Coordinator & Webmaster

Mark Besse
Marketing Coordinator

Operations

Duncan Cameron-Steinke
Logistics Coordinator

Ted Ecclestone
Finance Coordinator

Isabelle Sanders
Events Coordinator

Julia Kerr
Internal Delegates Coordinator

Laura Motahedin
External Delegates Coordinator

Adam Pukier
First Year Representative