Customer since: May 2018
Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you are located.
I am an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, a Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy, and the co-director of the Outer Space Institute. The cosmos holds many wonders and puzzles that drive my curiosity and passion for space exploration, something I enjoy sharing with others. I am also an aviator, and am privileged to be able to experience British Columbia from the air. I live in the Greater Vancouver area and work at UBC, which sits on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Musqueam First Nation.
What is the Outer Space Institute?
The Outer Space Institute (OSI) (https://outerspaceinstitute.ca) is a network of world-leading space experts united by their commitment to highly innovative, transdisciplinary research that addresses grand challenges facing the continued use and exploration of space. Comprised of physical scientists, social scientists, lawyers, engineers, industry leaders, and policy makers, the OSI is able to identify challenges, opportunities, and solutions that have been overlooked by other groups.
Why did you get into this line of work?
The use and exploration of outer space brings many advances to humanity, whether that is through connectivity, search and rescue, global stability, weather monitoring, and fundamental science. It also the means by which we explore other worlds, whether by telescopes or spacecraft or both. The problem is that our rapid increase in the use of outer space is stressing the Earth-space system in ways that we do not yet fully understand. Associated challenges include casualty risks from uncontrolled reentries of space objects, risks to space operations from orbital debris, changing the sky through light and radio pollution, and alterations of Earth’s upper atmosphere. My love of the natural world and my drive to explore space thus have come together.
What’s the best thing about it?
One of the best things about the OSI is its team of amazing people, who have a tremendous range of expertise. There is always something new to learn from a friend and colleague.
How does CanSpace solve the objectives you have for your website?
CanSpace has been a great platform for us, enabling multiple ways to interact with and update our website, giving us great hosting options, and having an incredibly responsive team who help us to find solutions for our web hosting needs.