University of Toronto Aerospace Team

Last Thursday, our Aerospace Policy Division and Outreach Portfolio hosted the inaugural Aerospace Technology & Society Industry Night—bringing together 60+ students from engineering, political science, business, computer science, and physics. This one-of-a-kind event provided a rare opportunity for students to engage directly with six industry leaders—Aird & Berlis LLP, Nuclear Promise X, NordSpace, Ribbit, Safran Landing Systems, and Canadian Space Mining Corporation (CSMC). Through enriching presentations and fireside chats, students walked away inspired by the groundbreaking work happening in Canada’s aerospace sector and its intersections with industries like nuclear. More importantly, they gained an appreciation of technology’s interconnected relationship with society—through the lenses of policy and law, environmental impact, and socioeconomics—and the importance of interdisciplinary thinking to drive innovation and sustainability in aerospace. 🪐Special thanks to: Dr. Jeremy C.-H. Wang (Ribbit), Marek Lorenc (Aird & Berlis), Pratik Gandhi & Iyah Alideeb (Nuclear Promise X), Rebecca Alain & Darsh Jain (Canadian Space Mining Corporation), Shannon Bosilac & Samantha Butt (Safran Landing Systems), and Rahul Goel (NordSpace) for their invaluable insights and guidance to the next generation of aerospace leaders. None of this would have been possible without the incredible efforts of our co-organizers, Natacha Hughes and Niki Bidhendi, and the entire organizing team (Richard Fung, Dominik Adamiak, Ayush Roy, Isabella Schick, Hannah Nicole Chua, Kiran Ramlogan, Parneet Saini, Yume Yamamoto, Eryn Richardson-Bartha, Carrie He, Dilara E., Akshat Gandhi), as well as our amazing volunteers (Tasfia Mehbuba I., Kai C., Vienna Schick). We’re incredibly proud of this event and excited to establish it as a flagship annual event—scaling it to even greater heights in the years ahead 🌍 #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #Aerospace #TechnologyAndSociety #STEM #Innovation #Outreach #Policy #InterdisciplinaryThinking #FutureOfAerospace #Leadership #Sustainability

We’d like to welcome Rahul Goel, our final industry night speaker from NordSpace! Rahul is a proud Canadian, serial entrepreneur, space tech angel investor, and aerospace engineer on a mission to add critical sovereign launch capabilities and secure Canada's future in space. He is the CEO and founder of NordSpace, a Canadian space company building an end-to-end orbital launch system for Canada including a private spaceport, Spaceport Canada, and hypersonic defence capabilities. Rahul holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and is also pursuing a PhD part-time at UTIAS in space robotics with the goal to develop a compact Canadian lunar rover. He sits on the board of Launch Canada and Space Place Canada to develop new programs and facilities that support Canadians pursuing space-related science and engineering interests. NordSpace is a Canadian company with the bold mission to advance life on Earth from space, and build an end-to-end space missions company - vying to be the first in Canadian history to open the floodgates to space, and develop Canada into a true sovereign spacefaring nation. The company's efforts include an orbital launch vehicle, private spaceport, space systems/satellites development services, and more. NordSpace is planning its first suborbital flight test later this year from its private spaceport, Spaceport Canada. #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #IndustryNight

We’d like to welcome Samantha Butt, our second industry night speaker from Safran Landing Systems! Samantha Butt (Mech 2T3 + PEY) is a proud alumni of the University of Toronto, graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Mechanical Engineering. She completed her Professional Experience Year Co-op placement at SAFRAN Landing Systems in the Research & Technology department, supporting the development of landing gear systems for future aircraft. In her current role as a Jr. Designer, she contributes to the mechanical design and analysis of landing gear for commercial, business and military aircraft. Outside of the office, you can find Samantha at the gym, rock climbing or listening to music. Safran Landing Systems is the world leader in aircraft landing and braking systems. Its expertise covers the entire life cycle of its products, from design and manufacturing to maintenance and repair. The company has partnerships with more than 25 airframers in civil, regional, commercial and military transport, supporting more than 30,000 aircraft. The Ajax Plant (aka Safran Landing Systems Toronto) is one of ten global manufacturing facilities under the Safran Landing Systems umbrella.  It specializes in design, manufacturing, testing and servicing aircraft landing gear. Over the last 75+ years, the site has produced landing gear for more than 20 aircraft programs, including F/A-18 Super Hornet, V-22 Osprey, Bombardier Global 7500 Business Jet and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #IndustryNight

We’d like to welcome Shannon Bosilac one of our two industry night speakers from Safran Landing Systems! Shannon Bosilac (P. Eng) has been working at SAFRAN Landing Systems Canada since 2018 within the Design and Analysis department where she has progressed to a Design Engineer. During her time at her alma mater, the University of Windsor, she completed a co-op at an aerospace and automotive manufacturing company, which solidified her dream to become a design engineer. She currently mentors multiple interns, while contributing to the clean sheet and/or iterative designs for new commercial, business and military aircraft landing gear. In her spare time, you can often find her painting or playing soccer. Safran Landing Systems is the world leader in aircraft landing and braking systems. Its expertise covers the entire life cycle of its products, from design and manufacturing to maintenance and repair. The company has partnerships with more than 25 airframers in civil, regional, commercial and military transport, supporting more than 30,000 aircraft. The Ajax Plant (aka Safran Landing Systems Toronto) is one of ten global manufacturing facilities under the Safran Landing Systems umbrella.  It specializes in design, manufacturing, testing and servicing aircraft landing gear. Over the last 75+ years, the site has produced landing gear for more than 20 aircraft programs, including F/A-18 Super Hornet, V-22 Osprey, Bombardier Global 7500 Business Jet and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #IndustryNight

This past Thursday, Kepler Communications Inc. hosted an incredible industry night in collaboration with UTAT, where our members had the opportunity to engage with Kepler engineers, gain valuable mentorship, and explore Kepler’s groundbreaking vision of bringing the internet to space. A huge thank you to Kepler Communications Inc. for this invaluable experience and for fostering meaningful networking opportunities. Special appreciation to Alison Brewster, Cameron Paul, Alex Lao, Jonathan Lung, Noah Zepp, and Jamil Shariff for sharing their insights and inspiring the next generation of space engineers! #UTAT #RedefiningLimits

We’d like to welcome Dr. Jeremy C.-H. Wang industry night speaker from Ribbit! Dr. Jeremy Wang is a Canadian aerospace engineer and entrepreneur with 10 years of experience in dual-use aerial robotics and regional air mobility. Jeremy's prior experience spans aircraft collision avoidance research at York University, on-orbit servicing policy at SGAC, several roles at UTAT including executive director, liquid rocket engine development at DLR, and industrial as well as military drone development as CTO at Canada's top commercial drone operator—currently, Jeremy serves as co-founder and COO of Ribbit. He holds a BASc in Engineering Science (Toronto), PhD in Mechanical Engineering (Waterloo), and serves as an adjunct professor of systems design engineering at the University of Waterloo. Founded in 2020, Ribbit builds and operates dual-use self-flying airplanes to improve transportation in rural, remote, and coastal areas. Ribbit is partnered with several wholesalers who spend $42M/yr on air freight into remote Indigenous communities, and is credited with the first hands-free gate-to-gate flight in Canada. Ribbit is also a federal contractor to the Government of Canada, delivering advanced capabilities in autonomy and human-autonomy teaming for northern transportation and defence logistics. #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #IndustryNight

We’d like to welcome Rebecca Alain our second industry night speakers from the Canadian Space Mining Corporation (CSMC)! Rebecca has a background in Biomechanical Engineering and is experienced with CAD software, the development of human-machine interfaces, robotics, and the fabrication of engineering prototypes. Since joining CSMC as a project engineer in 2023, Rebecca has rapidly built expertise in multiphysics modeling and nuclear microreactor designs. She contributes to both technical work, project management, and business development activities for the company’s Low Enriched Uranium Nuclear Reactor (LEUNR) - a dual-use and high TRL microreactor with terrestrial and space applications. CANADIAN SPACE MINING CORPORATION (CSMC) is a Canadian leader in dual-use technologies; those that solve long-term problems in space while also meeting immediate challenges on Earth. CSMC is commercially-focused and has established a leadership position in 3 primary markets: healthcare, resource utilization, and nuclear power. Since its inception in 2020, CSMC has been awarded millions in government funding for core projects that have delivered transformative innovations, including; high-TRL microreactor development, rapidly deployable and low-powered advanced care systems, and novel and sustainable approaches to resource exploration and clean water generation. #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #IndustryNight

We’d like to welcome Darsh Jain one of two industry night speakers from the Canadian Space Mining Corporation (CSMC)! Darsh's background in Chemical Engineering supports his work in both project management and engineering. As a member of the In-Situ Resource Utilization group as a Project Engineer at CSMC, he focuses on optimizing chemical processing techniques for lunar and terrestrial mining to enhance efficiency and adaptability. He has also developed additive manufacturing processes using regolith, which advances dual-use technologies for space and Earth applications. CANADIAN SPACE MINING CORPORATION (CSMC) is a Canadian leader in dual-use technologies; those that solve long-term problems in space while also meeting immediate challenges on Earth. CSMC is commercially-focused and has established a leadership position in 3 primary markets: healthcare, resource utilization, and nuclear power. Since its inception in 2020, CSMC has been awarded millions in government funding for core projects that have delivered transformative innovations, including; high-TRL microreactor development, rapidly deployable and low-powered advanced care systems, and novel and sustainable approaches to resource exploration and clean water generation. #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #IndustryNight

We’d like to welcome our second speaker from Nuclear Promise X, Pratik Gandhi! Pratik currently works as a consultant with Nuclear Promise X (NPX), primarily supporting Canada’s nuclear industry with digital transformation. He graduated in 2019 from the University of Waterloo with a B.ASc in Chemical Engineering and completed his M.Eng in Nuclear Engineering through McMaster University in 2023. In early 2024, Pratik performed a study on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency to determine if a Radioisotope Power Supply Chain could be established in Canada. Nuclear Promise X (NPX) is a consulting company which provides a variety of products and services, primarily to Canada’s nuclear industry. NPX was founded in 2018 and has since then grown into a company of 150+ employees and customers across Canada and the USA, including being involved with every new nuclear project in Canada. While they look to provide low cost solutions to the nuclear industry through modern technology and methodologies, NPX prides itself on their involvement in their local communities and internal innovation incubator. NPX is looking to expand their impact beyond just conventional power generation, and is looking at how to use nuclear technologies for other applications (Space Exploration, Medicine, etc.) #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #IndustryNight

Please welcome our second speaker for our Industry Night, Iyah Alideeb from Nuclear Promise X! Iyah Alideeb is an Innovation Catalyst at Nuclear Promise X, driving advancements in nuclear technology, isotope production, and reactor applications. With a background in Engineering Physics and Management from McMaster University, she drives initiatives in nuclear propulsion, radioisotopes for power systems, and fission surface power for space applications. Her expertise spans project management, research, and business development, supporting key industry collaborations in Canada’s nuclear sector. Nuclear Promise X (NPX) is a consulting company which provides a variety of products and services, primarily to Canada’s nuclear industry. NPX was founded in 2018 and has since then grown into a company of 150+ employees and customers across Canada and the USA, including being involved with every new nuclear project in Canada. While they looks to provide low cost solutions to the nuclear industry at low cost driven by modern technology and methodologies, NPX prides itself on their involvement in their local communities and internal innovation incubator. NPX is looking to expand their impact beyond just conventional power generation, and is looking at how to use nuclear technologies for other applications (Space Exploration, Medicine, etc.) #UTAT #RedefiningLimits #IndustryNight