Take Our Kids to Work Day at MDA Space

On November 6, MDA Space welcomed more than 70 very important guests to our Brampton, Kanata, and Richmond offices for Take Our Kids to Work Day.

Students had the opportunity to participate in a range of workshops and presentations, tailored to their location, including:

·        Virtual Reality. Run by members of the MDA Space Dynamic Robotic Emulation and Mixed Reality (DREAMR) Lab, students joined astronauts on a spacewalk as they watched Felix & Paul Studios’ 360-degree video filmed from the Canadarm2 aboard the International Space Station (ISS). They also explored NASA’s upcoming Gateway station with Canadarm3 as they flew around the Moon searching for and collecting “alien eggs” in a space-themed egg hunt.

·        Resume Writing. Featuring topics such as tips and tricks for getting your first job and how to use social media to your advantage in your job search.

·        Space Trivia. The students enjoyed some friendly competition for MDA Space branded merch  as they tested their knowledge of space and all things MDA Space.

·        STEM Activity: Paper Airplane Production and Building Spaghetti Rockets. Students were eager to build fighter jets under a tight deadline to meet customer demands in a role-play scenario. Others worked in teams to build rocket ships out of spaghetti and marshmallows.

·        Geocorrection and Imaging from an Aircraft. This workshop focused on the complications of pointing accuracy of a satellite and flight accuracy.

·        Spaceborne Satellites: Myths and Reality. In this workshop students explored the various types of satellites and the importance of Earth observation to track conflicts and monitor global environments such as fires, floods, oil spills etc.

·        Roles in Tech and Space. This presentation explored non-STEM related career paths in the space and tech industry, including walking students through a day in the life of a ‘Space Lawyer.’

Thoughts from the Students:

For students like Ella, it was interesting to learn about MDA Space and our history with the Canadarm. “I wasn’t really aware of the Canadarm legacy before, but it was very cool to explore MDA Space’s history and upcoming missions.”

Jaya, Jessica, Diya, and Eda enjoyed learning about the different career paths at MDA Space. “We didn’t think there were other career options in space that weren’t directly related to STEM. It gave us an outlook on other types of space jobs we could pursue.”

For Cole, his day at MDA Space opened his eyes to the different types of engineering and how those roles combined to execute projects such as Canadarm3. “I’m interested in a career in engineering, so today gave me a lot of insight into possible career pathways. It was also interesting to learn about co-op opportunities at MDA Space and what that would mean for me once I’m in university.”

Our team was excited to welcome all 70+ students to MDA Space. Thank you to our employees who sponsored a grade nine student and thank you to those who joined us to celebrate the day. We look forward to another successful event next year!