Roberta Bondar

Roberta Lynn Bondar, OC, O.Ont, BSc, MSc, PhD, DSc, MD, FRCP(C), FRSC (born December 4, 1945, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is Canada's first woman astronaut and the world's first neurologist in space.

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Education

She holds a B.Sc in zoology and agriculture from the University of Guelph (1968), an M.Sc in experimental pathology from the University of Western Ontario (1971), a Ph.D in neurobiology from the University of Toronto (1974), an MD from McMaster University (1977), and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in neurology 1981. She also contributed to space medicine as the world's first neurologist. When she was young she went to Sir James Dunn High School in Sault Ste. Marie.

NASA career

Bondar began astronaut training in 1984, and in 1990 was designated a prime Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission (IML-1). Dr. Bondar flew on the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery during Mission STS-42, January 22-30, 1992, during which she performed experiments in the Spacelab.^[1][2][3]

Bondar left the Canadian Space Agency in 1992 to pursue her research.

After NASA

She is currently the chancellor of Trent University to which she was appointed in 2003.

She has recently spoken about potential prevention strategies for Alzheimer's disease.^[4]

March 1, 2007, the Ontario government announced that Bondar would lead a review of how the environment and conservation are taught in Ontario schools. Education Minister Kathleen Wynne said Bondar has valuable insights on the skills and knowledge that students need in today's complex world.

Honours

In 1992 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1998 she was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame for her groundbreaking research in space medicine. Bondar has also received 24 honourary doctorates from Canadian and American universities, including Lakehead University whom conferred upon her an honourary Doctorate of Science degree in 1991, and an honourary Doctorate of Science from Royal Roads Military College in Victoria, British Columbia in 1993.

In 2003, Time Magazine named Roberta Bondar one of North America's Best Explorers. She is the holder of the NASA Space Medal and was inducted into the International Women's Forum Hall of Fame.

Legacy

In her hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, the Roberta Bondar Park and tent pavilion bear her name as does the Ontario government building at 70 Foster Drive. Roberta Bondar Place is home to Ontario Lottery and Gaming and other Ontario government operations. The marina beside the park is also named in her honour.

Bondar has also been honoured with a marker on Sault Ste. Marie's Walk of Fame.

In 1996, Dr. Roberta Bondar Public School was opened in Ajax, Ontario and Roberta Bondar Public School was opened in Ottawa, Ontario. In 2005, a second public school named Roberta Bondar Public School opened in Brampton, Ontario. A third public school to be named after Bondar is set to open in Vaughan, Ontario in September 2007. A school in Abbotsford British Columbia, (Dr. Roberta Bondar Elementary) is also named after Bondar.

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