Websites

 http://www.robertabondar.com/

 http://www.city.sault-ste-marie.on.ca/library/Bondar_Index.html

 http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/default.asp

 http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/psbio.html

 http://www.worldcat.org/title/roberta-bondar-canadas-first-woman-in-space/oclc/601145780/viewport?bib_key=ISBN:9780778725497

 http://www.cbc.ca/lifeandtimes/bondar.html

 http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Medicentre/en/bond_video.htm

 http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/bondar/

 http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Medicentre/en/bond_vit.htm

 Encyclopedias

 http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000863

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_Bondar

 Books

 Bondar, Roberta.  Canada: Landscape of Dreams.  Douglas & McIntyre, 2006.  Trade Paperback

 Bondar, Roberta.  Passionate Vision.  D&M Publishers, 2008.  Trade Paperback

 Bondar, Roberta.  The Arid Edge of the World.  Bondar, 2006.  Large Paperback

 Bondar, Roberta.  Touching the Earth.  Key Porter Books, 1994.  Hardcover

 Wearing, Judy.  Roberta Bondar : Canada’s first woman in space.  St. Catharines, Ont; New York: Crabtree Pub. Co; 2011.

 Articles

Outta sight! Anniversary of Bondar Space Shuttle flight celebrated in song – ON THE TOWN, October 28, 2011. >> read article >>

Dr. Roberta Bondar Honoured Again, October 5, 2011.>> read article >>

Bondar, Reynolds Join Canada’s Walk of Fame, June 28, 2011. >> read article >>

Earth Week appreciated through Vision with Dr. Roberta Bondar, April 21, 2011. >> read article >>

Canadian astronauts reflect on Discovery’s final trip, October 30, 2010.>> read article >>

Life on Earth from an astronaut’s perspective Roberta Bondar speaks at Ontario Nature youth summit, June 13, 2010. >> read article >>

Roberta Bondar: Onward and Upward, June, 2008, Good Times. >> read article (pdf) >>

Continuous Change and the Role of Canadian Biotechnology, Spring, 2008, BIOTECanada.>> read article (pdf) >>

TIME Magazine Names Dr. Roberta Bondar as Among Canada’s Best Explorers, Time Magazine – November 3, 2003.>> read article >>

Library

Coquitlam Public Library

Port Moody Public Library

After spending many days rewriting my speech and staying up late working on my learning centre, the whole project is finally completed with satisfaction.  Everyday, the sound of the clickaty-clackaty keys and the clicking mouse filled the room.  The ritual was always the same: research (at library and home), like picture/information, copy, paste, modification, print, and cut-out.  Energy draining?  Yes.  Regretful?  No.

Loads of information had been collected, but still, I couldn’t figure it out how to organize my learning centre.  What colours should I use for the theme of my project?  What kind of information should be exhibited?  What is a more concise way to reach out to the audience?   How am I suppose to make the astronaut suit?  Questions swarmed me.  I decided to take this one step at a time.  Blue is used to represent the sky and space.  Orange on the blue is a contrast of Roberta’s calm, subtle personality to her achievements that stand out.  Brown represents Earth.  Looking at all the images, an idea flashed – “A good picture is worth more than a thousand words”.  So why not replace all the text with images?  A simple caption was placed on the pictures instead. 

My learning centre was separated into 3 parts: one side of the table illustrated her photographer & author occupation (Her books), the middle section illustrated her astronaut career (a model of the spacecraft – Discovery), and the other side of the table illustrated her neurologist occupation (medical tools).

And of course, the food.  I prepared three different selections of dehydrated food that Roberta would have probably eaten in space: peas, bananas, and beans.  Wrapping the serving bowls with tin foil was a good idea.  It gave the food a “spacey” look.

Through my learning centre, I hope that the audience learned more about Roberta – a wisdom warrior, avid photographer, successful neurologist, passionate environmentalist…and so much more.  I think Roberta Bondar has had an impact on the world in several ways, but her biggest is in being a role model for Canadian women. Over an extended period of time, Bondar showed us what a great woman is, not just clever and competent and accomplished, but also passionate, and kind and generous with herself – thousands of school children in my generation had Roberta Bondar give a speech at their school. Her passion for the Earth is contagious. 

It’s a very rewarding end to Night of the Notables 2011 knowing that every minute I spent on project was not done in vain.  Thank-you for reading!

As most of you may know by now, my eminent person was Roberta Bondar.  She was indeed an eminent person because Roberta was the first Canadian woman astronaut and neurologist in space.  It seems to me that she is living life 4 times the average human being.  What do I mean by that you ask?  A normal individual would focus on one or two careers in their lifetime to be successful.  But Roberta had many occupations, and excelled in all of them!  She was an astronaut, neurologist, scientist, educator, author, and photographer.  Completing her medical degree was already a huge accomplishment.  But Roberta shocked people even more when she was chosen to be the first woman in space.  

Ms. Bondar’s attitude towards reaching her goals is a motivation for me to also carry the same attitude to life.  Signing up to become an astronaut when she had the chance was risky.  Not only is going into space risky, but she quit her established career, and took a big cut in pay to do it.  She knew she might also be sacrificing family life to pursue this dream as well.  In more recent years, she has written a photographic book about deserts, and that entailed entering some territories in the world where there is a great deal of conflict. They needed armed guards and were aware of risk – all to take some photos of the desert.

Talons is like a second family to me.  I know I can rely on each and every individual in the class when I need to.  It’s uncommon for one to be able to meet someone and have total trust on them within a year, but to have complete trust on a group of 56 people?  Now that’s rare. 

Thinking back to that moment, when we were standing on stage; watching as a wave of parents, siblings, and relatives fill the room.  The butterflies in my stomach and my rapid heartbeat did no help in calming me down.  I remember turning my head to the person next to me.  She gave me a small nod and squeezed my hand…that was all it took to shoo away the jitterbugs.  I felt a smile creep up on my face, and looked forward.  Before me were the Afternoon Talons and Morning grade 9s – my source of support.    I had my “family” around supporting me, what else could I possibly be worrying about?

Our teamwork was evident through the set-up and clean-up.  A quote suddenly popped into my head when I was writing this up, “Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”  We all have our own specialties to share and there is much to learn from each other. By combining our skills, we can accomplish anything.

Today had been a hectic day.  It was a race against the clock to perfect learning centres, memorize speeches, and finalize details all before 7 p.m.  Being in the morning Talons, we are usually the quiet class.  The atmosphere is always so serious that a creak from the chair could disrupt the serenity.  I was somewhat amused this morning when I walked into the class bustling with people and activity.  Pieces of our learning centres filled every corner of room 204.  In no time, the Talons room became a temporary storage place.  It was chaotic.  People were either furiously cutting, searching, gluing, coloring, decorating or fine-lining.  Definitely not a usual sight.  Every now and then, someone would call out “hey ____ could I borrow ___?”  or “dude, I’m screwed.” 

Entering into phase 2 of Night of the Notables (afterschool), we ran around setting up tables, learning centres, food, and the multipurpose room.  The sound of table legs hitting the floor were evident during this period.   After dinner, grade 10s were required to dress into character.  A lot of “oohs” and “ahs” were exchanged between Talons members. 

And finally, the moment had arrived for parents/ siblings/ relatives to visit from centre to centre.  This was the time for us to shine and overload audience members with facts on our eminent person.

Then came speeches.  Yes, the dreaded speeches.  There was a lot of heavy sighing and speech muttering then.  No doubt, I had my share of nervous breakdowns.  After seating the audience and introduction, the room dimmed; the spotlight on us.  The pounding in my chest was deafening to my ears.  I bet all of us felt that way too.  Time went by too quickly, and soon, we found ourselves bowing.  The worst was over.

This being my last Eminent Person Project, I wanted to make the most out of it.  Dressing up in a bright orange space suit was just a little part of it.  This was definitely a rewarding experience.  And I’m sure it will last a lifetime.

I cut down the story and changed it up a bit.  Any last minute recommendations are welcomed! 

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Here she is, a green marble upheld by the invisible forces of zero-gravity.  My first view of the planet: over water, the sunlight reflecting from the glistening blue sheet of the Pacific Ocean, though I couldn’t hear the surf or taste the salt in the air.  The earth’s blue sky is replaced by black, bordered by a thin band of fuzzy bright blue around the edge of the planet itself.  At last, after 17 years of preparation for this moment, I am duly rewarded for the intense training, instruction, and hardships to become an astronaut.

It all began at the age of 8.  A longing to see the universe with its myriad planets, stars, and galaxies all within my telescope.  The unknown fascinated me and thus triggered my journey to discover those mysteries.

After finishing high school, I went into neurology.  It was a struggle but nothing I couldn’t overcome.  My family’s support played a major role in my perseverance, as my mother would always say, “If it’s something you love, grasp for it.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.  The only obstacles in life are the ones you set for yourself.”  Those words would continually drive me towards my goal of discovering the unknown. 

My love for the cosmos never left.  In 1984, my career changed paths, and I became Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission for NASA.  I still remember clearly the expressions on the male astronauts when I was introduced onto the team; the way they raised their eyebrows in disgust seeing woman underneath that NASA uniform.  I was determined to change their perspective of me.  I worked harder to prove my capabilities, and soon, they accepted me.

To see our brilliant planet up here without borders had changed me.  I no longer look at the world as a singular entity, but as a piece within a boundless puzzle.  I sure will take this message and share it with whomever meet.  Hopefully, we will learn to cherish the human-friendly Earth, and recognize that the unknown is not as mysterious as it appears.

There she is, a green marble upheld by the invisible forces of zero-gravity.  My first view of the planet: over water, the sunlight reflecting from the glistening blue sheet of the Pacific Ocean.   The earth’s blue sky is replaced by black, bordered by a thin band of fuzzy bright blue around the edge of the planet itself.  At last, after 17 years of preparation for this moment, I am duly rewarded for the intense training, instruction, and hardships to become an astronaut.

It all began at the age of 8.  A longing to see the universe with its myriad planets, stars, and galaxies all within my telescope.  The unknown fascinated me and thus triggered my journey to discover those mysteries.

Through my father’s love of science, I was introduced to experiments early in life.  My sister and I used to participate in mixing chemicals in the lab in our basement.  Some of them were pretty explosive.  I loved everything related to science. 

After finishing high school, I went into neurology.  It was a struggle but nothing I couldn’t overcome.  My family’s support played a major role in my perseverance and determination.  My mother would always say, “If it’s something you love, grasp for it.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.  The only obstacles in life are the ones you set for yourself.”  Those words would continually drive me towards my goal of discovering the unknown. 

Not only was I a neurologist, but I had other passions such as photography.  After all, the beauty of the planet intrigued me to capture its vastness.  My love for the cosmos never left.  In 1984, my career changed paths, and I became Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission for NASA.  I encountered sexism.  Male astronauts and the public were skeptical that a woman could do the best job as an astronaut.  Despite the criticism and doubt of being the first woman astronaut, my competency and professionalism proved my capabilities.

When my first and only mission ended, I was changed.  I no longer look at the world as a singular entity, but as a piece within a boundless puzzle.  I take this message and share it with those whom I meet.  “We must understand that we can induce and produce change in the environment, positively or negatively.  If we do not protect the human-friendly planet, we eventually will fail to keep our souls and even our bodies nourished by our real home.”  Hopefully, the next generation will embrace this message and recognize that the unknown is not as mysterious it appears.

I wish I could go back, back to the time where I first flew…(cue Sara)

It’s a little late…I’ve realized…but anyhow, please comment!

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There she is, a green marble upheld by the invisible forces of zero-gravity.  My first view of the planet was, over water, the sunlight reflecting from the glistening blue sheet of thePacific Ocean, though I couldn’t hear the surf or taste the salt in the air.  The light was piercing in its clarity with no atmosphere to soften the sun’s rays.  The earth’s blue sky had been replaced by black, bordered by a thin band of fuzzy bright blue around the edge of the planet itself.  At last, after 17 years of preparation for this moment, I have been duly rewarded for the intense training, instruction, and hardships to become an astronaut.

It all began at the age of 8.  A longing to see the universe with its myriad planets, stars, and galaxies all within my telescope.  The unknown fascinated me and thus triggered my journey to discover those mysteries.

Through my father’s love of science, I was introduced to experiments early in life.  He had a lab in the basement of our home.  Along with my sister, we used to participate in mixing chemicals and watching different reactions.  Some of them were pretty explosive.  I loved everything related to science.

After finishing high school, I pursued the discipline of neurology.  It was a struggle but nothing I couldn’t overcome.  My family’s support played a major role in my perseverance and determination.  When we were little, my mother would say, “If it’s something you love, grasp for it.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.  The only obstacle in life, are the ones you set for yourself.”  Those words would continually drive me towards my goal of discovering the unknown. 

Not only was I a neurologist, but I had other passions such as photography.  After all, the beauty of the planet intrigued me to capture its vastness.

But my love for the cosmos never left.  In 1984, I shifted professions and was designated Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission for NASA.  I encountered sexism within the established space agency.  Male astronauts and the public were skeptical that a woman could the best job as an astronaut.  Despite the criticism and doubt of being the first female astronaut, my competency and professionalism proved my capabililties.

When my first and only mission ended, I knew I was changed.  I no longer look at the world as a singular entity, but as a piece within a boundless puzzle.  I take this message and share it with those whom I meet.  “We must understand that, though an integral part of the environment, we are observers and change-agents.  We can induce and produce change in the environment, positively or negatively.  If we do not protect the human-friendly environment of our planet, we eventually will fail to keep our souls and even our bodies nourished by our real home.”  Hopefully, the next generation will embrace this message and recognized that the unknown is not as mysterious it appears.

Yay!  An interview!  Despite my interviewee’s busy schedule, her prompt reply surprised me.  She is the author of  “Roberta Bondar: Canada’s First Woman in Space” and her name is Judy Wearing. 

_____________________________________________________________

1.    What started Ms. Bondar on the road to success?

She was a dedicated student with a passion for science; she worked hard and she took on summer jobs as a student that built her skills. She also gained varied experience and expertise. 

 2.    What evidence is there that she was a risk taker?

A good question.  Signing up to become an astronaut when she had the chance was risky.  Not only is going into space risky, but she quit her established career, and took a big cut in pay to do it. She knew she might also be sacrificing family life to pursue this dream as well. In more recent years, she has written a photographic book about deserts, and that entailed entering some territories in the world where there is a great deal of conflict. They needed armed guards and were aware of risk – all to take some photos of the desert.

 3.    As a result of her work, how is the world different? How significant is her impact on the world?  (In your point of view)

 I think Roberta Bondar has had an impact in several ways, but her biggest is in being a role model for Canadian women. Over an extended period of time, Bondar showed us what a great woman is, not just clever and competent and accomplished, but also passionate, and kind and generous with herself – thousands of school children in my generation had Roberta Bondar give a speech at their school. Her passion for the Earth is contagious. 

 4.    What were some dramatic obstacles she faced?

Being Canadian, she had little hope of pursuing her dream of being an astronaut, and it is lucky that she was at the right stage in her life (and just happened to see the ad in the newspaper) when Canada started its space program and invited people to apply.  While it isn’t dramatic, being a woman was an obstacle, in that she has had to make tough choices about family, as many career oriented women do.

 5.    Where do you think she find the motivation to keep going when times are rough?

I can’t answer this. It is individual. She is certainly passionate – that never wavered. She has strong family support from parents and siblings. Generally, I think that something drives us human beings to keep going – an inner strength, and some of us have more of it. Perhaps it is just stubbornness. 

 6.   How do you think she felt emotionally, mentally, and physically when she was in space?

Reading her words about how she felt when she first saw the Earth – I’d say she was blown away with awe. Being in space is tough, mentally and physically, but she was well trained and well prepared and well suited, so she focused on her work and got the job done. 

 7.    How would you describe Ms. Bondar’s personality?

Balanced, dedicated, passionate, competent, scientific, determined, adventurous, and curious.

Once again, we are studying on an eminent person!  Who might it be this time you ask? 

Born December 4, 1945, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Roberta Bondar is Canada’s first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space.  She is also a scientist, educator, author, and photographer.

Her father, Edward Bondar was an office manager at the Sault Ste. Marie Public Utilities Commission and her mother, Mildred, taught business and commerce.  She also has an older sister named Barbara.

Her main influences were her parents who had encouraged Roberta and her older sister to be goal oriented.  As a young girl Dr. Bondar was fascinated with science and her father built her a laboratory in their basement.  This sparked her interest in science.

Roberta Bondar holds a Bachelor of Science in her university degree, in zoology, agriculture from the University of Guelph (1968), an M.Sc in experimental pathology from the University of Western Ontario (1971), a Ph.D in neuroscience 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.

Dr. Roberta Bondar is notable for several reasons.  One, to become a doctor is a long and difficult task, yet she has achieved this goal.  Two, Dr. Bondar not only became a neurologist, she was also the first Canadian woman astronaut.  During her time in space, she was designated as a payload specialist and conducted over forty advanced scientific experiments for fourteen nations.  Back on Earth, Dr. Bondar and her team of researchers examined data obtained from astronauts on 24 space missions to better understand the body’s ability to recover from exposure to space. 

Obstacles that Dr. Roberta Bondar had to overcome during her life were numerous.  Her journey in becoming both a successful neurologist and astronaut has sacrificed a lot of time and energy to build up to what she is today.  And as the first Canadian woman in space, it is pressuring to know that all eyes are watching her, making sure nothing goes wrong.

No doubt, Dr. Bondar was a risk taker.  And this trait was evident the moment she decided to become an astronaut.  Many of us know space as a dangerous, scary, and unknown place of blackness.  Humans are vulnerable to dangers such as invisible black holes and lack of oxygen; one simple slip could cost us our lives.  But Dr. Bondar chose to walk this path for the sake of science.

Roberta Bondar has impacted the world and brought glory to Canada.  She was the evidence that women are able to achieve the impossible. 

Thank-you for reading!

As most of you may know, my eminent person was Condoleezza Rice.  She was indeed an eminent person because Condoleezza was the first African-American woman to take the role of Secretary of State.  I chose her to be my eminent person because I like her attitude towards obstacles in life.  She believed that the only limitations for her were the ones she imposed on herself.  Because of this, Condoleezza did not see things as obstacles so much as challenges she had to work through to reach her goals.  And with this confident belief, she became the Foreign Policy Advisor, then the National Security Advisor, and finally the Secretary of State. 

For my learning center, I hope to provide the audience members with a better insight of my eminent person and visual aids to create a fun and educational experience for others.  That is why I decided to make a poster.

To portray Condoleezza’s power, I decided to use the color red because this colour demonstrates power.  I painted my title “Condoleezza Rice” in bright red so it can be easily read from a distance.  I had two red borders to bring out the pictures along the side.  I left the background white since it was a colour of the American flag, and I also wanted the title to “pop out”.  Instead of having eight pages of information on Condoleezza, I decided to put my speech on.  So, now that I have a title and facts about my eminent person, what else could I use to fill in the empty spaces?  Hmmm…..PICTURES!  So, I found a lot of pictures of Ms. Rice shaking hands with different leaders around the world and pasted them all around my poster.

For the interactive section of the learning center, I made a board game to go along with it.  So, what does the board game represent?  This interactive game represents the war of United States with Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.  I labelled each of the four color teams with the mentioned countries: USA, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.  The goal of this game is to travel the furthest from the starting point and to learn about Condoleezza Rice.  I have ten envelopes and in them are questions about my eminent person.  The player will choose any random envelope and answer the question.  The energetic level from the participants has contributed a very successful outcome for the game.

That’s all on my learning center about Condoleezza Rice.  Hope you all enjoyed.

Below is a video clip on my learning center at the the Night of the Notables: (which will be posted on ASAP)