Zenith Fellow Intern, Class of 2023
Dalhousie University, Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
Host Organization: Wyvern
Mentor: Wolfram Lunscher

Michelle is currently an undergraduate student studying electrical engineering at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In her first year, she joined Dalhousie Space Systems Lab (DSS) to work on their CubeSat LORIS, where she developed her interest in RF communications and satellite systems. She has been curious about space from a young age, yet it had always seemed so far away. For her, participating in this project was taking those first steps to accomplish something she did not imagine attainable.

Throughout her time on the team, she has been involved in various stages of testing including range tests to verify radio equipment capability and using network analyzers to examine antenna performance. This past fall, Michelle did her co-op at Galaxia Mission Systems, a partner of DSS, where she was introduced to PCB design for their modular OBC and worked on the LORIS ground station set-up and installation.

In November 2022, she had the opportunity to present to youth for an ARISS contact, in which kids spoke to an astronaut aboard the ISS in real-time. Michelle believes in fostering interest to encourage participation in STEM by showing that missions like LORIS are possible. Further, she looks forward to seeing the Canadian space sector grow and aspires to be a part of its future achievements.

Michelle is also the Operations Manager for DalSol, the first solar car race team in Atlantic Canada. In a management role, she finds a good balance between her technical experiences from school and DSS. With a passion for sustainability and finding greener solutions, she wants to create space technologies that yield positive environmental impact to improve and take care of our planet’s health.

Some of Michelle’s pastimes include playing piano and spending time with family. In her everyday life, she aims to incorporate inclusivity and seeks to help others wherever she can. Michelle also enjoys learning about anything related to space and is ready to discover more about our universe. While she loves her hometown of Cole Harbour, she is excited to explore the city of Edmonton and continue her journey at Wyvern this summer as a Zenith fellow!