This is the final blog post in a series to celebrate “Women’s History Month.”  October has been set aside by the Government of Canada to celebrate the significant contributions women make to our society. In light of this celebration I decided to dedicate blog posts in the month of October to women in our history who have made a significant contribution to Canadian science.

This year’s theme, ‘Women in the Lead’ honours the girls and women in Canada, past and present, who have gone first and opened doors for others to follow.

One cannot celebrate women who have made significant contributions to Canadian science without including Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first woman astronaut and the world’s first neurologist in space.

Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Roberta showed signs of interest in space as a young girl when she made models of rockets and collected all things NASA.  She began her scientific training at the University of Guelph were she obtained a B.Sc. in zoology and agriculture. She went on to receive a M.Sc. in experimental pathology from the University of Western Ontario, a Ph.D in neurobiology from the University of Toronto, an MD from McMaster University and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in neurology. Bondar later completed training in neuro-ophthalmology at Tuft’s New England Medical School in Boston.

Roberta began her training as an astronaut in 1984 and in 1990 was designated a prime Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission. Roberta flew on the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery from January 22 to 30, 1992, during Mission STS-42, taking along her favourite food, Girl Guide cookies. During the mission she performed experiments in the Spacelab. After returning to earth, she led an international team of NASA researchers for more than a decade to better understand the mechanisms underlying the body’s ability to recover from exposure to space and find new connections between astronauts recovering from space and neurological illnesses.

Roberta is the holder of the NASA Space Medal and is an inductee of the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame and Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. She has received 24 honouring doctorates from Canadian and American universities. She was also selected as Canada’s first national ‘Biotechnology Champion’ and was honoured as Canada’s national patron of UNESCOs International Year of Planet Earth, which continues to 2010.

Roberta’s contributions to the space program continue to be celebrated. As Chancellor of Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario she continues to be an inspiration to Canadian youth. Roberta also inspires audiences as one of North America’s most sought-after and respected presenters.

For more information on Women’s History Month visit http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/dates/whm/index_e.html.