Katelyn Ball

Undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, starting a master's degree in physics in the fall

I am a University of Alberta undergraduate mechanical engineering student who has been passionate about space my whole life. Instead of learning satellite design through formal education, I have volunteered with AlbertaSat, a student group at the UofA that builds CubeSats. I was a primary spacecraft operator on Ex-Alta 1, AlbertaSat’s first CubeSat, for the final year of its mission. For the past two years, I have been the deputy project manager for Ex-Alta 2, a multispectral imaging spacecraft funded through the Canadian CubeSat Project. I coordinate all aspects of the mission with a small team of student leaders. In September 2020, I will start a master’s degree in physics at the University of Alberta, focusing on the design of space-based instrumentation. I am passionate about sharing how students can utilize their time at university to tap into their passions, and how that can shape their careers. I have seen firsthand the benefits of student engineering projects and am always inclined to share my experiences with AlbertaSat in hopes of inspiring others.

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