Q&A with Jenni Gibbons

I wanted to become an astronaut because of the opportunity it provides to learn new things both about our own planet and beyond it. This challenge aligns with my interest in the advancement and application of science for the benefit of society. Also, the opportunity to be a part of a team working toward international space exploration is an exceptional privilege and one of my favourite parts of my job.

I’ve always enjoyed learning about the world around me and how things work. I’ve also always loved creative problem solving. For me, those things together – applying science in creative ways – led me to mechanical engineering.

My favourite part of my previous career was the interaction I had with students while in my research lab. Being involved in the discovery of new science and its application is an exciting process, and I’ve always enjoyed experiencing that with like-minded people dedicated to new discoveries. This was the most unique and satisfying part of the job.

The best advice I ever received was to set long-term goals and stay focused on working toward them. Achieving big goals requires grit, determination, and planning. Although we might not feel like we are making progress toward our ambitions every day, setting these goals allows us to make incremental progress to eventually achieve them.

The special teachers who still stand out in my mind were the ones who went out of their way to provide me with whatever I needed to build my interest and foster my curiosity in subjects that I enjoyed. One teacher in particular had a unique capability to find out exactly what would excite her students. That level of attention and effort to engage students stands out as the most encouraging and impactful instruction I've received.

I look up to trailblazers in the fields of engineering and science. In space exploration, those heroes include astronauts Marc Garneau, Roberta Bondar, Julie Payette, and Mae Jemison.