Western University officially launched the new Institute for Earth and Space Exploration earlier this October—an expansion to the former Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration (CPSX). 

Before becoming the inaugural Director of the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, Dr. Gordon “Oz” Osinski notes that he wasn’t always determined to pursue a career in space exploration: “Becoming a teenager in the late 1980s, I would say it was a low point in terms of space exploration, especially in a country like the UK.”

After completing his undergraduate Geology degree in Scotland, Oz moved to Canada for his PhD. “It was only really then, during my PhD, when I became more interested or at least more aware of the possibilities of having a career in the area of Earth and space exploration,” Oz explains.

After his graduate studies, Oz worked at the Canadian Space Agency for three years before arriving at Western University in 2007. Upon his arrival, Oz observed that “Western had some strengths in planetary sciences, particularly in physics, astronomy, and Earth sciences.”

The following year in 2008, Western established CPSX, which made interdepartmental links across campus and specifically with the Engineering Faculty. During that time, CPSX successfully launched the first and only graduate program for planetary science and exploration across Canada. “With the Institute, we want to take it to the next step,” Oz claims. The idea is to grow a world-class research institute and make Western University a global destination for Earth and space studies.

The Institute for Earth and Space Exploration bears two main objectives: (1) launch Western into space, and (2) bring space down to Earth.

“We really want to be building things and launching them—whether it’s ourselves, or building instruments to go to other planets,” Oz clarifies the Institute’s first goal.

Many everyday tools like Google Maps and weather apps depend on satellites; “Using satellites in space to monitor the Earth and improve life for everyday Canadians is definitely something we want to push towards,” Oz adds about the Institute’s other objective.

Western’s new institute brings together 61 researchers from eight different faculties including Schulich, Health Sciences, and Engineering. This allows for an interdisciplinary approach to some of the hottest areas of research like space health. Plans for human exploration of the Moon and Mars are fast-approaching, and this presents some major challenges for the health of astronauts.

“There are similar challenges we face here on Earth: delivering remote health care in the Arctic, aging, bone loss, muscle loss,” Oz describes the importance of research in space health, “We are a much bigger aging population in this country. If we can solve the problem of keeping the astronauts alive, hopefully some of those solutions can be applied back on Earth.”

Oz explains another big challenge for the Institute regarding growth in terms of undergraduate studies. The Institute seeks to provide more opportunities and make Western University the destination of choice also at the undergraduate level for planetary science and exploration.

The institute is working towards providing opportunities for summer research as early as next summer. Oz advises undergraduate students to “watch the Space.”

A special thanks to Professor Gordon Osinski for his assistance in this article.