Keynote speakers

Isabelle Tremblay

Director, Astronauts, Life Sciences and Space Medicine at Canadian Space Agency

Title: Coming Soon!

Bio: For over 25 years, Isabelle Tremblay has been dedicated to the field of space exploration, uniting us in the face of the fragility of our planet and the immense challenges of our future. Ms. Tremblay is responsible for the development and operations of Canada’s space infrastructure, including telecommunications and satellite positioning systems, Earth observation, space situational awareness, and satellite maintenance in orbit. These activities contribute to environmental protection, monitor and preserve natural resources, support disaster response efforts, and ensure the security of the space environment. Previously, Ms. Tremblay held positions as a research and development engineer in space robotics and as a lead engineer for Canada’s contributions to NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander and the James Webb Space Telescope. Isabelle Tremblay holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Polytechnique Montréal, with a specialization in space technologies.

Leroy Little Bear JD, DASc, LLD

Vice-Provost, Iniskim Indigenous Relations
Title: Coming Soon!

Bio: As one of Canada’s most respected Indigenous academic voices, Dr. Leroy Little Bear was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019, received the University of Lethbridge Ingrid Speaker Research Medal in 2017, was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2016 and holds honorary doctorates from the University of Lethbridge and the University of Northern British Columbia. He is also an honorary Eminent Scholar at Red Crow Community College. Little Bear holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Utah, a BA from the University of Lethbridge, and an Associate Arts Degree in Forestry from Wenatchee Valley College.

Little Bear has been a mentor and consultant on Indigenous matters at local, provincial, national and international levels, and helped establish the Native American Studies program at the U of L. His writings and work have greatly influenced legal and policy realms including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the re-establishment of the Blackfoot Confederacy and the First Nations Buffalo Treaty. He is the author of several esteemed publications and was the first Indigenous person to be quoted by the Supreme Court of Canada. Little Bear was born and raised on the Blood Reserve (Kainai First Nation) west of Lethbridge.

Dr. Alain Pietroniro, P.Eng.

Professor and Chair in Sustainable Water System in a Changing Climate, University of Calgary

Title: From Pixels to Predictions: Operationalizing Remote Sensing for Next-Generation, Hydrological Decision-Making

(Talk co-authored with Martyn Clark, University of Calgary)

Bio: Dr. Alain Pietroniro currently holds the position of Professor and Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Water Systems at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering. Prior to his academic appointment, Dr. Pietroniro served as the Executive Director of the National Hydrological Service (NHS) for the government of Canada. His research is primarily focused on improving, developing, and evaluating hydrological models, remote sensing and GIS applications in hydrology.