Member Spotlight – Erik Halliwell

Erik Halliwell is a Master’s Student in Electrical Engineering (BSc. Engineering Physics ‘22)  researching laser communication and ranging for satellite applications at the University of Alberta. He’s been involved in AlbertaSat since Spring 2017, and his contributions are nothing short of extraordinary. 

His introduction to AlbertaSat was somewhat unorthodox. In May of his Grade 12 year, after his AP exams, he was left with boredom and ample free time. Having previously met, he reached out to Charles Nokes, Project Manager of Ex-Alta 1. He was interviewed, and got involved almost immediately. By chance, he joined within days of Ex-Alta 1’s deployment from the ISS.

Erik’s summer between high school and university was spent asking questions around the AlbertaSat project rooms, and working on the LightTHABER balloon mission and Ex-Alta 2 as part of the power team. When the fall term came around, he was directly placed on the AlbertaSat power team as a co-lead. He went on to serve as an operator for Ex-Alta 1 throughout 2018 until the satellite burned up. As the focus shifted from Ex-Alta 1 to Ex-Alta 2, he went on to lead the power team for two more years before switching to systems. During his time on the power team, he laid the groundwork for AlbertaSat’s solar panel system, Hyperion, which was used on Ex-Alta 2, YukonSat, and AuroraSat, and will be further demonstrated on Ex-Alta 3. Currently, he serves AlbertaSat as an advisor, assisting primarily  with the power team for Ex-Alta 3’s development. 

Throughout the interview with Erik, certain themes seemed to form the undercurrent of the discussion: perseverance, courage and opportunity. Erik credited much of his accomplishments to his ability to meet opportunity with preparedness. As someone who dove headfirst into AlbertaSat as a high school student, he emphasized the importance of curiosity and confidence. It was convenient timing that he had joined right as Ex-Alta 1 launched, but it was due to his own drive to learn and participate that he was able to operate it less than a year later. AlbertaSat has a grander scale than most student groups, and it certainly has a very steep learning curve. I asked Erik how a new member might overcome intimidation. His advice was to act despite the intimidation, because ‘faking courage is literally courage’. Similarly, the students joining AlbertaSat are commonly in programs well-known for their course load and difficulty. His perspective is that a heavy course load prepares a student to function under pressure, and AlbertaSat does much of the same. 

Erik’s hobbies and activities are just as varied and impressive as his academic accomplishments. He skis, lifts weights, runs, and plays hockey. During his undergrad, he played guitar in the EngPhys band for GEER week’s Battle of the Bands. He’s still involved with music, playing metal guitar and working on his metal vocals.