Member spotlight – Priya Grewal

By Lane Pearson and Micah Lim

Have you ever thought about the sky and space above us and wondered, what exists beyond what we can see with our eyes? This is precisely the mission of AlbertaSat, we aim to explore the unknowns of space through student cooperation and collaboration. During this blog post, we will learn about Priya Grewal from the AlbertaSat Administration team. Priya Grewal tells us about herself and the role she plays in launching satellites up into space.

Priya Grewal is a second-year co-op electrical engineering student with the University of Alberta. She decided she wanted to pursue engineering in Grade 11 after being inspired by her physics class.  After attending a presentation put on by the University of Alberta at her high school, Priya heard about this interesting student organization, called AlbertaSat. AlbertaSat is an organization, led by students, that sends cube satellites into space and collects data for further research. Priya thought that it was an interesting organization to be a part of, and she saw it as a chance to connect with people with similar interests. Priya joined AlbertaSat’s administration team in her first semester of attending the university. She is now a veteran member and is the deputy team lead of the administration team. Priya also wanted to let people know that even if you are not in engineering, you can still join AlbertaSat and offer a lot of assistance towards launching satellites.

Priya is currently working with the balloon launch division of AlbertaSat. She didn’t have any previous experience before entering but now has gained a wealth of knowledge in this area which is helping prepare her for the next balloon launch. When Priya was asked whether she will continue to be involved with AlbertaSat when she graduates, Priya says she is unsure and that it will depend on whether she goes for a master’s or the workforce after graduating.

Overall, Priya’s experience shows us that joining AlbertaSat is an amazing opportunity for those interested in space and science. Their ability to delegate the work to fit people’s time schedules is a major benefit to students within the University. Also, requiring no previous experience with space or satellites makes room for everybody to join no matter their background. If you are looking to find people with similar interests in space, and if you are willing to work on satellite projects, joining AlbertaSat will be a good opportunity to do so.