Gehrig Carlse earned a BSc (Honours) in biophysics from 91亚色 before continuing on to earn his MSc in physics and astronomy. His master鈥檚 thesis investigated the kinematics of airborne microparticles on timescales at which diffusive motion transitions to ballistic motion. By confining these tiny particles with free-space optical tweezers 鈥� essentially holding particles at the centre of a focused laser beam 鈥� he developed a new technique to rapidly characterize and measure their masses with high levels of precision.

鈥淚 am very grateful to be receiving the Governor General鈥檚 Gold Medal,鈥� says Carlse. 鈥淚 know the award is an individual honour, but in my case, I think the recognition really reflects the contributions of my family, friends and colleagues, who have all helped put me in a great position to succeed.鈥�

Interestingly, the microparticle measurement technique that Carlse created was made possible due to a new class of high-power diode laser systems that he also had a hand in developing in conjunction with an industrial project that he worked on during the summers of his undergraduate studies. But despite his direct role in these scientific breakthroughs, Carlse insists on sharing the credit.

鈥淭here are so many exceptional graduates at 91亚色 who likely all deserve this distinction just as much as I do,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t is really the efforts of the people supporting me who have helped me stand out in any way that I have.鈥�

After finishing his master鈥檚 degree, Carlse decided to continue his education at 91亚色, this time to pursue a PhD in physics and astronomy with his supervisor, Professor Anantharaman Kumarakrishnan. He is continuing to work with high-power lasers, but now he is trying to perform precise measurements of the Earth鈥檚 gravitational acceleration using ultracold atoms.

_{Gehrig Carlse}

Junjie Kang earned a PhD in earth and space science and engineering from 91亚色 under the supervision of Professor Zheng Hong (George) Zhu, Tier I 91亚色 Research Chair in Space Technology and academic director of the Research Commons. Kang's research focused on tethered space systems and their application in space debris removal.

鈥淚 am really honoured to receive the Governor General鈥檚 Gold Medal,鈥� says Kang. 鈥淭his medal is a recognition of my research in the journey toward my PhD. I will take this medal as encouragement to continue my research about dynamics and control of tethered space systems.鈥�

In 2018, during his studies at 91亚色, Kang received the highly prestigious Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Outstanding Paper Award for Young Scientists for a paper he co-wrote with Professor Zhu and published in COSPAR鈥檚 flagship journal, Advances in Space Research. The winning paper, titled 鈥淔ractional order sliding mode control for tethered satellite deployment with disturbances,鈥� which sought a fast and stable way to deliver a satellite into lower Earth orbits using a tether, was also deemed one of the 鈥淢ost Cited Advances in Space Research Articles鈥� since 2017. In 2021, Kang received the Faculty of Graduate Studies Dissertation Prize.

Kang credits the mentorship from his supervisor, the valuable advice from supervisory committee members Professor Dan Zhang and Professor Franz Newland, and the support from the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering for getting him to this point.

鈥淚 am also grateful for the opportunities I have had within the 91亚色 community,鈥� he says.

Speaking of opportunities, during his PhD studies Kang participated in a CubeSat mission called DESCENT, led by his supervisor and sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency. With Kang as one of the primary researchers, together with his supervisor they successfully conducted the tether deployment in a microgravity environment by the parabolic flight campaign in Ottawa in 2018. The satellite was successfully deployed from the International Space Station on Nov. 5, 2020.

After graduation, Kang went on to share his wisdom with fellow space enthusiasts as an associate professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in China.

_{Junjie Kang}

Jordana Waxman earned her PhD in clinical developmental psychology and a specialized graduate diploma in health psychology from 91亚色 in October 2020. Her dissertation research, supported by institutional, provincial, and national granting bodies, focused on better understanding how behavioural and physiological pain-related distress regulation develops across the second year of life.

鈥淚 am thrilled and honoured to receive the Governor General's Gold Medal,鈥� says Dr. Waxman, 鈥済iven the number of talented and hard-working doctoral students at 91亚色.鈥�

Dr. Waxman credits her research supervisor, Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell, as well as the many graduate and undergraduate students in the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt (OUCH) Laboratory for supporting her academic journey.

鈥淲ithout their support and collaboration, my doctoral research would not have been possible,鈥� she says.

Currently a pediatric health psychology Fellow at Toronto鈥檚 Hospital for Sick Children, Dr. Waxman is working in the areas of oncology, pediatric obesity and eating disorders, as well as conducting clinical research in neonatal neurology.

_{Jordana Waxman}