Space studies in Seoul, South Korea
Fifth-year mechanical engineering student Elsa Lange will be graduating and going to Seoul, South Korea, to attend the International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program. This intensive eight-week program will run from June 30 to August 22. Based in France, the ISU offers the program in a different location every year. The intensive curriculum covers space-related fields ranging from law and policy to engineering and space applications.
“The thought of being able to contribute to the instrumentation that will one day end up on the moon and beyond excites me,” says Elsa. “I’ve been so fortunate to benefit from national programs such as the Zenith Fellowship, which has connected me to a community of aerospace enthusiasts. Now, I’ll be about to connect with even more space leaders this summer in South Korea.”
“In the future, I hope to work as a satellite design engineer and operator in the aerospace industry in Canada.”
Elsa Lange
— Fifth-year mechanical engineering student
Elsa has a long-standing passion for aerospace, travelling far and wide to gain relevant experience. She was in Belgium earlier this year to complete the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course 2025 at the European Space Security and Education Centre.
Throughout her studies, she gained co-op experience in robotics and software engineering at Mission Control Space Services in Ottawa, using rovers to complete a national outreach initiative. For her final-year academic project, Elsa led a four-person team to design a miniature satellite for space debris removal.
Revolutionizing dental insurance verification with Cleer
Verifying insurance is a frustrating and time-consuming task for dental clinics, often taking 30 to 60 minutes per patient. With Cleer, a tech startup founded by third-year finance student Kian Tabesh and third-year software engineering student Petar Slatinac, that process is reduced to just two minutes. This saves clinics valuable time and streamlines operations.
This summer, the entrepreneurial duo will be focused on expanding to more clinics and hiring their first full-time employee.
Kian says, “Our journey began with a pivot. Initially working on a different tech startup, we struggled to gain traction. However, after speaking with 30 dentists, we discovered a major pain point: outdated and inefficient insurance verification. Leveraging AI, we built Cleer to automate the process, eliminating unnecessary delays and improving clinic efficiency.”
“Thanks to uOttawa’s co-op program, we had the unique opportunity to work on Cleer full time while staying in school. This hands-on experience allowed us to scale the company without having to drop out or wait until after graduation — critical in today’s fast-moving AI landscape,” says Petar.
“Starting a business is challenging, it requires a lot of work and sacrifices, and progress won’t always be immediate. But if you’re mentally prepared for the ups and downs, it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences. Stay committed, stay patient and don’t be afraid to fail and learn along the way.”
Development of a new academic app, EduPalz
First-year finance student Aldine Emerimana will be seeking to further develop EduPalz, a free web platform that she launched in January. On EduPalz, students can share academic resources and help each other with study tips, tutorials, Q&A groups and more. Aldine says similar platforms have expensive paywalls and aren’t multilingual. At the moment, she’s making improvements to the website based on feedback from student users and actively looking for a technical co-founder to help launch it as a mobile app by the end of June.
“EduPalz is built on the idea that education should be free and collaborative, allowing students to connect, exchange notes and support each other’s academic success,” Aldine says. “It’s about fostering a global learning community where students help each other rather than relying solely on paid tutoring services.”
“As students, we already have so many financial burdens. Access to learning materials shouldn’t be one of them.”
Aldine Emerimana
— First-year finance student
EduPalz also includes features such as a student matching system to connect students who need help with peers who excel in a particular subject, and a “motivation board” that allows students to anonymously share study wins, tough days, motivational tips and daily reminders. It has AI integration as well to help students summarize notes, generate study guides and prepare for exams.
The AI feature will draw from what students have previously said about academic topics to provide helpful guidance. With an overall budget of around $5,000, Aldine is seeking to bring the app to the App Store as she works at another job.
Email [email protected] if you’re a developer who’s interested.
Self-directed courses
This summer, more than 40 students will be earning course units while working independently on projects they’ve designed themselves, thanks to uOttawa’s groundbreaking self-directed course initiative.
This is the first cohort of students to personalize their learning as they explore the experiences that they’re most passionate about. They will work on research, community projects, creative endeavours, fieldwork, volunteering and much more.
The initiative gives students the chance to have more control over the essential skills they develop as they gain hands-on experience in their fields. The deadline to submit your own proposal has been extended! Attend one of the information sessions taking place throughout April to learn more.
Stay in touch!
The Gee team would like to wish you an awesome summer, whatever you’re doing! We hope you’ve enjoyed the newsletter and your 2024–2025 academic year. Feel free to email us at [email protected] and let us know what you’re doing this summer or what you might want to read about when you return in fall 2025.