Shawna Pandya

Shawna Pandya is a Canadian general physician and scientist. She is a Canadian citizen-scientist astronaut and aquanaut candidate with project ‘PoSSUM’and project ‘PHEnOM’. She is also a general physician at University of Alberta Hospital and a motivational speaker. She is currently associated with SeaSpace Exploration and Research Society Inc and University of Alberta.
Early life and education
She was born in Sherwood Park, Alberta to Satish Steve Pandya and Indira Pandya and was raised with her brother in Alberta.. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in University of Alberta in 2002 to pursue a baccalaureate degree in Neurosciences and graduated in the year 2006. From 2006 to 2007, she took admission in International Space University to pursue her Masters in Space Studies. After her Masters, she returned to University of Alberta in 2007 to pursue MD, Medicine..
Career
PoSSUM & PHEnOM Projects
In 2016, Shawna Pandya was selected as one of the citizen scientists to work and train under two major projects namely: Polar Suborbital Science of the Upper Mesosphere (PoSSUM) and Physiological, Health and Environmental Observations in Microgravity (PHEnOM). At PoSSUM her aim will be to study noctilucent cloud formation its composition by the means of suborbital flight. At PHEnOM, she will focus on studies pertaining to human physiology and performance measures at the laboratory in both- microgravity and suborbital flight. Although, these two projects do not require any space exploration but under these two projects she will have to pass the 100 km Karmen line, which is the outer space defining boundary and therefore will be considered an astronaut.
* In 2014, became the recipient of the Edmonton Daughter's Day Award.<ref name=":2" />
Personal life
Shawna has been a part of the entertainment industry and has sung at various events. She is a philanthropit, she and recently launched a charity event ‘#itsoktohelp’. The event provided a platform for people to assist the underpriviledged by providing them with various resources. Promoting education amongst young girls, she became a mentor at the ‘Cyber Mentor Program’ which aims at establishing the career of young intellectual women in the fields of science, medicine and technology.<ref name=":1" />
She is also a certified first degree black belt in ‘Taekwondo’ practicing the sport for over 17 years and has won a medal at an international competition.<ref name=":2" />

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