Eva’s Story

Earth to Commander Hadfield

Basil Waugh

Eva’s Story
CategoryStudent
NameEva Kwan
FromVancouver, BC
ProgramPsychology, Faculty of Arts

 

From Campus to the Cosmos

As Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield floated through the cosmos, a UBC psychology student worked to keep him connected to Earth.

Eva Kwan was part of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) team helping Hadfield meet the psychological challenges of life in space. In a long-distance relationship like few others, Kwan served as Hadfield’s lifeline home from the International Space Station (ISS), thanks to the marvels of technology.

Kwan, who grew up with a passion for space and psychology, performed a variety of jobs designed to keep Hadfield happy and healthy. Her favorite task was helping his family prepare care packages, which were blasted into space on unmanned supply ships. “Nothing is more surreal than touching something you know is going into space,” said Kwan, 21, referring to the Canadian food specialties she helped send, including tubes of maple syrup and salmon.

 

To keep the astronaut abreast of planetary happenings, Kwan arranged regular web conferences with family, friends, celebrities and public figures. She also served as Hadfield’s personal culture shopper, uploading news and his favourite podcasts, movies, music and TV shows to a personal website for his downtime.

Keeping Astronauts Happy and Safe

Kwan worked with a host of experts – doctors, psychologists, nutritionists – as part of CSA’s Operational Space Medicine team, which has spent years preparing for Hadfield’s mission. Their goal was to help him withstand the mental and physical challenges that come with five months in orbit: lack of privacy, confinement to small spaces, isolation from family and culture – even muscle and bone loss from microgravity. Without training and support, these effects can hinder performance and eventually jeopardize a mission.

“We want Chris and his crew to feel connected,” said Kwan, who proudly sported her UBC t-shirt around Montreal and its suburbs, where CSA headquarters reside. “Care packages, movies and shows are important for fostering group relationships and crew bonding,” she said.

Kwan, who is researching crew cohesion under Leena Tomi, CSA’s Human Behaviour and Performance Lead, says her co-op experience has truly been out of this world. One of the coolest perks of her job?  “I love getting emails from Chris,” she said. “Email is way cooler when it comes from space!”

Putting Passion into Practice

“I grew up loving space and psychology, but wasn’t aware space psychology even existed,” she said, crediting a UBC Arts co-op program mentor for suggesting CSA. “It showed me the power of university alumni and networking. Now I can work towards becoming the first Asian-Canadian space psychologist.”

As a young girl, Kwan idolized Canada’s first female astronaut Roberta Bondar, and still finds old space articles she clipped at her parents’ home in Vancouver. “She symbolized how women can achieve anything and is a personal hero of mine,” she adds.

Her relationship with psychology is equally personal. “I saw a psychologist when I was younger, and I was amazed there was someone whose job it was to make me happy. I wanted to be that person for other kids when I grew up.”

Kwan was one of 4,000 UBC students who participated in paid co-op placements this school year with such companies as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Disney and Time Warner. Kwan will return to UBC in September to finish her degree.


Read UBC Reports’ full interview with Kwan

Learn about UBC co-op programs

Follow Hadfield on Twitter at @Cmdr_Hadfield

 

Latest Stories

Previous

Blending Visual Arts with Computer Science in UBC Okanagan's Bachelor of Media Studies

Having started his university experience during COVID with online classes, Kai now values being able to work in group settings within his smaller program.
student

Blending Visual Arts with Computer Science in UBC Okanagan's Bachelor of Media Studies

“[UBC Okanagan's Bachelor of Media Studies program is] a very interesting degree because it takes a lot of practices from visual arts and computer science and blends them together... it exposes you to so many different things and later it allows you to narrow things down and specialize in a certain digital field.” - Kai H., Bachelor of Media Studies

Student mentee to alumni mentor

A graduate from UBC's Faculty of Land and Food Systems, Bruno is using his experience to help mentor new students.
alumni

Student mentee to alumni mentor

“Everyone's path is different; however, it is the people that you meet along the way that make the journey special. To me, being part of someone's journey and being able to help in any way that I can is something that I value. ” - Bruno T., BSc, Major in Food, Nutrition, and Health
Zahra F at Stanford

UBC International Scholar to Stanford Medical School

An aspiring Epidemiologist, Zahra advocates for first-generation and low-income students
alumni

UBC International Scholar to Stanford Medical School

“[The International Scholar] awards are so impactful in changing the realities of students who come from backgrounds in which higher education is not the traditional pathway to success.” - Zahra F., BSc in Global Resource Systems

From Brazil to the Okanagan

How a volleyball player from Brazil found her place at UBCO
student

From Brazil to the Okanagan

“I feel the instructors at UBC Okanagan are actual mentors if you give them the opportunity to help you and give you advice based on their own experiences.” – Hellen L., Civil Engineering

Experiential learning in Applied Animal Biology

By choosing a degree program that prioritizes hands-on learning Afnan is prepared to take on any challenge
alumni

Experiential learning in Applied Animal Biology

“In my third year I was a field research assistant in northern BC. We lived in camper vans, caught sapsuckers, took DNA samples and released them back into the wild. It was an incredible experience.” Afnan A., Applied Animal Biology

From Applied Science to engineer at Tesla

How UBC gave Andrew the skills he needed to become an engineer
alumni

From Applied Science to engineer at Tesla

"UBC allowed me to have conversations with a large variety of people from different backgrounds and with widely differing perspectives. I made sure to engage in these conversations as often as I could." - Andrew K., Bachelor of Applied Science
Andre G, Commerce Student

Building a strong foundation

As a UBC Commerce student from Slovakia, Andrej is confident about his future
student

Building a strong foundation

"The high quality of education, strong support network, and a myriad of opportunities to get involved in at UBC makes me very confident about my future." - Andrej G., Bachelor of Commerce

A passion for international justice

By getting involved in human rights projects Danilo made UBC is own experience
alumni

A passion for international justice

"UBC’s motto is Tuum Est, which means: It’s Yours, and It’s Up to You. Throughout my time at UBC I have strived to become the best version of myself, to grow, and to make university my own experience." – Danilo A-M., Honours Political Science with International Relations
next