Education

I grew up on a farm near Melfort, Saskatchewan, where I went to Reynolds Central School (K – grade 6) and the Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate (grades 7–12).

1998 - Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Mathematics with a Concentration in Applied Mathematics and Honours Certificate in Science (Physics and Engineering Physics), University of Saskatchewan

1998 - International Space University Summer Session Program

2002 - M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University. Major: Dynamics and Control. Minor: Computational Science and Engineering. Advisor: Professor James M. Longuski (author of The Seven Secrets of How to Think Like a Rocket Scientist)

2004 - Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University. Thesis topics: optimization of interplanetary spacecraft trajectories and design of Earth-Mars cycler trajectories. Advisor: Professor James M. Longuski

My Masters and Ph.D. research was funded in large part by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. I was the primary developer of the trajectory optimization software named GALLOP (which stands for Gravity-Assist Low-thrust Local Optimization Program). I also did research on Earth-Mars cycler trajectories — research that led to the discovery of the notable “ballistic S1L1 cycler,” and to a journal paper co-authored with Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin.