Conformal Integration of antennas with solar panels has wide applications, from small spacecraft, Mars rovers, to self-powered wireless sensors. It is particularly beneficial when the surface real estate is a major challenge, such as a CubeSat. A strategic integration not only reduces the development cost, promotes a robust communication link, but also increases the mission capacity by allowing more science instruments to be mounted on the CubeSat. This lecture covers different conformal antenna designs for solar panel integration, from UHF to Ka band. It includes antennas integrated under solar cells, around solar cells, and optically transparent antennas integrated on top of solar cells. It also covers low gain and high gain design. The high gain design mainly focuses on reflectarray antenna, which may be beneficial to those who wishes to study the subject. As these antennas are integrated with solar panel, a unique and complex subsystem, effects of solar cells on the antenna and vice versa need to be analyzed and quantified. The lecture presents analysis of a typical space-certified solar cell, extracted model, experimental set-up to quantify the interaction between solar cells and the integrated antennas. Co-sponsored by: Staracomm Montréal, IEEE Young Professionals, IEEE Montréal Speaker(s): Prof. Reyhan Baktur, 2500 chemin de polytechnique, Polytechnique Montreal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H3T1j4, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/304250

CubeSat, a modular type of standardized modern small satellites, have been gaining steady popularity and attention from universities and space industries. In addition to education purpose, CubeSats have various promising applications as low-cost space exploration vehicles for technology demonstrations, multi-point observations of space environment, and monitoring/reporting proper deployment of expensive deep space instruments. Antennas are critical components for CubeSat missions. A CubeSat antenna may provide some or all of the following functions: telemetry, tracking, command (TT\&C), high speed downlink for payload data, receiving positioning data, and inter-satellite cross links. Most often, different antennas are required to keep the CubeSat assembly in modular fashion. On the other hand, antenna engineers strive to create solutions that could pack more functionality into one unit. This brings up a need to understand basics of CubeSat development cycle and link budget analysis, so that an electrical engineer would have sound knowledge of limiting factors (posed by the mechanical system and hardware of a CubeSat) to the antennas design. With rapid advancement of electronics, novel mechanical design, and aerospace technology, new progress in CubeSats is emerging every day. This calls for interests and early involvements of creative young minds. The objective of this presentation is to convey the basics of CubeSat development cycle, launch methods, typical CubeSat orbits, link budget analysis, various antenna solutions, and feasible classroom projects. Co-sponsored by: Staracomm Montréal, IEEE Young Professionals, IEEE Montréal Speaker(s): Prof. Reyhan Baktur, 2500 chemin de polytechnique, Polytechnique Montreal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H3T1j4, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/304249

Join us for this talk on "Career Planning as an Antidote to a Competitive Job Market" with David Lafferty and Karim Abuawad on March 8th, starting at 11:30 AM. In this presentation, both speakers will discuss how to make career plans to help people find jobs in today's competitive job market. Speaker(s): David Lafferty, Karim Abuawad Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/306051