ZENITH FELLOWSHIP SUMMIT 2025

Welcome to the Summit!

Welcome Zenith Fellows!

The Zenith Fellowship Summit is finally here! We are so excited to see you all this July 17th to Sunday July 20th in Montreal! Over the course of the Summit, you will get to meet with other Zenith Fellows, volunteers, and the wider Zenith community for 4 days of learning, growing, and connecting. You are all the future of Canadian space and will go on to explore new frontiers, make the world a more equitable place, and support your fellow people on spaceship Earth. During your time at the Summit, we urge you to think about where you’d like to go next with your career, your academic ambitions, and your community involvement.

Plan to arrive on the evening of Wednesday, July 16th to get settled in at the hotel (or your alternate accommodations) for a bright and early start on Thursday morning! We can’t wait to see you there!

- The Zenith Team

Welcome

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Welcome 〰️

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SUMMIT PREP

Packing List

Here’s a recommended packing list of items and considerations for the Summit:

  • Government-Issued Identification: To be allowed to enter and tour the headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency, all visitors must have government-issued ID. If you are not a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident, you will need to bring your passport and relevant VISA.

  • Summit Clothes: The attire for the Summit will generally be business casual, but we also believe in individuality over strict professionalism. Feel free to dress in a way that expresses your unique style and personality. We will also have a Mixer on Saturday evening at a pub, which will be a more conventional business casual/casual evening attire. Additionally, our schedule includes several free evenings, giving you the perfect chance to explore the beautiful city of Montreal. You may want to pack accordingly to make the most of these opportunities.

  • Weather: Montreal will be warm with temperatures in the high 20s Celsius and a chance of rain. Pack a mix of clothing options. Indoors might be cool with A/C, so consider bringing a layer. Don't forget a rain jacket and umbrella for walking between the hotel and the summit venue. If you plan to be outside during lunch, pack essentials like hats, sunscreen, etc to stay comfortable in the sun.

  • Technology: Consider bringing your laptop, tablet or any other portable electronic device that you can use during the Summit for taking notes, or anything else. You will be responsible for any lost, damaged or stolen items in between your travels between venues so make sure to keep your belongings safe.

  • Scent-free Event: To make this event as safe and comfortable for everyone, please make sure not to wear perfume, cologne, aftershave and other fragrances. Please bring unscented personal care products.

Checklist

See below for essential items you should make sure to do before and as you arrive at the Summit:

  • Confirm your travel arrangements to and from the Summit, making sure to keep receipts for reimbursement where applicable! For Interns who opted for ZCPF to book your travel, make sure to still check in to your train/flights on time.

  • Check-in to your hotel or accommodation on Wednesday (more info below on getting to the hotel). If you’re staying at the hotel, connect with your roommate ahead of time!

  • Message in the ZCPF Discord group #summit channel when you arrive and are settled in Montreal (or text/WhatsApp Paula at +1 (613)-404-3683)

  • Make sure to post about your Summit experience and take lots of pictures! Use #ZenithSummit25 on social media for any posts and tag @ZenithPathways on all platforms.

ARRIVAL IN MONTREAL

Arrival in Montreal

Travel:

Plan to arrive in Montreal the night before the Summit on Wednesday, July 16th. The Summit will begin bright and early on Thursday, July 17th.

If flying into/out of Montreal-Trudeau Airport YUL, alongside the usual options of rideshare apps, there is also an airport shuttle that runs straight to the downtown core. This shuttle bus requires a special ticket, around ~11$CAD, and more information can be found here. (Remember to keep all your receipts for reimbursement!)

Accommodations:

Interns will be staying at the Best Western Ville-Marie hotel booked through ZCPF, located at 3407 Peel Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1W7. The hotel is an approximate 8 minute walk from the Summit venue so make sure to give yourself enough time in the morning to get to the Summit on time.

Check your emails of your roommate pairings!

If you have arranged alternative accommodations, please make sure you give yourself enough time to arrive to the Summit on time each day!

Summit Venue

Catering:

Light breakfast will be provided each day at 8:00am, alongside a full lunch. The exception is Friday, July 19th where Fellows will be responsible for their own breakfast as we will be leaving promptly in the morning for the CSA tour.

Venue:

Thursday, July 17th
On Thursday, the Summit will take place at Turbulent on the 6th floor of the Cooper Building located at 3981 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4. Upon arriving, please take the elevator up to the 6th floor.

Parking: Unfortunately, there are not many parking options near Turbulent. However, two options could be:

  • Parking YULiv (indoor parking garage): 83 Rue Saint-Cuthbert, Montreal, Quebec H2W 1T9

  • Street parking (metered hourly) along St-Laurent Boulevard or Clark Street.

Saturday and Sunday
For the remainder of the Summit will take place McGill Engine Center located at Frank Dawson Adams Building (FDA) - Room 5, 3450 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0E8.

Parking: Parking is available behind the FDA building, with directions shown in the photo below. 

Schedule

Virtual Attendance

A zoom link will be circulated by email shortly before the Summit for those who will be attending virtually. The zoom link will be the same for the duration of the Summit.

Wednesday, July 16th

Arrival in Montreal and a free evening! See below for a suggested list of activities and places to eat around Montreal!

Throughout the Day

  • Check-in at Best Western begins at 3pm ET. When checking in, one person from each room will need to provide a credit card on file.

  • Send a message in the ZCPF Discord Group #summit channel or text/WhatsApp Paula @ +1 (613)-404-3683 to let us know you arrived at the Hotel or your alternate accommodations in Montreal.

  • We encourage you to connect with other Fellows in the Discord group #summit channel!

Free Evening

Thursday, July 17th

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please make sure to arrive promptly at the Summit on Day One as we will have you check-in, receive your swag, and get settled before a busy day.

8:00 - 8:30 AM
BREAKFAST: light breakfast catered by St. Viateur with selection of bagels, coffee/tea provided by ZCPF

8:30 - 9:00 AM
OPENING REMARKS + Welcome

9:00 - 10:00 AM
Opening Keynote: Dr. Tanya Harrison

10:15 - 11:30 AM
Advancements in Science for Space Exploration Panel

12:00 - 1:00 PM
Fireside chat with Emily Calendrelli + LUNCH provided by ZCPF

1:00 - 1:30 PM
Lightning Talk with Phil Ferguson

1:30 - 2:00 PM
Lightning Talk with Adyn Miles

2:15 - 3:45 PM
Industry Panel

3:45 - 5:00 PM
Nadir Project Work Session

Friday, July 19th

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please make sure to arrive by 7:30 a.m as we will be leaving for the CSA right away

7:30 AM
Meet outside Best Western Ville-Marie (3407 Peel St, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1W7) before 7:30 a.m. to board a charter bus and leave promptly to arrive at the CSA. Please make sure to arrive on time!

8:30 - 11:30 AM
Canadian Space Agency Tour

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
MDA Tour

We will return to the Venue in Montreal by 5PM.

Saturday, July 20th

8:00 - 9:00 AM
BREAKFAST: light breakfast catered by St. Viateur with selection of bagels, coffee/tea provided by ZCPF.

9:00 - 10:00 AM
Opening Keynote: Dr. Kristen Cote

Dr. Kristen Cote (Wyvern)

10:15 AM - 11:30 PM
Grad School vs Industry Panel

Eric Choi (GHGSat)

Sheetal Puri (MDA)

Paula Bosca (Kepler Communications)

Charles Lee (University of Manitoba)

11:30 - 12:00 PM
Lightning Talk with Kim Cooper (Space Canada)

Kim Cooper (Space Canada)

12:00 - 1:00 PM
LUNCH provided by ZCPF + Lightning Talk with Sumaiya Abedin

Sumaiya Abedin (Concordia University)

1:00 - 2:30 PM
Nadir Project Work Session

3:00 - 5:00 PM
Mentor Round Robin

6:30 - 9:30 PM
Zenith Fellowship Mixer with the Montreal Space Community at Pavillon SAT located at 1201 Boul. Saint-Laurent (3rd floor terrasse), Montréal, QC H2X 2S6

Sunday, July 20th

8:00 - 9:00 AM
BREAKFAST: light breakfast prcatered by St. Viateur with selection of bagels, coffee/tea provided by ZCPF.

9:00 - 10:00 AM
Lightning Talk with Erin Edwards

Erin Edwards (NASA)

10:15 - 11:45 AM
Nadir Project Presentations

12:00 - 12:15 PM
Closing Remarks

12:15 - 1:00 PM
LUNCH provided by ZCPF.