A new hardcover publication, available September 17th, 2024
Foreword by Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO
Dr. Roberta L. Bondar, trailblazing astronaut and professional nature photographer, focuses on the lives and habitats of two majestic bird species—the endangered Whooping Crane in North America and the near-threatened Lesser Flamingo in Africa—through striking space, aerial, and surface photographs.
Margaret Atwood - writer - Website [Twitter (X)] @MargaretAtwood
"A gorgeous photo essay by Roberta Bondar, first female Canadian astronaut: two migratory birds, Whooping Crane and Lesser Flamingo, and what their necessary habitats look like. In one word, stunning!”
Steve Perry - Wildlife photographer, writer, educator - Website
"Join Dr. Bondar as she takes you on an epic photographic adventure following the Lesser Flamingo and Whooping Crane along their migration routes. This visual odyssey captivates with awe-inspiring imagery from space, breathtaking aerial photography, and intimate portraits from eye level. It’s a front-row seat to a migration saga featuring two of the world’s most fascinating species.
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Dr. Kathryn Sullivan - scientist, astronaut, explorer, author - Website
"A fascinating and beautifully illustrated book that zooms in and out between an astronaut’s orbital perspective, some unique and fragile environments on Earth and the elegant birds that live and breed there."
Dr. Marian McGee - Professor Emeritus, University of Ottawa, Canada
"You are the only person I’ve read able to integrate the beauty of poetry with lovely precision of science. I really like reading it. This will not only be a good “coffee table” book but a perfect teaching tool."
“It is not for the faint of heart,” Bondar said, speaking at a Nov. 10 press conference, launching a photography exhibit of her work at Science North.
The exhibit combines images from land, air and space (thanks to a partnership with NASA) to tell the story of migratory patterns of the whooping crane, lesser flamingo and piping plover species, which are all threatened or at risk of extinction.
"To fly in space is to see the reality of Earth, alone. To touch Earth after, is to see beauty for the first time." - Dr. Roberta Bondar
On January 22nd 1992, Dr. Roberta Bondar became the first Canadian woman and the world's first neurologist in space, launching aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on Mission STS-42 to conduct experiments in the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1).
An acclaimed professional nature and landscape photographer, Dr. Bondar has travelled around the world to capture the beauty of life on planet Earth.
Dr. Roberta Bondar is a captivating and respected speaker who draws from a lifetime of knowledge and fascinating experiences as a physician, scientist, educator, astronaut, author and professional photographer.
See below for a collection of interviews with Dr. Roberta Bondar on a variety of topics.
A renowned inspirational and motivational public speaker, Dr. Bondar books several speaking engagements throughout the year. These speeches are typically accompanied by Keynote presentations containing moving images and videos.
A collection of testimonials regarding Dr. Bondar's public speaking and presentations.
"The Global Peatland Iniative team would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr.Bondar for her time and for creating such a strong video message in support of peatland preservation. The video was extremely well received when played at the 3rd Partners Meeting of the Global Peatlands Initiative in Brazzaville, where ministers from the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Indonesia were in attendance."
"AACP Annual Meeting attendees were thrilled with Roberta Bondar as the keynote speaker for this year's opening general session. Her brilliance is evident from the moment she begins her presentation but it is her humanism that wins the audience over. As the meeting planner I can say I have never worked with such a pleasant keynote speaker before. As promised, she will customize her material to best match the key issues of your audience. She does her homework extremely well too."
Lee Ann Gardner, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, CBA Speakers Bureau (American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy)
"It’s hard to find sufficient words to express our gratitude to Dr. Bondar for speaking at the MSA Fall Reception. Her presentation was engaging and entertaining, and our members, staff and volunteers were thrilled to meet her. We are getting a lot of feedback, and the word ‘inspirational’ keeps cropping up. Please accept our heartfelt thanks – Dr. Bondar, you touched us all. "
Paolo Campisi, MSc, MD, FRCSC President, Medical Staff Association, The Hospital for Sick Children
"I would like to add my thanks and congratulations on a job well done for the MSU Geography Department during Geography Awareness Week. It was by far our best one yet, and we have Dr. Bondar to thank for that. Her talk was fascinating, and I also appreciated being able to sit in on the Remote Sensing class. I was so impressed that she changed her evening talk, slides, and videos to incorporate our needs, and that she called out our courses and put a Spartan helmet on the earth! What a great way to grab the students. We really appreciate her. "
Claudia Brown, C.P.M. Business Manager/Office Supervisor, Department of Geography, Michigan State University
"Thank you Dr. Bondar again for the captivating interview, it really was quite enjoyable! "
Daniel Laperriere, Convention on Biological Diversity, Communications Team
" Dr. Bondar executed a very thought provoking presentation. She presented an excellent framework (the challenge of space exploration) for dealing with issues of sudden change. It was great to hear about this from a different perspective and industry. There were great parallels of space examples and change to what we are experiencing in health care. It was fascinating, innovative, creative; pushing forward with new directions requiring leadership to provide involvement of groups considering more than one concept. The style of the presentation was refreshing; it had an intriguing style and tone. She is very knowledgeable and well spoken. "
Alison Burrows, Vice President, Maryland Healthcare Education Institute