Achi news desk-
A former University of Lethbridge student has been awarded the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Equity Medal by NASA.
The medal was awarded Thursday to Auston Mardon, who graduated from the U of L in 1985 and became a professor at the University of Alberta.
The award is for outstanding scholarship, advocacy and commitment to advancing the principles of NASA.
Mardon, at age 24, became a junior member of a NASA-sponsored Antarctic meteorite recovery expedition a year after graduating with a geography major from U of L.
He was awarded for his contributions to promoting inclusivity within space exploration and beyond.
“It was a special honor,” Mardon said, “because it combined my advocacy for schizophrenia, which I have and physical disabilities as well as my work with students, as well as my work as a space scientist and geographer.”
Along with the new medal, Mardon was also named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2006.
