Dr. Marianne Mader

Managing Director, Earth & Space/Fossils & Evolution, Royal Ontario Museum Co-Founder & Board Member, STEAMLabs Community Makerspace

  • Toronto ON

Cultivating curiosity. Inspiring passion for exploration. Empowering people to engage with science & tech. www.mariannemader.com

Contact

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Biography

Marianne Mader has dedicated her career to sharing her love for space exploration through innovative public engagement, participatory education, planetary science research, and science communication. Currently the Managing Director of Earth & Space / Fossils & Evolution at the Royal Ontario Museum, she strives to foster curiosity through learning experiences for all ages. As part of her mission to make education accessible and engaging, Marianne co-founded STEAMLabs, a non-profit community makerspace. STEAMLabs is located in Toronto's Centre for Social Innovation, and acts as a creative hub where people of different ages and abilities come together to learn and create using digital fabrication, coding, and more.

A leader in the space industry with over 13 years of research and field experience, Marianne has worked with the Canadian Space Agency, NASA, and MDA (Canada's largest space company). She has been a Visiting Lecturer at the International Space University, and her education includes a PhD in Planetary Science, MSc in Space Studies, and an MSc in Earth Sciences. A talented connector of networks, Marianne has the rare experience of managing teams and collaborating at the intersection of space agency, academic, industrial, and community stakeholders.

Industry Expertise

Museums and Institutions
Aerospace
Education/Learning
Program Development

Areas of Expertise

Space Exploration
Planetary Science
Science Communication
Maker Culture
Leadership
STEAM Education
Science Outreach to the Public
Makerspace
21st Century Learning
Citizen Science
Museums
STEM Education
Participatory Engagement
Hackathons
Innovation
Innovating Learning
Geology

Accomplishments

Advisory Board Member, Space Apps Challenge

Every year over one weekend, developers, makers, engineers and entrepreneurs take on NASA-designed challenges, creating solutions that range from silly to serious, fantastical to feasible.

See: http://spaceappstoronto.com

Visiting Lecturer International Space University

The International Space University is an educational organization located in France that develops future leaders of the global space community. Marianne was a Visiting Lecturer for the graduate level professional development Space Studies Program in 2014 and 2015.

US Antarctic Service Medal

Awarded in 2013 for research contributions to the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET). Marianne is one of only 3 Canadians selected for this intensive research program since in began in 1976.

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Education

Western University

PhD

Planetary Science & Exploration

2015

International Space University

MSc

Space Studies

2007

Memorial University

MSc

Geology

2005

Affiliations

  • Co-Founder & Board Member, STEAMLabs

Media Appearances

Trek Talks: Bridging Science and the Arts | TIFF Live

TIFF  online

2016-10-13

TIFF's 2016 Trek Talks included a roundtable discussion on Star Trek, and how science can inspire art and art can inspire science. Marianne was a featured Guest Speaker on the Bridging Science & the Arts roundtable, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and Sonny Kohli, co-founder of Cloud DX.

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Planetary Scientist Dr. Marianne Mader - What She Said Tech

The Jewel Radio Network.  radio

What's it like performing with Chris Hadfield? What's the difference between a Meteorite and a Meteor-wrong? Dr. Marianne Mader, Managing Director for the Centres for Earth & Space and Fossils & Evolution at the Royal Ontario Museum joins us to discuss all things space.

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ROMCast (Podcast): Dr. Marianne Mader

Royal Ontario Museum  online

2016-01-12

Managing Director of ROM Earth & Space and ROM Fossils & Evolution, Marianne is a Planetary Scientist with a love of science communication and working with researchers to excite people about space, the earth and science.

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Event Appearances

Speaker: STEAMLabs' Motivation

Chris Hadfield's Generator Show  Massey Hall

2015-10-28

Keynote Presentation: Punching above our weight: Increasing space outreach impact

2017 SEDS Ascension Conference  University of Toronto, ON

Invited Speaker: Hunting Meteorites at the End of the World

2017 & 2016, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Monthly Meeting  Mississauga & Toronto, ON

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