NASA awards Alberta prof., activist with medal for contributions to inclusion

Austin Mardon recently received an exciting phone call.

The activist and professor learned less than two weeks ago that NASA would recognize his efforts in making space research and exploration more inclusive, awarding him with the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility medal. He was one of four recipients.

"I started yelling," said Mardon, who was invested into the Order of Canada in 2007. "My wife woke up; [she] thought there was something wrong."

According to the award's description, the medal is awarded to people for their "outstanding achievement and material contribution" to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in NASA programs.

Mardon once applied to become an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency. In 1986, at 24, he travelled to Antarctica, where he and a team of researchers discovered hundreds of meteorites.

The expedition took a toll, however; Mardon suffered mobility issues due to frostbite and was later diagnosed with schizophrenia.

"I gave up a lot in Antarctica," he said. "I realized that I was given a gift and I had to pay it back."

Mardon founded the Antarctica Institute of Canada, which initially lobbied for more research in the South Pole. The organization later expanded to help students of various backgrounds publish research.

Publishing academic work — even short articles — in peer-reviewed journals can be expensive, he said, so the institute takes on students to publish research in lesser-known publications to experience authorship.

The institute doesn't limit itself to working with science students — or even university students, as it will work with high school students with good writing skills, he said. Sometimes, arts students will be paired with science students to help communicate the research.

The institute has also worked with a range of individuals, including those with mental illness, people of different races and those in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Mardon said.

Still, Mardon said he has had to overcome stigma throughout his career. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1992.

He is upfront about the diagnosis before working with students and peers. He estimates 10 to 20 per cent of people have opted not to work with him after learning his story.

"It's a sad thing," Mardon said, adding that he treasures collaborating with the people who stuck with him.

"I've had a lot of false starts, so when I have somebody that's willing to work with me, I go the full yard with them and put everything into it, because so many avenues — once they find out — have been closed to me."

Receiving the NASA medal "touches me so much" because the agency would have heard his story, Mardon said. It also humbled him because he would never have received it without the support of his students and his wife.

In a way, Mardon now feels like he has finally returned home from his Antarctic expedition.

"It was worth it," he said. "Every painful step since then has been worth it."

The NASA medals were presented last week at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.,  but Mardon could not attend. He said he will officially receive his medal in June.

Mardon's accolades are expected to continue growing this spring: In May, he's set to receive honorary degrees from the University of British Columbia and Dalhousie University in Halifax.