On May 16, 2013, I officially received my Masters of Science (MSc) degree in physics from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC).

It was a bittersweet moment for me. Although I was overjoyed to receive such an honour from such a prestigious institution, I simultaneously remembered all of the very gruelling work I had to endure over many long hours, week after week, month after month, to earn it.

My MSc thesis was 252 pages long; over 100 pages longer than a standard MSc thesis. The thesis took me over a year to research and over 5 months to write. In the final months, I had to continue my observations, derive equations and write the thesis all at once! The thesis was also in addition to fulfilling a contract and earning my amateur radio certificate!

The graduation ceremony was a culmination of not just 2 academic years but the culmination of 15 years of space surveillance. From the original CASTOR project at RMC to my own endeavours after leaving my job as requirements manager in Ottawa to going back to school in a once in a lifetime chance to add to my credentials.

The journey still continues as I begin my PhD work in late summer of 2013. I plan to continue the work that I began for my MSc and find answers from the questions posed in my MSc thesis. There are many at the RMC physics department that I can thank for their unwavering confidence in me for the past 16 years. I hope to make their trust worth it in the coming years.

Michael A. Earl - BSc (1995), MSc (2013), PhD? (2016?)