Yiyun Zhang, a PhD student in the Space Enabled research group, is presenting her work with Zero Robotics at the 2023  United Nations/Canada Space for Women Expert Meeting, "Building capacity to promote and advance gender equality in the space sector." The meeting is organized jointly by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).  

The meeting is part of the "Space for Women" Project (Space4Women), which encourages women and girls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and raises awareness about career opportunities and the importance of gender equality and empowerment in the space sector. 

The focus of the meeting is to discuss efforts to ensure that the benefits of space reach women and girls, as well as to foster their equal and active role in the areas of space science, technology, innovation and exploration. During the meeting, the participants have the opportunity to engage in presentations, discussions and networking, with the aim to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the space area in accordance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender Equality). 

The 2023 Space4Women Expert Meeting is organized with the Canadian Space Agency in Montréal, Canada. 

For her doctoral research Yiyun is leading the technical implementation of the Zero Robotics program on the NASA Astrobee robotic platform. In addition, Yiyun is applying a Systems Architecture Framework to examine how Zero Robotics is applied in a manner that addresses identity-informed design.