Dr. Sylvie Béland, the NRC's first female director of aerospace research and development, was honoured with the Elsie MacGill Government Award from the Northern Lights Award Foundation. The award recognizes her illustrious career as an aerospace and space scientist, which includes holding a number of senior positions at the Canadian Space Agency. Now a co-champion on the NRC's National Women in Science and Technology Committee, Dr. Béland has earned an international reputation for her work, including for her part in developing new technologies for the Canadarm2 and the International Space Station.