Ten members of the University of Alberta community and three members of their families were among the 176 people killed when Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 crashed last Wednesday a few minutes after takeoff from Tehran International Airport. They were professors and students, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. Some were accomplished researchers; some were just embarking on promising careers. All will be mourned and missed. These are their faces and names.
Memorial serviceA memorial service will be held Sunday, Jan. 12, from 3–5 p.m. at the Saville Community Sports Centre (11610 65 Avenue NW) on the U of A's south campus. |
Engineering professors Pedram Mousavi and Mojgan Daneshmand were married with two daughters, all of whom perished on the flight.
Mousavi was with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and held the NSERC-AI Industrial Research Chair in Intelligent Integrated Sensors and Antennas.
His mission was to commercialize research, establish strong connections between industries and universities, and stimulate industry-relevant research in wireless technologies. He built and led several professional teams at universities and startup companies. He also supervised 26 graduate students and 10 post-doctoral fellows during his time at the U of A, leaving behind a legacy of hard work, kindness, teaching and empowerment of people.
An internationally recognized scholar, Daneshmand was appointed as a Canada Research Chair in Radio Frequency Microsystems when she joined the U of A's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2008.
Celebrated locally with the awarding of the U of A's Martha Cook Piper Research Prize in 2018, she earned a global reputation for her research expertise and national recognition for her commitment to mentoring and supporting women in science and engineering.
