Prince George, B.C.- Canadian Astronaut, Colonel Chris Hadfield,  is confirmed to be the  speaker at the next Dr. Bob Ewert Memorial Dinner.

While Hadfield is no stranger to outer space, his trip to Prince George  for the  April 5th, 2014  lecture and dinner willl be his first visit to Northern B.C.

Hadfield made international headlines by becoming the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, by conducting zero-gravity science lessons for earthbound children, and for his brilliant photographs, communicated primarily through micro-blogging site Twitter, where he has nearly a million followers. His zero-gravity music video, a cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” has been viewed more than 17 million times on YouTube.

“Not only is Colonel Hadfield a Canadian hero, but he’s one of the greatest ambassadors Canada has ever produced,” says Dr. David Nelson, president of Northern Medical Society. “Someone of his calibre, the first Canadian to walk in space, and the first Canadian ever to receive both a military and civilian Meritorious Service Cross, will make an exemplary keynote speaker for this worthy event, which has become one of the premiere evenings in the calendars of Northern BC.”

The Dr. Bob Ewert Lecture and Memorial Dinner, is an annual fund raising event for the Northern Medical Programs Trust, which supports students in the Northern Medical program.

Tickets cost $125 each or $1,000 for a table of 10, and are available from the Office of External Relations at UNBC at 250.960.5750, or at development@unbc.ca.