It's not everyday that one receives the opportunity to pioneer mankind's efforts in space exploration, but for Bill Sorel, 28, working as an electronics technologist at the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology Inc. (NORCAT) in Sudbury allows him to do just that.

Bill has been with NORCAT for three and a half years designing and troubleshooting electronics and electrical circuits for a number of different space drills and rovers.

One such project is the CanaDrill, a prototype drill designed by NORCAT for use in space.

If humans ever wish to colonize the moon or Mars, resources for sustenance such as water and oxygen must first be harvested. We will also have to manufacture fuel for return flights.

Designed to drill a hole 15 meters through the surface of Mars, the CanaDrill could be instrumental in finding underground ice or water.

NASA has also issued a contract to NORCAT's private sector partner, Electric Vehicle Controllers, to develop technology to mine lunar soil.

The space and the mining industries are converging and opening up a world of new opportunities in Sudbury.

"We're always working on something new and interesting," Bill says.
"It's not your typical, everyday job.

"You get to make a real difference, and who knows where it will take you?"

Courses
Bill attended Cambrian College in Sudbury and moved on to Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie after one year. He is currently taking some additional courses at Cambrian, something NORCAT actively promotes among its employees.

Bill urges students interested in pursuing a career in electronics to make sure to take high-level Math and Physics. Electronics would also have been helpful, but the subject wasn't offered at his high school.

Fortunately, a natural affinity for the trade helped him out along the way.

"It's something I was interested in," says Bill, who didn't have a clue at 17 what his future had in store for him. "I kind of got lucky and it worked out the first time. I love doing what I do.

"When I was a kid, I liked mucking around and trying to fix my own stereo or Sega Genesis."

While he isn't sure how much money someone in his career could earn down the road, Bill says the average starting rate would be around $35,000 to $40,000 a year.

An industry job with a mining company can be more lucrative, he says.

"But you have to prove yourself. Nothing is going to be handed to you. You have to make a name for yourself and the only way to do that is through hard work."

If Bill could provide any advice to future electronics technologists it would be to attend college in addition to, or instead of university.

"The focus in college is more hands-on and practical and less theoretical. That's what they're looking for here at NORCAT.

"The amount of lab time you get in college over university is a real asset when looking for a job."

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