Dr. Scott A. Mabury: From microwave popcorn bags to polar bears – tracking the path of fluoroalcohols through the global environment  Fluoroalcohols, the basic industrial building blocks of many popular water and stain repellents, contribute significantly to the global burden of chemical pollution. The chemicals are widespread in the atmosphere, persistent enough to travel long […]

Dr. Yves Bergeron: Managing Canada's Boreal Forests for the Future The Canadian boreal forest constitutes one of the last frontier forests in the world. But it is a forest under pressure. Traditional cutting practices have resulted in a greatly decreased percentage of old-growth forest. Fire – a source of soil disturbance that increases fertility – […]

Peter Frise: Building the car of the future, idea by idea The automotive industry is Canada’s largest single business sector, providing high-value employment to over 500,000 people across the country, including over 150,000 direct jobs mainly in Ontario and Quebec. While this $110 billion sector is Canada’s largest exporter, it now faces significant competitive pressures […]

Dr. John Hughes Clarke: Ocean mapping – a new tool for exploring and managing Canada’s vast offshore resources   Dr. John Hughes Clarke: Cartographie océanique – un nouvel outil pour l’exploration et la gestion des vastes ressources extracôtières du Canada De nouveaux développements impressionnants en cartographie sous-marine peuvent maintenant offrir des panoramas stupéfiants en haute […]

Dr. Richard Béliveau: Fighting Cancer with Food It is estimated that one third of cancer cases can be attributed to diet, which demonstrates the importance of healthy eating to help reduce the incidence and progression of cancer. Numerous fundamental, clinical and epidemiological studies have shown that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is a key […]

Dr. Robert Wolkow: The Ruse and the Reality of Nanotechnology Nanotechnology doesn’t exist yet, not substantially, not compared to what is coming. What exists today is nanoscience. It is the many, diverse and substantial developments in nanoscience that have created the buzz about future nanotechnology. The ability to literally see, touch and even move at […]

Bien que les réserves de sables bitumineux du Canada soient considérables, les technologies actuelles de séparation et de valorisation pourraient limiter le potentiel des sables bitumineux de devenir une source importante de pétrole en Amérique du Nord. Les usines de demain devront tenir compte des coûts environnementaux et ne pourront plus compter sur des sources […]

Randy Mikula: Trading Water for Oil - Tailings Management in Surface-Mined Oil Sands About 12 barrels of water are needed to produce each barrel of bitumen from surface mined oil sands. Most of this water can be recycled, but a significant portion forms a mud-like suspension called fluid fine tailings. These tailings are stored in […]

Dr. Chris Metcalfe: What are we flushing down the drain? Assessing the hazards of pharmaceuticals and personal care products There are a variety of chemicals that we flush down the drain that wind-up passing through municipal wastewater treatment plants and into rivers and lakes. These chemicals include products such as cosmetics, shampoos and toothpaste, as […]

Dr. Eleanor Fish: Se préparer à la prochaine pandémie : comment pouvons-nous avoir le dessus sur les nouvelles maladies Les infections virales émergentes constituent une menace importante pour la santé humaine. Prises ensemble, les trois grandes épidémies de grippe qui ont sévi au cours du siècle dernier ont tué plus de personnes que n’importe quelle […]

Dr. Kevin Englehart: Bionic Limbs - from science fiction to reality Advances in capturing and processing the signals from undamaged nerves are opening the door to prosthetic devices that permit a stunningly fine level of control. Today’s speaker will explain the scientific and engineering basis of these revolutionary new human-machine interfaces and present a short […]

Dr. Bryan Kolb: Understanding the plastic brain Although once considered a static organ, the brain continually rewires its structure and function to adapt to very different environmental, cultural, and developmental conditions. Consider, for example, the very different demands on the brain of an airline pilot, lawyer, musician, and pipe fitter. Each has a complex set […]