茄子直播

University Professor Molly Shoichet in conversation with Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)

Research2Reality: understanding the ground-breaking work supported by your taxes

茄子直播 science advisor launches national research advocacy program

When University of Toronto physicist Dick Peltier began researching the interaction between the Earth鈥檚 land, atmosphere, water and biosphere, he created mathematical models depicting how climate evolved over 750 million years and how it will change in the future.

That was many years ago. Today, Peltier is considered a pioneer of the field called Earth system science and his research and analytical tools have become essential in some of the globe鈥檚 most important climate change mitigation initiatives. His work has won him some of the world鈥檚 top honours, such as the Vetlesen Prize, often referred to as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in the Earth sciences.

Peltier鈥檚 work is at the core of what 茄子直播 professor 鈥 who is also  鈥 believes is the 鈥渢remendous value鈥 of university research to global society.

鈥淐limate change is a phenomenon that is affecting global society and it could have serious consequences for us all,鈥 says Shoichet, an expert in tissue engineering who was named one of five . 

鈥淒ick鈥檚 work is a perfect example of how sophisticated university research can have a positive impact on helping us deal with difficult problems.鈥

The challenge, adds Shoichet, is in helping people outside academia to be aware of the value of university research.

鈥淧eople are being bombarded with so much information these days, that some of the more important information passes them by. And I think that鈥檚 why many people just haven鈥檛 been able to see the value in what our scientists are doing.鈥

That鈥檚 why Shoichet began formulating a program two years ago to trumpet the importance of university research.That program, , launched May 11 at a special event at Toronto鈥檚 MaRS Discovery Centre.

R2R is a social media initiative that builds on popular online sites such as How Stuff Works and IFL Science. It includes a video series and website that covers research and development from Canadian scientists such as Peltier. Videos will be shared across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. (See the video with Peltier below.)

Other 茄子直播 scientists profiled in the videos are:

  • 茄子直播 Mississauga cancer researcher
  • Computer scientist , director of the Technologies for Aging Gracefully Lab
  • of the Daniels Faculty of Landscape, Architecture and Design, who specializes in sustainable buildings and architecture
  • , director of 茄子直播's Global Cities Institute, who is leading a major international project empowering cities to become smarter and stronger 
  • Physicist , an expert in quantum computing.

Shoichet and her team have also shot videos of 65 other Canadian university scientists. In addition to being streamed on Research2Reality.com and social media channels, Discovery Science is also launching a complementary website featuring R2R scientists and broadcasting public service announcements on its television channels.

Shoichet believes R2R falls directly in line with her role as 茄子直播鈥檚 science advisor. 

鈥淚n that role, my goal is to bring people who are curious and engaged in the community into the world of university research. I want people to see the fantastic work being done at 茄子直播 and across Canada. I got started on R2R before becoming science advisor, but the two are meshing perfectly.鈥

She also believes R2R helps to fulfill an important accountability function. 

鈥淥ur funding for scientific research comes largely from the people of Canada through their taxes. So, I鈥檝e always felt an obligation to reach out to the public and tell them what we are doing.鈥

R2R鈥檚 partners include 茄子直播, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, McMaster University, University of Waterloo and Western University, along with the Province of Ontario, Discovery Science and the Globe and Mail.

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