CAETS 2009 CALGARY - 18TH CONVOCATION

The Canadian Academy of Engineering hosted the bi-annual CAETS Convocation at the Westin Hotel in Calgary, Alberta from July 13 - 17, 2009.

For more information, click here.

COUNCIL OF CANADIAN ACADEMIES REPORTS

• Annual Report 2008/2009

• Better Research for Better Business - This report comes in response to a proposal submitted by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to assess the overall strengths and weaknesses of management, business, and finance research in Canada. The assessment was requested by SSHRC in response to the Government of Canada’s 2007 allocation of $11 million per year to support multi-disciplinary, collaborative research in these areas. The report of the study represents the consensus findings of a nine-member panel of experts, chaired by David Zussman, Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa and Commissioner, Public Service Commission of Canada.

• The Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Canada - Serving as the sole water source for more than 80 per cent of the country’s rural population, and as drinking water for almost 10 million Canadians, groundwater is an invaluable national resource; its sustainable management is thus imperative. To this end, Natural Resources Canada asked the Council of Canadian Academies to appoint an expert panel to assess the question: “What is needed to achieve sustainable management of Canada’s groundwater resources, from a science perspective?” To answer this question — and defining science as any knowledge-generating discipline, including the natural, social and health sciences, engineering, and the humanities — the Council assembled a diverse group of leaders in the science of groundwater, as well as experts in the sociological, economic and legal aspects surrounding sustainable groundwater management.

• The Canadian Arctic Research Initiative - The Speech from the Throne of October 16, 2007 committed the Government of Canada to deliver a Northern Strategy which includes the construction of a world-class arctic research station. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), the lead federal department for the initiative, prepared a Visioning Workshop report to capture and define the science priorities for Canada’s Arctic. INAC subsequently commissioned the Council of Canadian Academies to establish an international panel of experts to review the priorities outlined in the Visioning Workshop report and to provide an independent, external perspective on the findings. The panel’s report captures the deliberations of an intensive two-day panel session held in Helsinki, Finland in July 2008.

• Gas Hydrates - The Council of Canadian Academies was asked by the federal Minister of Natural Resources to assess the challenges for an acceptable operational extraction of gas hydrates in Canada in terms of: economic impact, social acceptability, and accessibility. As a result, the Expert Panel on Gas Hydrates was appointed by the Council to address the question and provide an account of the science and technology relevant to the safe extraction and use of gas hydrates in Canada.

• Nanotechnology - The Council of Canadian Academies has been asked by the federal Minister of Health: “What is the state of knowledge with respect to existing nanomaterial properties and their health and environmental risks, which could underpin regulatory perspectives on needs for research, risk assessment and surveillance?” An Expert Panel on Nanotechnology has been appointed by the Council of Canadian Academies to address this question. Scientific knowledge, or evidence, is broadly interpreted to include natural sciences and engineering, as well as social sciences.