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Summer 2007
Students respond to ORION FutureFlick Contest - deadline extended
Ontario students have been responding to the new ORION FutureFlick Contest, and submitting their own vision of student life in the future. The submission deadline has been extended to January 31, 2008 to allow more time for entries around students' busy schedules. This means that the contest remains wide open and submissions already received are still eligible to win. For contest details, visit www.orion.on.ca/futureflick.
Still time to register for ABEL Summer Institute 2007
The 2007 Summer Institute, hosted by Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning (ABEL), takes place August 20 and 21, 2007, at the TEL Building, York University in Toronto. This year's theme is Intersections: Where Learner, Literacy and Technology Meet. It will offer a range of informative presentations and hands-on workshops. Canadian futurist Richard Worzel will speak at this year's event, along with Dr. Lorna Earl and Dr. Steven Katz, directors of the research and evaluation firm Aporia Consulting Ltd.; Dr. David Booth, Professor of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto; and Dr. Ron Owston, Professor of Education at York University and founding director of the Institute for Research on Learning Technologies. ORION is pleased once again to sponsor this event on teaching and learning through technology. For more information and to register, visit http://abeldb.abel.yorku.ca/summerInstitute.
Consumer Health Informatics Conference registration now open
The Consumer Health Informatics Conference, taking place on October 30, 2007, in Ottawa, focuses on the technical, social, ethical and professional issues arising from consumer empowerment using information technology for health information. The outcome is expected to be a summary report based on all of the presentations and discussions that will contribute to shaping the future of consumer health informatics in Canada. Visit www.chiconference.ca for more information and to register.
Lakehead to establish new research centre for biomass technologies
Premier Dalton McGuinty was recently at Lakehead University to announce a one-time $6 million grant to support cutting-edge research at the Thunder Bay institution. The Province will provide Lakehead with $6 million in order to establish the Centre for Research into Biomass Technologies. With this step, the university builds its capacity to contribute to the competitive and sustainable development of Ontario's boreal forest. "Lakehead University has a strong track record of research and innovation," said Dr. Fred Gilbert, president of Lakehead University. "This provincial funding will enable us to build on that record of success with the establishment of two Ontario Research Chairs, dedicated to establishing biorefining processes that transform low-value biomass into higher-value products." For more information, visit www.premier.gov.on.ca/news.
Queen's to establish new Cntre for Biomaterials Research
Premier Dalton McGuinty recently announced that the government is providing a one-time grant of $21 million to support a new research centre at Queen's University. The university is working with the private sector to build an advanced research and innovation centre specializing in bioprocessing and biomaterials. "Queen's is one of Canada's leading research-intensive universities," said Dr. Karen Hitchcock, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University. "The centre will serve as a regional hub for research and innovation, bringing together scientists from industry and academia to collaborate on bio-products research and get new technologies to market, faster." To learn more, visit http://qnc.queensu.ca/campusnews.
International Conference on the Management of Mobile Business 2007
The Sixth International Conference on Mobile Business (ICMB) takes place July 9-11, 2007 in Toronto. The worldwide event brings together academics, practitioners, and policy makers to present, discuss and review ongoing developments in the field of mobile and wireless technologies, applications and markets. ICMB focuses on the commercialization of new business models exploiting wireless and mobile technologies by presenting research results and future perspectives for the development and sustainable deployment of mobile applications and services. ICMB annually attracts 200 leading executives and researchers from over 20 countries. For more information, visit www.mbusiness2007.org.
Robarts Research Institute and Western finalize integration agreement
The agreement to integrate Robarts Research Institute with The University of Western Ontario has recently been approved by both organizations, paving the way for official integration July 1st. Much of the work toward integration has been under way for some months, ensuring that the process will run smoothly in the coming weeks. Robarts will become a part of the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario and Robarts employees will be welcomed as Western employees. "This merger represents the best of both worlds for Robarts' science," said interim Scientific Director Dr. Cecil Rorabeck, "and it marks the beginning of a new era for medical discovery in Canada." To learn more, visit www.robarts.ca/news.
CBC launches e-commerce Web site for educational content
The CBC recently launched a Web site dedicated to promoting its educational content and making it available for purchase for classroom learning. CBC Learning allows teachers, school boards and post-secondary professors to watch excerpts and purchase CBC-produced educational video and audio content online. In addition, a large amount of free educational material, such as lesson plans and project ideas, can be found throughout the site. With more than 600 CBC programs exploring curriculum-relevant topics such as Canadian history, bullying and the environment, educators can now access more easily Canadian-made educational programming for their students. For more information, visit www.cbclearning.ca.
Waterloo beats out other world cities for Intelligent Community of the Year award
Waterloo has put Ontario on the map for technological innovation. Beating out six international finalists, Waterloo was recently named the 2007 Intelligent Community of the Year by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a New York-based non-profit think tank that focuses on economic development in the broadband economy. The goal of the awards is to increase awareness of the role that broadband communication and information technology play in economic and social development worldwide. Another Ontario town, Ottawa-Gatineau, followed close on Waterloo's heels. The other international finalists for the Intelligent Community of the Year award were Issy-les-Moulineaux (France), Tallinn (Estonia), the Gangnam District of Seoul, South Korea, and the cities of Dundee and Sunderland, both in the U.K. ICF co-founder Louis Zacharilla called Waterloo "a tidal wave of a town" that has "never stopped raising the bar." Learn more at www.intelligentcommunity.org.
Ottawa releases national Science & Technology Strategy
Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently released Canada's new national science and technology (S&T) strategy, identifying more private research and development as key to strengthening Canada's economy. The strategy, entitled Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage, was announced at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. "Canada's New Government is charting a new direction, one that links the competitive energy of Canada's entrepreneurs to the creative genius of our scientists," the Prime Minister said. "Our new strategy will strengthen Canada's economy by tapping our deep well of entrepreneurial energy to fuel our technological progress." The strategy focuses federal support for research and development in four key areas: natural resources, the environment, health, and information technology. The goal is to build a stronger economy and improve the standard of living by creating high quality jobs in the science and technology sector. Details of the strategy can be found at www.ic.gc.ca/s&tstrategy.
MaRS Centre Phase II announced
MaRS recently announced that it has selected Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., North America's largest life science property specialist, as the development partner for an iconic new building which will anchor the city's biomedical corridor in the Discovery District of Toronto. To be developed on a prominent street corner in Toronto at University Avenue and College Street, the building is adjacent to the seat of the provincial government, cultural and financial districts, and world-class academic and clinical research institutions. In this exceptional location, Alexandria will apply its renowned expertise in developing clusters, including its proprietary programmatic elements, to strengthen Toronto's growing life science and technology cluster centered in the Discovery District. The influence and impact of MaRS on the local community, greater Ontario and Canada will grow exponentially through the strategic alliance with Alexandria. For more information, visit www.marsdd.com.
People News
The Ontario Council of University Libraries has appointed Kathy Scardellato as Executive Director. The former manager of the Virtual Reference Library at Toronto Public Library takes up her position on August 1, 2007. The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) announced the appointment of Dr. Paul Chisholm Genest as its new President and CEO, effective July 1, 2007, succeeding Dr. Ian Clark. Tim McTiernan, Assistant Vice-President (Research) and Executive Director of Innovations at U of T, has been appointed Interim Vice-President (Research) for a six-month period beginning July 1 or until a new vice-president takes office. He will fill the position being vacated by Prof. John Challis, who is returning to teaching and research. Replacing Volker Thomsen, Chris Whitaker has been appointed President and CEO of St. Lawrence College, effective August 1, 2007. Julia Walden, well-known Canadian new media producer, is the new Director of the Visualization Design Institute at Sheridan College, starting in July. Former ORANO team member Randy Neals leaves Trent University as Manager, Network and Security, for sunny Mountain View, California, where he becomes Technical Project Manager for Google.
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