Canadian science and technology is healthy and growing, says expert panel

The state of science and technology in Canada, 2012

2012-09-27

(Press-News.org) AUDIO: An authoritative, evidence-based assessment of the state of science and technology in Canada has found that Canadian science and technology is healthy, growing and internationally respected. Over the past five...
Click here for more information.

Ottawa (September 27th, 2012) - An authoritative, evidence-based assessment of the state of science and technology in Canada has found that Canadian science and technology is healthy, growing and internationally respected. Over the past five years, real improvements have occurred in the magnitude and quality of Canadian science and technology.

A newly released report by the Council of Canadian Academies entitled, The State of Science and Technology in Canada, 2012 provides a thorough analysis of the scientific disciplines and technological applications where Canada excels in a global context. In 2010, Industry Canada via the Minister of Industry, asked the Council of Canadian Academies to assess the state of science and technology in Canada and to consider all fields in which research is conducted. As such, the Council assembled an 18-member expert panel from Canada and around the world to conduct this in-depth assessment. In particular, the panel focused on research performed in the higher education sector, as well as in the not-for-profit and government sectors.

"There is much for Canadians to be proud of as Canada's international reputation is strong, science and technology research is robust across the country, and globally we are considered to have world-leading research infrastructure and programs," said Panel Chair Dr. Eliot Phillipson. "The Panel's findings are comprehensive and represent one of the most in-depth examinations of Canadian science and technology ever undertaken."

Key findings within the report include:

The six research fields in which Canada excels are: clinical medicine, historical studies, information and communication technologies (ICT), physics and astronomy, psychology and cognitive sciences, and visual and performing arts. Canadian science and technology is healthy and growing in both output and impact. With less than 0.5 per cent of the world's population, Canada produces 4.1 per cent of the world's research papers and nearly 5 per cent of the world's most frequently cited papers. In a survey of over 5,000 leading international scientists, Canada's scientific research enterprise was ranked fourth highest in the world, after the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. Canada is part of a network of international science and technology collaboration that includes the most scientifically advanced countries in the world. Canada is also attracting high-quality researchers from abroad, such that over the past decade there has been a net migration of researchers into the country. VIDEO: An authoritative, evidence-based assessment of the state of science and technology in Canada has found that Canadian science and technology is healthy, growing and internationally respected. Over the past five...
Click here for more information.

Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta are the powerhouses of Canadian science and technology, together accounting for 97 per cent of total Canadian output in terms of research papers. These provinces also have the best performance in patent-related measures and the highest per capita numbers of doctoral students, accounting for more than 90 per cent of doctoral graduates in Canada in 2009. Several fields of specialization were identified in other provinces, such as: agriculture, fisheries, and forestry in Prince Edward Island and Manitoba; historical studies in New Brunswick; biology in Saskatchewan; as well as earth and environmental sciences in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, President of the Council of Canadian Academies noted, "In 2006, the Council published its first report on the state of science and technology in Canada. It provided a solid evidence base from which policy decisions could be made." She added, "The Council's 2012 report builds upon, updates, and expands on the 2006 assessment. The current Expert Panel used a suite of complimentary measures to capture information about different aspects of the Canadian research system. As a result, this report provides considerable data for further exploring and understanding Canadian strengths, trends, and emerging areas of science and technology."

The Panel's mandate excluded an examination of science and technology performed in the private sector, as this area is being assessed by the Council's Expert Panel on the State of Industrial Research and Development. Combined these two reports will provide a comprehensive overview of Canada's science and technology enterprise.

### About the Council of Canadian Academies

The Council of Canadian Academies is an independent, not-for-profit organization that began operation in 2005. The Council supports evidence-based, expert assessments to inform public policy development in Canada. Assessments are conducted by independent, multidisciplinary panels of experts from across Canada and abroad. The Council's blue-ribbon panels serve free of charge and many are Fellows of the Council's Member Academies: the Royal Society of Canada; the Canadian Academy of Engineering; and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. The Council's vision is to be Canada's trusted voice for science in the public interest. For more information visit: www.scienceadvice.ca

For more information please contact: Cate Meechan
Director, Communications
Council of Canadian Academies
Cell: 613.302.6174 / Office: 613.567.5000 x 228
cathleen.meechan@scienceadvice.ca

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Shared pathway links Lou Gehrig's disease with spinal muscular atrophy

2012-09-27

Researchers of motor neuron diseases have long had a hunch that two fatal diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), might somehow be linked. A new study confirms that this link exists. "Our study is the first to link the two diseases on a molecular level in human cells," said Robin Reed, Harvard Medical School professor of cell biology and lead investigator of the study. The results will be published online in the September 27 issue of Cell Reports. ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, which has an adult onset, affects neurons that ...

Major cancer protein amplifies global gene expression, NIH study finds

2012-09-27

Scientists may have discovered why a protein called MYC can provoke a variety of cancers. Like many proteins associated with cancer, MYC helps regulate cell growth. A study carried out by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues found that, unlike many other cell growth regulators, MYC does not turn genes on or off, but instead boosts the expression of genes that are already turned on. These findings, which will be published in Cell on Sept. 28, could lead to new therapeutic strategies for some cancers. "We carried out a highly sophisticated ...

Obesity-related hormone discovered in fruit flies

2012-09-27

Researchers have discovered in fruit flies a key metabolic hormone thought to be the exclusive property of vertebrates. The hormone, leptin, is a nutrient sensor, regulating energy intake and output and ultimately controlling appetite. As such, it is of keen interest to researchers investigating obesity and diabetes on the molecular level. But until now, complex mammals such as mice have been the only models for investigating the mechanisms of this critical hormone. These new findings suggest that fruit flies can provide significant insights into the molecular underpinnings ...

Aggressive cancer exploits MYC oncogene to amplify global gene activity

2012-09-27

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (September 27, 2012) – For a cancer patient, over-expression of the MYC oncogene is a bad omen. Scientists have long known that in tumor cells, elevated levels of MYC's protein product, c-Myc, are associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased rates of metastasis, recurrence, and mortality. Yet decades of research producing thousands of scientific papers on the subject have failed to consistently explain precisely how c-Myc exerts its effects across a broad range of cancer types. Until now, that is. The prevailing theory emerging from ...

Landmark guidelines for optimal quality care of geriatric surgical patients just released

2012-09-27

Chicago (September 27, 2012)—New comprehensive guidelines for the pre- operative care of the nation's elderly patients have been issued by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). The joint guidelines—published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons—apply to every patient who is 65 years and older as defined by Medicare regulations. The guidelines are the culmination of two years of research and analysis by a multidisciplinary expert panel representing the ACS and AGS, as well as by expert representatives ...

Uptick in cinematic smoking

2012-09-27

Top box office films last year showed more onscreen smoking than the prior year, reversing five years of steady progress in reducing tobacco imagery in movies, according to a new UCSF study. Moreover, many of the top-grossing films of 2011 with significant amounts of smoking targeted a young audience, among them the PG-rated cartoon Rango and X-Men: First Class." The more smoking young people see in movies, the more likely they are to start smoking, the U.S. Surgeon General has reported. The study will be available September 27, 2012 in Preventing Chronic Disease Journal, ...

Breakthrough in kitchen furniture production: Biocomposites challenge chipboard

2012-09-27

Biocomposites challenge chipboard as furniture material. Researchers at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have developed a kitchen furniture framework material from plastic polymers reinforced with natural fibre. The new material reduces raw materials consumption by 25 per cent and the carbon footprint of production by 35 per cent. "The frames are lighter by nearly a third because they contain more air," says VTT's Research Professor Ali Harlin. "Wastage during production is also reduced. This is a generational shift that revolutionizes both manufacturing techniques ...

Breakthrough for new diabetes treatment

2012-09-27

In experiments on mice and rats, the scientists have managed to both prevent the development of type II diabetes and reverse the progression of established disease. The study is published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, where it is described as a breakthrough in diabetes research. The findings are the result of a joint effort by Karolinska Institutet, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the Australian biopharmaceutical company CSL Limited, amongst others. "It's a great feeling to present these results," says Professor Ulf Eriksson of the Department ...

ASU scientists bring the heat to refine renewable biofuel production

2012-09-27

TEMPE, Ariz.-Perhaps inspired by Arizona's blazing summers, Arizona State University scientists have developed a new method that relies on heat to improve the yield and lower the costs of high-energy biofuels production, making renewable energy production more of an everyday reality. ASU has been at the forefront of algal research for renewable energy production. Since 2007, with support from federal, state and industry funding, ASU has spearheaded several projects that utilize photosynthetic microbes, called cyanobacteria, as a potential new source of renewable, carbon-neutral ...

La Bastida unearths 4,200-year-old fortification, unique in continental Europe

2012-09-27

Similar characteristics have not been observed in other constructions of the Bronze Age, with three-metre thick walls, square towers originally measuring up to seven metres, a monumental entrance and an ogival arched postern gate; a fully conserved architectural element unique in Europe in that period. The wall protected a city measuring 4 hectares located on top of a hill. With architectural elements reminiscent of people with Eastern styled military skills, its model is typical of ancient civilisations of the Mediterranean, such as the second city of Troy. The alignment ...

What about tritiated water release from Fukushima? Ocean model simulations provide an objective scientific knowledge on the long-term tritium distribution

Canadian science and technology is healthy and growing, says expert panel

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: