Organization: Royal Society of Canada

G7 Science Summit examines repercussions stemming from tsunami of new digital technologies

Canada’s hosting of this year’s G7 Summit is being preceded by an unprecedented series of research summits that examine the potential and impacts of digital technologies and sustainable oceans. The summits – organized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) – are intended to inform discussion at the main event in Charlevoix, QC on June 8-9.

‘Reimagining’ National Academies: A Northern Minerva Reboots

‘Reimagination’ is very much in the news today (not to be confused with the imagineers at Walt Disney Imagineering R&D subsidiary). We saw the word trotted out in the 2018 federal Budget on how the 101-year-old National Research Council (NRC) was going to form a new conception of itself — not that it hasn’t been reimagined several times before.

CCA names five to Scientific Advisory Committee

The Council of Canadian Academies has appointed David Castle, Sophie D’Amours, Malcolm King, Barbara Neis and Nicole Poirier to its scientific advisory committee. The committee advises the CCA’s board of directors on expert assessments, particularly on question selection and expert panel membership. Castle is VP research, and a professor in the School of Public Administration,…

CCA to examine medical assistance in dying

The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is undertaking three expert panel reviews related to medical assistance in dying on behalf of the departments of Health and Justice. The reviews pertain to the most complex types of cases – requests by mature minors, advance requests, and requests where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition.…

RSC launches colleges for new scholars

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) is recognizing Canada’s next generation of exceptional leadership with a call for nominations for its new College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists (The College). It will recognize the intellectual achievement of individuals within 15 years of conferral of their PhD or equivalent qualification. The inaugural cohort will be…

RSC launches two new expert panel reports

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has launched two new expert panels, one sponsored by Health Canada and the other self generated. The first is a Review of Safety Code 6: Potential Health Risks of Radiofrequency Fields from Wireless Telecommunications Devices. It is an update of a previous RSC report published in 1999. It will…

Science academies urge G8 action on key challenges

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has joined 14 other national science academies to urge G8 leaders to give greater consideration to the role S&T can play in addressing three of the world’s most pressing challenges. The academies issued a joint statement at a May 10th meeting of science academy leaders in Washington calling on…

RSC to develop strategic and financial plans

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) is meeting in June to begin the process of developing a comprehensive strategic plan and five-year financial plan to establish a solid base for continuing and expanding operations. The June 13 leadership retreat is aiming to shore up finances to enhance its programs, continue expert panel assessments and “play…

RSC to examine climate change & marine biodiversity

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has announced the formation of an expert panel to examine Ocean Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity. Commissioned at its own initiative, the panel will be led by Dr Jeffrey Hutchings, a professor and Canada Research Chair in marine conservation and biodiversity at Dalhousie Univ. The panel is the first…