Organization: University of British Columbia

The Short Report, March 11, 2020: Anonymizing research applications mitigates gender bias; Superclusters spend a fraction of their budget; Athena Pathways aims to train 500 women in AI

Three maritime research projects led by researchers at the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) have received more than $3 million in funding through a joint international funding initiative between the Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) in France and the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ). The projects address issues related to sustainable ocean transport, the effects of…

The Short Report, March 4, 2019: Kirsty Duncan moves for a standing committee on science and research; Alberta cuts post-secondary education funding; Canadian miners make an action plan

The Short Report: New Parliamentary standing committee proposed for science and research; new Protein Industries Supercluster projects; Alberta cuts post-secondary education funding while Ontario increases it; boosting competitiveness of Canada’s mining sector; creating research internships for students; Canadian science for the Moon; developing small nuclear reactor technology; and more.

Short Report, February 5, 2020: Most Canadian boards still don’t include women; merit-based grants offer big economic returns; McMaster researchers establish a new form of computing

A StatCan study of Canadian corporations in 2016/17 found that most of their boards didn’t include women: over 60% had no women members. The number of women on boards is growing, but very slowly, say experts. – BNN Bloomberg The University of British Columbia became the first Canadian post-secondary institution to join the Center for Open…

Huawei benefits outweigh drawbacks for Canada’s 5G network, says veteran telecom expert

Canada can build its 5G networks wthout Huawei, but the Chinese telecom giant’s participation would likely improve innovation, price and delivery. A federal decision on Huawei’s potential role is expected soon. Meanwhile, Rogers Communications, which has partnered with Swedish equipment supplier Ericsson, lit up Canada’s first 5G network last week.

Feds take initial step to counter 40-year decline in Canadian wildfire research

New federal funding aimed at increasing Canada’s resilience to wildfire comes after a steep, 40-year decline in wildfire science and research. With hundreds of forest communities at risk from wildfire, the funding is encouraging but will need to be increased and sustained to make a difference, forest experts say.

Trudeau’s tree-planting plan could hurt more than it helps

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pledge to plant two billion trees to help reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions is more complex than it sounds. The effort will need to be carefully planned and executed to ensure the trees not only survive but don’t become a future wildfire hazard, forest experts say.

The Short Report, January 8, 2020: Forward with 5G in central Canada; Ottawa buys a laser; a faster path to accessible AI

Rogers Communications and the University of Waterloo are partnering to build the first 5G network in central Canada, for research into 5G-related engineering, network design, applied mathematics and artificial intelligence. The partnership is part of a broader $20-million program by Rogers to invest in Canadian 5G research and development. The company has already collaborated with the…

The Short Report, December 18, 2019: Atlantic “sea ice” computing; Quebec’s digital wallet; post-Brexit Euro-futures for Canadian research

ACENET at Memorial University launched a regional advanced computing system. in Atlantic Canada called Siku, a word that means “sea ice” in Inuktitut. The centre is 50% more powerful than all of ACENET’s recently retired systems together and is interoperable with the national Compute Canada platform. Supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Siku aims to generate economic benefits for…