Organization: University of Calgary

The Short Report, November 20, 2019: Sidewalk Labs, public-private partnerships, Alberta layoffs

Sidewalk Labs released a new 483-page document that does “a good job of satisfying the information we need” to evaluate the technological innovations planned for the Quayside development in Toronto, says Kristina Verner, Waterfront Toronto’s vice president of innovation. The evaluation is due to be completed by March 2020. – SaltWire Ontario is introducing a new policy to…

Scandals spotlight the role of private funding in science

The recent scandals over gifts from the Sackler family and Jeffrey Epstein bring into sharp relief the challenges confronting universities as they seek donors to support scientific research and other programs. They are also a reminder that who funds science matters.

The Short Report, October 9, 2019: Digital scholarship, e-commerce, astrophysics

The University of Alberta library has opened its new Digital Scholarship Centre (DSC), featuring Western Canada’s largest touch-screen data visualization wall, podcasting and webinar equipment, 3D printers and scanners, a VR room, and high-performance computers. – Folio University of Calgary alumnus Wayne Foo, the founding CEO of the oil exploration company Parex Resources Inc, has made a $3.24-million…

The Short Report, August 28, 2019: International education, social enterprise, industrial R&D

Innovative Solutions Canada launched three new challenges from Health Canada: develop a tool to help medical professionals rapidly diagnose an infection and identify whether it stems from a virus or bacteria; create a tool that would use artificial intelligence and deep learning to help specialists quickly and effectively match organ donors and compatible recipients; and in a…

The Short Report, August 7, 2019: Intelligent communities, advanced wood, cyber security

Montreal came in first for innovation on a ranking of intelligent communities by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). ICF ranks communities by their ability “to generate innovation in business and government for economic but also social and cultural growth.” Their metrics cover innovation programs available in the community; online services provided by local government or…

The Short Report, June 26, 2019: Dementia, Ontario chief scientist, AI for travel

The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging is receiving $46 million over five years: $31.6 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and $14.4 million from partners, including the Alzheimer Society. Headquartered at Baycrest in Toronto, the second phase of CCNA’s research program will include a large-scale study to evaluate the effectiveness of new…