 February 28, 2013
PAGSE Annual Activity Report 2012
The Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE) is a cooperative association of 25 national organizations in Science and Engineering. It was formed in June 1995 at the invitation of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada. The national organizations that comprise PAGSE represent approximately 50,000 individual members from industry, academia, and government sectors. They work collectively to represent the Canadian science and engineering community to the Government of Canada, and to advance research and innovation for the benefit of Canadians. PAGSE is not a lobby group. It does not seek an audience in order to advance the cause of specific science and engineering initiatives. Rather, its intent is to address the broader issues of science and engineering policy at the national level.
To be truly representative of the science and engineering community in Canada, PAGSE must ensure that individual members of member societies and associations are aware of the activities that are undertaken in their name. While details may be found on the PAGSE website (www.pagse.org), PAGSE also provides a periodic summary of activities.
Bacon & Eggheads
PAGSE, in partnership with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Canada (NSERC), sponsors a monthly breakfast meeting held on Parliament Hill, and known as “Bacon and Eggheads”. Speakers at the meetings inform parliamentarians about recent advances in science and engineering. In 2012 PAGSE organized the presentations listed below.
Decision-making in an uncertain world
Daniel Krewski, University of Ottawa
Thursday February 9, 2012
Geoscience as a Key to Canada’s Economic Competitiveness, Wealth and Development
James Franklin, Franklin Geosciences Ltd.
Thursday March 1, 2012
The Lowdown on the Meltdown
Richard Peltier, University of Toronto
Thursday March 29, 2012
Alternate futures for the oil sands industry: from the age of steam to the age of biology
Stephen Larter, University of Calgary
Thursday May 3, 2012
Cities in the Sun: The Path Towards Smart Net-zero Energy Solar Buildings and Communities
Andreas Athienitis, Concordia University
Thursday September 27, 2012
Towards a More Sustainable and Diversified Aquaculture
Thierry Chopin, University of New Brunswick
Thursday October 25, 2012
Human Genomics and New Models for Drug Discovery
Aled Edwards, University of Toronto
Thursday November 22, 2012
SciencePages
SciencePages is a new initiative by PAGSE to provide short science and engineering briefing notes on topical issues for Canadian Parliamentarians. With the support of NSERC and CFI, PAGSE undertook the pilot "proof-of-principle" issue on the topic of biodiversity. Issues on Smart Grids and Toxicology have been completed in 2011 and 2012. Work is underway to complete a SciencePages issue in November 2012 on Genomics under the management of the Science Media Centre of Canada. SciencePages is valuable both because of the product (the note itself) and the process, which brings together interns with backgrounds in science, policy and communications. The notes are prepared by the interns, and then reviewed by senior scientists and policy analysts. The pdf versions of the issues can be downloaded from the SciencePages website http://www.sciencepages.ca/index.html or http://www.sciencepages.ca/francais.html
PAGSE Monthly Meetings
Guests, representing science and engineering in the government and industry sectors, are invited to monthly PAGSE meetings to present their perspectives on science and engineering in Canada, on the activities of their organizations, as well as the potential issues and challenges that they would like to see PAGSE address. Members also consider federal activities and reports and how best to promote and sustain Canada’s scientific base. The meetings are held at the University of Ottawa. During the last year PAGSE has welcomed the following guests:
- January 31, 2012: Dr. Pierre Meulien, President & CEO Genome Canada
- February 28, 2012: Dr. Chad Gaffield, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
- March 27, 2012 : Business Meeting Only
- April 24, 2012: Dr. Alain Beaudet, President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- May 31, 2012: Dr. Suzanne Fortier, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
- September 20, 2012: Dr. Gilles Patry, President, Canada Foundation for Innovation
- October 30, 2012: Dr. Scott Findlay, Associate Professor and past Director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Ottawa
- December 13, 2012: Business Meeting Only
Submissions to Parliamentary Committees
House of Commons Finance Committee
PAGSE submitted a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance in August 2012. Canadians were invited to contribute their ideas online by responding to specific questions on which the Committee is focussed at this time. The PAGSE responses to the five questions are available on the PAGSE web-site http://www.pagse.org/en/briefs/sub2012e.htm.
For further information on activities, please visit the PAGSE website www.pagse.org
Contact
Donna Boag, Manager
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