Why Space Matters
Professor Gordon “Oz” Osinski
Professor, Department of Earth ScienceInterim
Director, Institute for Earth and Space Exploration
Director, Canadian Lunar Research Network

These are exciting times in the exploration and utilization of Space. From the return of humans to the Moon to the use of satellites to monitor the effects of climate change or detect wildfires, the exploration of the frontiers on Earth and in Space is a major scientific endeavour that involves tackling some of the outstanding challenges of our time. In parallel, developing the technology required for space is an economic and innovation driver for advanced technologies. Space also offers a unique way to attract the brightest young minds to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.

Turning up the heat: How will climate change affect Canada’s forests and crops?
Professor Danielle Way
Associate Professor and Director of the Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research Centre
Member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario

Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have raised atmospheric CO2 concentrations by 50%, a change that is already warming our planet. These increases in CO2 and temperature directly affect plants through processes such as CO2 fixation and water loss, and our predictions for how forests and agriculture will respond to climate change is based on our understanding of these processes. In this talk, I’ll discuss how climate change will affect Canada’s plants and talk about strategies for enhancing food security and ecosystem resilience.