Reporting by Asha Bajaj

​

​MollyShoichet: Twitter

​#MollyShoichet, #Ontario, #KathleenWynne, #RezaMoridi, #Ontario’sfirstchiefscientist

Toronto, Nov 19 (Canadian-Media): Molly Shoichet was appointed on Nov 17 as Ontario’s new Chief Scientist to advance science and innovation by using the province’s world's best scientific research and evidence decision making, media reports said.

“We are pleased to see the Government of Ontario moving forward on the appointment of a Chief Scientist. We now face a world that is changing more rapidly than at any other time in history, and governments need to understand emerging science in order to craft policy informed by the best scientific advice,” Alan Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) was reported by the media to state.

​ Alan Bernstein: twitter

​Canada ranks among the world’s top 10 countries for total research publication output, and Ontario is reported to account for about 46 percent of Canada’s national output from 2009 to 2014. 

Ontario reportedly plans to increase the number of postsecondary students graduating in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to 50,000 per year accounting for 25 percent over the next five years,  giving Ontario the highest number per capita of postsecondary STEM graduates in North America.

Shoichet, a professor at the University of Toronto, a researcher and award-winning expert in the study of polymers for drug delivery and tissue regeneration and a member of the Order of Ontario, will report to Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science and will advise Ontario’s Premier Kathleen Wynne in promoting our world-class science both at home and to international audiences and help to accelerate our economy by investing in scientific research, climate change, aging populations and the impact of transformative technologies.

​Kathleen Wynne: facebook

Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario aware of the amazing research scientists right here in Ontario are doing was reported by media to state, “As we tackle some of today’s biggest challenges, science plays an increasingly vital role in helping governments make informed decisions. I am excited that Molly Shoichet will become Ontario’s first Chief Scientist. I look forward to her thought leadership and advice on how we can strengthen the research and innovation happening across our province — and how we can apply scientific evidence to make government smarter and more effective.”

​Reza Moridi: Facebook

​​Congratulating Shoichet for becoming Ontario’s first Chief Scientist, Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Research, Innovation and Science was reported by the media to state, “She is one of the top biomedical scientists in the country, with in-depth knowledge of Ontario’s research community. As Chief Scientist, she will help us continue a proud tradition of science and research excellence through evidence-based decision making and will open the world to the incredible innovative talent and technologies Ontario has to offer.”

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

#AmazonAdventure, #OntarioScienceCentre, #AmazonRainforest, #CharlesDarwin, #HenryBates, #MauriceBitran, #IMAX, #JonathanBarker, # ​​CalumFinlay​, #AlfredWallace, #EdBirch, #RobertDaws, #SeanB.Carroll,  #MikeSlee, #WendyMacKeigan; #CarlKnutson
​
​Toronto, Oct 5 (Canadian-Media):  The film, Amazon Adventure, played at Ontario Science Centre recounts the tale of a naturalist, explorer and scientist Henry Walter Bates'  11‐year of expedition in Amazon Rainforest and his proof to Charles Darwin's then controversial theory of natural selection, the scientific explanation for the development of life on Earth. 

“This compelling real life story chronicles the search for experimental proof for Darwin’s theory of natural selection in the remote Amazon basin,”  Maurice Bitran, Ph.D., CEO and Chief Science Officer, Ontario Science Centre was quoted by media, “providing an inspiring demonstration of the scientific method at work as well as highlighting the curiosity and perseverance required for scientific breakthrough.” 

Dr. Maurice Bitran joined the Ontario Science Centre as Chief Executive Officer on June 16, 2014. His academic background in physics and astronomy, including a Ph.D. in radioastronomy, and the fact that he had taught science at the grade-school, high-school and university levels best fits his role in the Ontario Science Centre. During his tenure as the 2012 -13 Ontario Visiting Fellow at the University of Toronto, he taught a graduate course on the role of science in public policy.He had been the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of the Integrated Environmental Policy Division, Ministry of the Environment, where his responsibilities for the environmental policy agenda also included climate change, the great lakes, and air and water quality. As an ADM of Policy and Programs at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, ADM of the Secretariat to the Premier’s Jobs and Prosperity Council, Maurice also had
been Ontario's chief negotiator for the trade negotiations with the European Union. 


​ 










​Maurice Bitran: Courtesy of Science Centre

​Ontario Science Centre, a Centennial project and  an agency of the Government of Ontario funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, reportedly welcomed more than 51 million visitors since it opened in 1969, and has become an international leader in free‐choice science learning by implementing and adopting an interactive approach around the world.

Ontario Science Centre is an iconic cultural attraction and is home to interactive experiences with science and technology. We not only develop and source the world’s best exhibitions but aim to make a fundamental difference in the lives of our visitors by providing them the skills and attributes to create a better future for the planet.

​Amazon Rainforest, reportedly, the world’s largest tropical rainforest, well-known for its biodiversity,  covers much of northwestern Brazil extending into Colombia, Peru and other South American countries and is crisscrossed by thousands of rivers, including the powerful Amazon. 

​The filmmakers' picturization of Amazon Adventure increases the public’s understanding of the concept of natural selection, the heart of evolutionary, molecular and genetic biology.

This factor also leads to an overall understanding of how the natural world works in the most entertaining and powerful way, so as to
become an important part of lifelong learning for students and general audiences. 

​


Amazon Rainforest: Facetime

“On these expanded membranes Nature writes, as on a tablet, the story of the modification of species.” Bates was quoted.

IMAX, according to official reports, is a 70 mm motion picture film format and a set of cinema projection standards developed in Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, and William C. Shaw. ​

Jonathan Barker, Executive Producer, CEO of SK Films was quoted by the media to say, “The Giant Screen is the ideal format to take audiences to places that they might not normally go; and to see amazing creatures they might not normally see. From a humble background, with an unstoppable passion for science and life, Bates played guitar, had a pet monkey, relied on Amazonian natives to survive and learned many of their languages, and made crucial contributions to our understanding of the natural world. He should be more widely known and we’re thrilled to introduce his remarkable story to the public.”  

SK Films is a Toronto‐based, multi‐platform entertainment content provider, founded in 1998 by Barker and late Robert Kerr, the co‐founder of IMAX Corporation,  and a world leader in 3D film production and distribution. 

Henry Bates: Wikipedia

 ​
Born into a family of literate, middle-class stocking makers in Leicester, England, Bates early in his life, develops a passion for the natural world,  particularly insects and butterflies.

As a young man, he with his fellow naturalist Alfred Wallace (Ed Birch actor plays Alfred Wallace) get funding from a wealthy London patron for their journey to the Amazon in exchange for regular shipments of specimens. Bates and Wallace decide to split, while on their journey, to cover more territory and Wallace moves on to East Asia, but Bates remains in the Amazon and continues to do his research and study variations of species in the Amazon to answer the question: Do species change?  

​Reportedly for over 20 years, from the time when he voyaged to remote parts of the world, Charles Darwin (Robert Daws actor plays Charles Darwin) was working on his theory of natural selection, which he finally published in 1859, called On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

It was published while Bates was returning home to England after 11 years of researching and collecting in the Amazon.

While in the Amazon, Bates collected and catalogued specimens from over 14,000 species — 8,000 of them new to science -–including over 100 species of butterflies. 

Batesian mimicry reportedly is still being taught in science classrooms around the world.

  ​​Calum Finlay, actor played Henry Bates

Through his  fieldwork with mimicking butterflies, Bates also put forward the first ever case for speciation, the gradual and slow transformation of one species into another much to the joy of  Charles Darwin, as it was the much needed specimen proof for his then controversial theory of natural selection. 

Darwin was reported to have said that Bates’ discoveries brought them close in witnessing the creation of a new species on this Earth, which he included  in the next edition of his then famous book 'On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection'. 

​Three years of dedicated and expert research of more than 100 scientists and historical advisors led to the making of Amazon Adventure  

The team of authentic scientists made use of actual instruments and tools from the 1850s, and incorporaed many of Bates’ own words based on his scientific field notebooks, botanical drawings and butterflies he personally collected over 160 years ago.

Amazon Adventure was a recipient of a total of five awards at the 2017 Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA) including: Best Film Short Subject, Best Film for Lifelong Learning, Best Original Score for Antonio Pinto, Best Cinematography for Gerry Vasbenter and Richard Kirby, Best Sound Design for Peter Thillaye.

Amazon Adventure Awards: Facebook

The extensive team of reportedly more than 100 scientists from various specialties, who have been advisors on the film Amazon Adventure, including many field biologists, have commented on  a realistic portrayal of the detailed process of scientific discovery and its time‐consuming nature.  

The basic methods Bates used over 150 years ago are still used today, except with more modern technology, DNA and other techniques. However, the process framework is as relevant today as it was then.  

​Henry Bates used the scientific research approach putting an idea into a theory, testing the idea through observation, specimen collecting,  trial and error, testing, analysis and so on.   

In order for the audiences to relate to Bates as both a scientist and a regular person, the filmmakers -- including Executive Producers Jonathan Barker & Sean B. Carroll and Director Mike Slee and SK Films' Co-writer, Wendy MacKeigan -- make him more relevant and his science more readily understood by audiences of all ages.

They also make the clues in Bates’ story -- told like a great scientific detective mystery -- unfold in real time in the mesmerizing world phenomenon of animal mimicry, now known as “Batesian mimicry,” whereby a non‐poisonous species slowly and unknowingly changes into a mimic of a poisonous one, to have a better chance of survival.

​The common occurrence of competition seen between Bates and Wallace to be the first in their field to present relevant evidence,  the isolation and loneliness of Bates as he talks with the creatures for company are often prevalent among scientists today who spend extended periods of time alone or with just one other colleague. 

The film also highlights reportedly the importance of patience and perseverance all still relatable to today’s scientists.

Students today also reportedly consider Bates' story as relevant and inspirational contribution to science and their understanding of the world around them.  

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

.Toronto, Oct 4 (Canadian-Media): Amazon Adventure recounts the true story of a naturalist and explorer Henry Bates’  11 year journey, as a young man, through the biodiverse Amazon rainforest  risking his life for science in the 1850’s.

As in any great detective story, audiences experience, in  IMAX®, the hardships and the dedication with which Bates unearths his major discovery of the phenomenon of mimicry by certain animals by which they adopt resemblance to others to deceive predators and gain an advantage to survive.

IMAX is reportedly a 70 mm motion picture film format and a set of cinema projection standards developed in Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, and William C. Shaw.

“The Giant Screen is the ideal format to take audiences to places that they might not normally go; and to see amazing creatures they might not normally see,”  Executive Producer Jonathan Barker, CEO of SK Films was reported by the media. “From a humble background, with an unstoppable passion for science and life, Bates played guitar, had a pet monkey, relied on Amazonian natives to survive and learned many of their languages, and made crucial contributions to our understanding of the natural world. He should be more widely known and we’re thrilled to introduce his remarkable story to the public.”  

Bates was responsible for his crucial contributions to biology: identifying 8,000 species new to science  the creation of a new species, which Charles Darwin called the “beautiful proof” of Natural Selection.

Audiences will be wowed by the mind-boggling examples of camouflage and mimicry and inspired by Bates’ endless curiosity and determination to explore the wilds of nature from the time he was a young boy.
​
As in SK’s award winning Flight of the Butterflies, nature is extraordinary and science is adventure, just waiting to be discovered.

​
#HurricaneIrma, #Caribbean, #​TheInternationalCharteronSpaceandMajorDisasters, #AntiguaandBarbuda, #Turks&Caicos, #DominicanRepublic, #Haiti, #Canada'sRadarsat-2, #MichelDoyon, #CanadianSpaceAgency, #SyntheticApertureRadar, #SAR, #NASA, #DavidGreen

Toronto, Oct 2 (Canadian-Media): When Caribbean -- a region that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts -- was hit by Hurricane Irma leading to its destruction last month, authorities on the ground were baffled with endless questions and trying to look for information, media reports said.

Hurricane Irma,  reportedly the strongest hurricane observed in the Atlantic since Wilma in 2005 in terms of maximum sustained winds, is an extremely strong and catastrophic hurricane,  

Satellites from several nations, including Canada were reportedly asked to track the hurricane's progress and measure the damage to provide vital information for recovery efforts and rescue planning.

A global agreement between Emergency officials in the U.S. and the Caribbean had been in place for nearly two decades.

International Charter on Space and Major Disasters (ICSMD) reportedly provides civil protection agencies in disaster-stricken regions and government and private space agencies ​​free access to data gathered by satellites. 
​
ICSMD, is a non-binding agreement accounting for transmission of space satellite data to relief organizations in the event of major disasters. 

In the case of Hurricane Irma, officials in Antigua and Barbuda, the Turks & Caicos and Dominican Republic received information from Canada's Radarsat-2  after it passed over the region, official reports said.  

Canada's Radarsat-2 reportedly is an Earth observation satellite that was successfully launched December 14, 2007 for the Canadian Space Agency by Starsem, using a Soyuz FG launch vehicle, from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Antigua and Barbuda, known reportedly for reef-lined beaches, rainforests and resort is an independent Commonwealth country situated at the meeting point of the Atlantic and Caribbean.

Turks & Caicos, according to official reports, is an archipelago of 40 low-lying coral islands in the Atlantic Ocean, a British Overseas Territory southeast of the Bahamas.

Dominican Republic is, the official reports said, a Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti to the west.

​Canada's Radarsat-2: Courtesy of CSA

Owned by MacDonald, Detwiller and Associates (MDA) and operated, in part, by the Canadian Space Agency, Radarsat reportedly provided Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery which can see through cloud formations and monitor flooding, landslides and destruction brought on by hurricanes and heavy storms.

​​Canada's Radarsat-2 satellite is Canada's eye in the sky during natural disasters.

​"Sometimes having a view from space is a definite advantage.  It's instrumental in planning emergency rescues. It provides a global view. It's instrumental in planning emergency rescues," Michel Doyon, manager of flight operations at the Canadian Space Agency was quoted by the media.

,​






​
The international charter was established in the year 2000 with the Canadian Space Agency, official reports said -- which coordinates all civil, space-related programs on behalf of the Government of Canada -- among its founding members. 

Today, space agencies in China, Japan, Germany, the U.S. and several other countries have reportedly signed on.

​In May this agreement was activated by Canada, reports said, in response to flooding in Quebec and Ontario.

The charter was invoked 37 times in 2016 and has already surpassed that number this year. 

The charter had been reportedly activated yet again, since Hurricane Irma, to monitor the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and the devastating earthquake in Mexico City. 

This year satellites have been called to monitor forest fires, cyclones and other disasters around the globe. 

For emergency officials dealing with disasters, there are other resources available as well. The European Union and European Space Agency operate the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. The U.S. space agency, NASA, works closely with charter members but also has its own disaster assistance plan with a fleet of satellites that track storms, map rainfall patterns and conduct detailed radar imagery around the globe, said official reports.

"We are monitoring the planet completely every day for a whole variety of different information," David Green, manager of NASA's disaster program was quoted by the media.

"We make it readily available. It's free and open, all the data and imagery from NASA."

Green said that the charter was a valuable tool and added  satellite imagery can play a vital role in planning and responding to disasters.

Often the challenge is turning data collected from space into useful intelligence, continued Green for rescue and recovery workers operating in disaster areas.

"People have very complicated data and imagery, and it means a lot to the science community. But if you ask a disaster manager, they may have a very simple question. They may be asking simply, 'Where's the water? Where's the storm?"

"They don't need a lot of complicated information. They need it distilled down to knowing what to look for," Media quoted Green as saying.

NASA had been working, said Green to translate satellite data more accessible and understandable.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
​

#IBMInnovationIncubatorProject, #InvestOttawa, #BobChiarelli, #AllenLalonde, #BradDuguid, #RezaMoridi, #YasirNaqvi, #TomCorr

Ottawa, Sep 30 (Canadian-Media): In a joint conference on Friday, the Ontario government, IBM Corp., and economic development agency Invest Ottawa announced the opening of the IBM Innovation Incubator Project at Invest Ottawa, in Ontario, which will provide local small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with access to IBM resources including cognitive business technology, a cloud-based development platform, and the company’s substantial customer network – everything they need to grow and compete in today’s global marketplace, media reports said.

Bob Chiarelli, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Ottawa West-Nepean, Ontario and Minister of Infrastructure, announced at the opening of the IBM Innovation Incubator Project (IIP) -- which includes five co-located innovation spaces across Ontario -- at Invest Ottawa adding that this centre was made possible through a partnership with Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), IBM Canada and Invest Ottawa.​

​“Investing in Ontario’s innovators is one of the most reliable and rewarding ways to create growth in our economy...will help the region’s SMEs compete in a global market that stands to gain immeasurable value from Ottawa’s world-class talent,” Chiarelli was quoted by the media as saying,

Bob Chiarelli: Facebook

Mike Tremblay, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards who had hosted the IBM IIP said he was privileged to have OCE and IBM Canada as partners adding that IBM IPP will provide more tools, technology and support to help Ottawa companies grow and said and was quoted by the media as saying, "their continuing collaboration helps solidify the city's reputation as Canada's top tech hub.” 

“Our ongoing collaboration with OCE and Invest Ottawa provides an opportunity to empower small businesses with leading cloud and cognitive capabilities, and turn the brightest ideas into reality. At IBM, we believe the path forward is that of engagement and openness to the world. By bringing together entrepreneurs, developers and organizations from all sectors, we can together transform industries and solve some of Canada’s most complex problem,” media quoted Allen Lalonde, Senior Innovation Executive, IBM Canada.

Allen Lalonde: Facebook

To Foster innovation and growth, as part of Ontario's plan to create jobs, boost economy and help people in their everyday lives,  Ontario's reported investment of $22.75 million last year through the Jobs and Prosperity Fund -- which enables Businesses, business associations and entrepreneurs to acquire funds to enhance productivity for their projects so that they can compete in the global marketplace -- for the IBM IIP, supported IBM's additional investment of $24.75 million. 

With investments by participating new and emerging companies, the total investment, according to official reports, is expected to exceed $410 million. 

“Entrepreneurship and innovation are at the heart of our government’s plan to create jobs and grow our economy. That's why we are pleased to support IBM Innovation Spaces, which will help Ontario businesses access the tools they need to scale up quickly to meet demand in a fiercely competitive global economy,” Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Growth was quoted by the media as saying.

Brad Duguid: Facebook

​
“Ottawa is already a leader in today’s global, knowledge based economy, being home to one of the most educated workforces in North America. IBM’s investment will provide our small- and medium- sized enterprise community access to the technology and opportunities they need to pioneer revolutionary technologies at home, and abroad,” Yasir Naqvi, MPP for Ottawa Centre was quoted by media.

Yasir Naqvi: Facebook

​According to official reports, OCE -- a provincial coordinator and member of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs that works with industry, academia and government to stimulate business-led innovation -- will be responsible for overseeing the operations of the IBM IIP and coordinate industry partnerships. 

Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science reportedly said that these kinds of collaboration spaces would help entrepreneurs access expertise and advanced technologies and would allow Ontario's innovators to test, develop and commercialize their ideas and connect to global markets worldwide.

Reza Moridi: Facebook

​The Government of Ontario, IBM and OCE are also reportedly supporting and providing mentorship as well as access to global networks and large customers, said Tom Corr, President and CEO, OCE, which will further help Ontario SMEs to rise and enter global markets. 

By controling IBM's technical resources, IBM IIP, which was reportedly announced in 2016, helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fast-track the launch of new technologies and products -- including cognitive business technology and a cloud-based development platform, as well as its physical space and network of customers -- to international clients and is expected to help SMEs create up to 2,600 jobs by 2020.

​(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

#OntarioScienceCentre, #Toronto, #Ontario, #JacquardLoom, HansBaer, #JohnCampbell, #Canada’sSesquicentennial, #Canada150

​Toronto, Sep 3 (Canadian-Media): Ontario Science Centre (OSC) is weaving its way into history by creating a Canada 150 coverlet on our 19th-Century Jacquard Loom to celebrate Canada’s 150th Sesquicentennial, said Hans Baer,  a volunteer weaver  at the OSC and the driving force behind this project working at the Jacquard Loom.

​Displaying the coverlet that was last woven in about 1880 by professional weaver John Campbell, reportedly the former owner of the Jacquard Loom back in the 1800s, Baer said he felt proud to weave it again in celebration of Canada’s Sesquicentennial.

​John Campbell's Jacquard Looms is using perforated cards fastened together to control the movements of the machine. The early example of the binary coding fascinated Baer – a retired IBM Computer Engineer -- to undertake the weaving project on the loom. 

The loom, which is working with punch cards, has been in the OSC ever since the opening of OSC in 1969.

​Out of the 4 patterns used by John Campbell in the 1800s only card decks for two of the patterns came with the loom. These two patterns -- Stars & Roses, and the Garland -- have been woven at the OSC for the past 50 years.

After learning that John Campbell coverlet collection stored in Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) included the two missing patterns,  Baer along with Elizabeth Evans, the fellow weaver and Shauna Cook, the Science Centre’s Volunteer Coordinator got special access in January 2016 to see these two coverlets, with patterns called Single Rose and Tulip. 

With a dream to recreate these patterns, Baer ​took hundreds of detailed photos of the ROM’s Single Rose pattern coverlet and was able to determine where each point went and began to punch the cards.
​

He explained that each card on an average has 150 holes, the total pattern approximately 28, 000 holes in 192 unique cards.. Punching holes into the cards was both time consuming and labour intensive and Baer said he could just work on it for an hour a day and was able to get 5 cards punched in a day. From March to October of 2016 Baer and the small team of volunteers were able to punch all the cards.

In June of 2017 the volunteer team started to weave the single rose pattern on the Jacquard Loom for the first time since more than 130 years.

The final measurements of a coverlet are approximately 3x3 meters, twice the width of  but the loom.  So a total of 6 meteres of the Single Rose pattern had to be woven. This was then cut into two halves and will now have to be stitched  together at the centre to make it wide enough.

To celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary special cards were designed by Baer to weave Canada 150 in the border of the coverlet to to honour Canada’s Sesquicentennial.
​
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

Solar Eclipse: Facebook


​Solar Eclipse seen from Space: Courtesy of NASA


#SolarEclipse, #RoyalAstronomicalSocietyofCanada, #RobertLightfoot, #AlexYoung, #OntarioScienceCentre, #CNE, #HomesteadNationalMonument, #Canada, #U.S.

Toronto, Aug 22 (IBNS): A partial but impressive solar eclipse occurred In Canada, with best viewing sites being in Victoria, B.C. where the moon blocked 90 percent of the sun, and Vancouver, B.C. where the eclipse was 86 percent, Calgary, Alberta enjoyed 77 percent coverage and in Toronto, Ontario it was 70 percent, media reports said.

In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is reported to be fully obscured by the Moon.

According to Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), a solar eclipse, as seen from the Earth is a type of eclipse that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun.

Midway through the eclipse, approximately 4.4 million people watched its coverage on the television, the biggest livestream event in the space agency's history, reported National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

NASA's acting administrator, Robert Lightfoot enjoyed the moon's "first bites out of the sun" from a plane flying over the Oregon coast just half an hour before the occurrence of solar eclipse,  and declared it  "just an incredible view." 

Alex Young, NASA’s solar physicist, said last time that he had experienced such an amazing sight was during  his first flight to the moon, on Apollo 8 in 1968.

According to reports the next total eclipse will  be seen in parts of central Canada, the Maritimes and Newfoundland,  on April 8, 2024.

Astronomers reportedly consider a full solar eclipse the grandest of cosmic spectacles.

The Earth, moon and sun line up perfectly every one to three years, briefly turning day into night. But these
sights normally are in no man's land, like the vast Pacific or Earth's poles, official reports said.

In Vancouver, a large crowd gathered on the grass outside the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and were amazed when the eclipse reached its peak.

To celebrate this celestial event the Ontario Science Centre (an agency of the Government of Ontario), in collaboration with the RASC hosted a free viewing party.

Hundreds of people gathered at Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) and waited in line for eclipse glasses as the moon began to creep ahead of the sun.

While figuring out the best ways to capture the eclipse, viewers also shared questions about the cosmos with friends and strangers.

At the peak of the eclipse, the sky dimmed slightly over the CNE. The maximum coverage in Toronto was 76 percent, but the remaining light still illuminated the lawn.

By 3:49 p.m, the solar eclipse was over.

Those who gathered outside the centre said the big moment was worth waiting for.

In celebration of the Total Solar Eclipse, Planetary CEO Bill Nye issued the following statement yesterday from Homestead National Monument, Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S. :

“While this total eclipse will pass right over the U.S., it really is an event for everyone on Earth. Whether in the path of totality or partial eclipse zones, millions of people across multiple continents will pause from our normal activities to look up at our Sun, Moon and sky.

Experiencing an eclipse changes the way we feel about space and how we are connected. I hope this moment reminds us all that we share a common origin among the stars, and that we are all citizens of the same planet.

I hope each of us takes a moment to consider the diligence of our ancestors, who came to understand our Solar System’s planets and
moons, who measured the fantastic distances between them, and came to know their orbital motions.  That we humble humans can understand all of this is remarkable. It fills me with optimism about our species and our future.

Today, in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service, The Planetary Society is expanding knowledge among new generations of eclipse explorers. As I often say: NASA is the best brand the United States has, and the National Park Service is the nation’s greatest outdoor classroom.

Let’s celebrate together and marvel at humankind’s ability to observe this phenomenon, and to understand the cosmos and our place within it.”

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

Image of Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey: CSA


#JoshuaKutryk, #JenniferSidey, #Alberta, Canada, #CanadianSpaceAgency, #JohnsonSpaceCentre, #Houston, #US, #RobertaBondar, InternationalSpaceStation
 
Ottawa, Jul 4 (Canadian-Media): Canada's astronauts from Alberta, Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey who were named by Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister, in Ottawa July 1 during the Canada 150 celebrations, would be officially welcomed at the Canadian Space Agency’s headquarters in Quebec Tuesday, media reports said.

Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey were present on Parliament Hill Ottawa July 1 during the Canada 150 celebrations.

“Our new astronauts will represent Canada, advance our understanding of our planets and our universe, and inspire the next generation of Canadians to reach for the stars,” Trudeau said.

The selection of Sidey and Kutryk was made out of 3,772 applicants who met the minimum criteria set out by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

“It’s been a very long, tiring year. The testing has been difficult. The waiting has been difficult. It just feels wonderful to come out the other end,” Kutryk said, quoted CTVNews.
 
Later this month Sidey and Kutryk will be reporting for training at Johnson Space Centre in Houston for  two-year training program to receive nstructions on systems on the International Space Station, spacewalks and Russian language training.

“We have so much to learn,” Kutryk said. “But for Jenni and I, the opportunity to learn that, to study at NASA, is a dream come true and it’s something that we’re really looking forward to. That’s the next step and we can’t wait,” CTVNews reports said.
 
Sidey, from Calgary, a lecturer with the University of Cambridge and worked as a mechanical engineer, said she had been dreaming of becoming an astronaut since 1992, when Roberta Bondar went into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery.

“I remember I was so young but that meant a lot to me, to have someone who was that relatable do something so big in Canada. That was huge,” Sidey told CTV’s Lisa LaFlamme in Ottawa after the prime minister’s introduction.

Kutryk, from Fort Saskatchewan's, an air force pilot having a bachelor,s degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in defence studies, had been fascinated since his childhood with space and aspired in helping to explore the space, a biography posted on the space agency's website said.

He said he was in the Edmonton Space Science Centre when the Canadarm 1, a series of robotic arms used on the space shuttle, was being used in space.

“The Canadian invention, the Canadian system, being used by Canadian astronauts of the likes of Marc Garneau and Bondar and Chris Hadfield shortly thereafter, that was a defining moment for me seeing that work in space, realizing that there were Canadians in space. I did know right then that was I wanted to work towards,” Kutryk said.

Sidey said her experience to endure while playing rugby had helped her in training and tests.
 
“Rugby played a big role,” she said. “When I was going through the selection process and I knew that I was going to be motivated by the people that were around me, that’s where the team element definitely came in to play I think,” CTVNews reports said.
 
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

​​Image of Artemis Health: Facebook
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​#ArtemisHealth, #DataAnalyticsTools, #MaverickVentures, #GrantGordon, #ActionableOverspending, #AshokSubramanian, #AmbarBhattacharyya

Toronto, May 11 (Canadian-Media):  Founded in 2013, Artemis Health, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based maker of data analytics tools to help benefit managers, currently serves more than 20 large employers and covers more than a million lives, announced  had been able to raise $8.3 million in a new round of funding led by Maverick Ventures, media reports said.
 
Existing investors had also contributed to this fund which would help managers understand the channel through which their money, with regards to health benefits, was going and how they could use the system more efficiently, MobiHealthNews reports said. 

“Data is at the heart of business decision making, but employers struggle to access actionable, up-to-date data on what they spend on employee healthcare,” Grant Gordon, CEO of Artemis Health, said in a statement. “We’ve been busy putting this funding to work to grow our incredible team, reach more clients, make the Artemis Platform more powerful, and ensure that our customers can easily capture the value in their data. We’re well-positioned to lead the complex work of reducing healthcare costs for employers and employees.”

This innovative feature is set up as a series of apps to be used in a four-step process. An app called Actionable Overspending would be used by users first to find out the biggest areas of waste in their current employee benefit model. 

This data can also be shared with anyone else in the company using other apps. 

Yet another app gives suggests the ways to decrease healthcare spending, such as telemedicine programs. 

Finally, by tracking the performance of these programs the users would be able to if the supposed saving was being generated by this program.

Artemis Health also announced addition of two new members to its board: Ashok Subramanian, former co-founder and CEO of Liazon and the head of the Group Exchange business at Willis Towers Watson, and Ambar Bhattacharyya, managing director at Maverick Ventures.
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“We invested in Artemis because it gives benefit managers and brokers an elegant, easy-to-use platform that helps them identify areas of overspending, quickly take action, and evaluate the potential of future benefits offerings,” Bhattacharyya stated. “Benefit managers are inundated with choice, and Artemis allows them to determine the ROI of the programs that are actually working. The reaction has been overwhelming; the customer satisfaction is off the charts.”

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)