Tag Archives: Gordon Campbell

Year of Science in the province of British Columbia

This is an initiative by the province of British Columbia announced by Premier Gordon Campbell on Sept. 24, 2010 (from the news release titled),

To inspire young minds across the province and foster a culture of research and innovation Premier Gordon Campbell today proclaimed the 2010-2011 school year as the Year of Science in B.C.

Premier Campbell was joined by Moira Stilwell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, schoolchildren, award-winning science students and science organizations at today’s event at Science World to officially launch the Year of Science.

“Labour market forecasts predict that by the end of this decade, three quarters of all future jobs in B.C. will need some post-secondary education, and many of the most interesting and well-paying jobs will need a solid understanding of math, sciences, engineering and technologies,” said Premier Campbell. “Through the Year of Science, working in partnership with leaders in the science community, our government wants to help B.C. families connect with the passion and exhilaration of science discovery, and call attention to some of the diverse and exciting career opportunities available through science right in their own communities.”

The Year of Science is a major cross-government initiative led by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. The goal is to engage British Columbians, in particular young people, in science by showcasing how science works, who scientists are, the kinds of work they do, and why science matters in the everyday lives of British Columbians and the communities they live in.

“Science is about creative spirit and inspiration – about developing new knowledge – and the ability to turn knowledge into new and improved goods and services demanded by the global marketplace,” said Stilwell. “Through the Year of Science, we want to create a legacy that will continue to encourage a culture of innovation and research in B.C. and inspire young minds with the thrill of scientific discovery.”

The Premier unveiled phase one of the Year of Science website to provide up-to-date information about Year of Science events as the year unfolds. The site features profiles on businesses, science centres and B.C. science personalities who are shaping the face of science in B.C. Interactive games and activities will be added in October.

I checked out the Year of Science website and I’m sorry to say it looks like one of those websites that are good for you, something I call ‘spinach programming’. If I were borderline about the attractions of science, this site would not help. In fact, it might have the opposite effect intended.  Here’s sample text from the front page,

It’s important for PARENTS to encourage kids to explore the world of science.

Read more …

I don’t know how much a busy parent who’s made the effort to check out this site is going appreciate being harangued (full caps are generally considered shouting) to do more. On the optimistic side of things, it’s good to see the interest from the province and changing text from full caps to mixed case is an easy fix.

Isotopes, beverages, and nuclear isotope shortages

Nanowerk recently posted a news item about isotopes and beverages which indicates that scientists can track your geographic location because the beverages you drink leave a signature or trace  in your hair. From the news item,

The scientists analyzed isotope patterns in bottled water, soda pop, and beer from 33 cities and found that patterns in the beverages generally matched those already known for the tap water. They noted that the isotope pattern in beverages tends to vary from city to city in ways that give cities in different regions characteristic “iso-signatures.” A person who drinks a beer or soda in Denver, Des Moines, or Dallas, for instance, consumes a different isotope signature than a person in Las Cruces, Las Vegas, or Laramie. The finding may help trace the origin of drinks or help criminal investigators identify the geographic travels of crime suspects and other individuals through analysis of hair strands, the study suggests.

I think Sherlock Holmes would have liked this. On another note, for anyone (like me) who’s not quite sure what an isotope is, I found a number of definitions and this one best fits the use described in the news item,

some elements have more than one form. They differ only in nuclear terms rather than chemical ones and have different relative atomic mass as a result. They may behave slightly differently which allows us to use them in geography for a number of measurements relating to constructing past conditions. http://www.tuition.com.hk/geography/i.htm

On other isotopic fronts, Dave Bruggeman at Pasco Phronesis posted about a move by the Government of British Columbia (a Canadian province) to address the shortage of medical isotopes. There was a bit of a scandal last year when Canadians found out that the Chalk River facility which produces a fair chunk (1/3 according to this Wikipedia essay) of the global supply of  isotopes used for medical purposes was badly deteriorating.

There have been a number of problems with the facility since 2007 culminating in a shutdown in 2009 which helped to precipitate a worldwide shortage and a Canadian scandal. The Chalk River facility has yet to reopen but (from Pasco Phronesis),

… The B.C. Premier recently announced that a $63 million (Canadian) accelerator facility will be developed at the national physics lab [TRIUMF] in Vancouver (H/T Science Canada). The use of an accelerator for generating isotopes is critical, as it’s a relatively new means for doing so. It allows for a means to move away from using fission reactors for isotope generation.

Bravo Premier Campbell! Margaret Munro in her June 23, 2010 article about the initiative noted in the Vancouver Sun,

Premier Gordon Campbell, who handed over $30.7 million for the project, talked up the more down-to-earth benefits, such as helping alleviate the global medical-isotope shortage, and demonstrating that B.C. is home to “world-class ” science and groundbreaking technology.

The new accelerator promises “a new way to produce the radio isotopes needed by doctors and patients everywhere,” Campbell said.

The provincial money means construction can begin this summer on the powerful accelerator that is expected to beam Canada into the forefront of subatomic and isotope research. The Canada Foundation for Innovation has invested $18 million, and $14 million will come from core federal funding for TRIUMF.

Isotopes, used for medical scans and treatments, are now made by aging and increasingly unreliable nuclear reactors [Chalk River]. Researchers at TRIUMF are working with teams across Canada to explore new options.

This doesn’t sound like the same kind of isotope the chemists were talking about with the beverages and the discussion of geographic tracking. If I understand the difference rightly, the isotopes in the beverages are naturally occurring while these other isotopes are engineered and, I imagine, less stable. For anyone who loves definitions, here’s another one for isotopes,

an atom that has more neutrons in the nucleus than its stable counterpart. For example: Hydrogen has one electron and a nucleus containing one proton, Deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) has one electron plus a nucleus containing one proton and one neutron. www.hiper-laser.org/glossary.asp