Tag Archives: The Open Notebook (TON)

‘Building Canada’s “report card” for science, technology, and innovation’ and more stories from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) May 2925 newsletter (The Advance)

I was very happy to see that a new edition of ‘The State of Science and Technology in Canada‘ or similarly named report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). Here’s more about that report and others form the CCA’s May 2025 issue of The Advance (received via email),

Building Canada’s “report card” for science, technology, and innovation

In September 2006, the CCA published The State of Science and Technology in Canada—an expert assessment of the scientific disciplines and technological applications in which Canada excels. Commissioned by Industry Canada [or Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada or ISED], the report provided a much-needed foundation for benchmarking Canada’s strengths in science and technology; previously, the report noted, there was “almost no published literature focused specifically on strengths of the Canadian science and technology system overall, and particularly not at a reasonably fine level of detail.” The CCA has built upon its inaugural study ever since, steadily reassessing Canada’s science and technology strengths as well as the relationships between research, development, and innovation.

With our next assessment of Canada’s science, technology, and innovation ecosystem underway, with support from ISED’s Strategic Science Fund, we are revisiting our flagship assessments and their impacts on our collective understanding of science, technology, and innovation.

Read Science, Technology, and Innovation in Canada: Tracking Our Evolution.

I found this in ‘Tracking Our Evolution‘,

Two decades of expertise

For the inaugural edition of The State of Science and Technology in Canada, the CCA recruited a ten-person expert panel chaired by Elizabeth Dowdeswell, O.C. In order to create a well-rounded picture of Canadian innovation, the panel analyzed patents grants and citations as well as peer-reviewed journal publications; conducted an extensive literature review; and surveyed more than 1,500 experts on the strength and trajectory of Canada’s overall science and technology efforts and areas of note. The resulting report provided a broad sweep of expertise as well as granular information.

Since then, the CCA has published three additional assessments of Canada’s science, technology, and innovation performance, all at the request of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. They include a second volume of The State of Science and Technology in Canada (2012); The State of Industrial Research and Development in Canada (2013); and Competing in a Global Innovation Economy (2018). This year, the CCA will publish a fifth installment focused on the current state of science, technology, and innovation.

[graphic]

Over the years, the CCA’s science and technology assessments have documented Canada’s reputation for world-leading infrastructure, high levels of education attainment, substantial research output and impact. They have also detailed declining R&D investment and intensity, and the accelerating outflow of Canada-born patents. They have identified sectors of R&D strength, from computer systems design to scientific research and development, and research-publication strengths in fields such as clinical medicine, public health, and the performing arts. Each assessment provides a multi-part assessment of Canada’s progress to-date, and an actionable platform for improving national prosperity, competitiveness, and well-being.

The CCA’s assessments have evolved in tandem with Canada’s science and technology landscape, expanding and refining the metrics on which we draw to detail its strengths and challenges. Our efforts include a Subcommittee on Science and Technology Research Methods, to provide recommendations for improving methodologies and closing data gaps. From research output to patents, from public- and private-sector investment to fields of global renown, each new assessment provides advanced methodologies for understanding Canadian innovation as it unfolds.

You can find out more the current iteration of The State of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Canada here including a listing with biographies of the report’s expert panel.

There’s more in the CCA’s May 2025 issue of The Advance,

Members of the Expert Panel on Balancing Research Security and Open Science for Dual-Use Research of Concern gathered in Ottawa in early May for a panel meeting, ahead of the project’s planned Fall 2025 release.

Learn more about the project and panel.

Readings and Events

  • CIFAR is now accepting applications for its Neuroscience of Consciousness Winter School, to be held in Montebello, Quebec. CIFAR describes the school as “a unique, three-day event where tomorrow’s neuroscience leaders work closely with world-class researchers.” The deadline for applications is June 23 [2025].
  • For the Conversation, a team of researchers examines Canada’s “fragmented immunization data” and a drop in vaccine confidence, then asks if the country is prepared for a new pandemic. “In 2024, 17 per cent of Canadian parents were ‘really against’ vaccinating their children, up from four per cent in 2019,” write the researchers, drawing on work by the CCA’s Expert Panel on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Science and Health Misinformation. (Noni MacDonald, a co-author, served as a member of the CCA panel.)
  • TamIA, the first piece of the Pan-Canadian AI Compute Environment (PAICE), launched at Université Laval. TamIA is a computing cluster that will work in tandem with infrastructure at the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto. Frédéric Chanay-Savoyen, Vice President of AI Solutions and Technology at Mila, a PAICE partner, says TamIA’s increased computing capacity “makes it possible to develop an environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration on a national scale and that will allow Quebec and Canada to maintain its position as a leader in the field of cutting-edge AI research.”
  • The Open Notebook, a nonprofit that supports science journalists, recently asked a group of reporters how they navigate research reports, especially those that are hundreds (or thousands) of pages long. Their responses hold insights for all members of the science media.
  • Dr. Henry Friesen, best known for his discovery of prolactin and his trailblazing research on human growth hormones, died on April 30 at 90 years old. Friesen, a former member of the CCA’s Board of Governors, helped lead the development of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is a member of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, among many other honours. 

My October 17, 2024 posting “AI and Canadian science diplomacy & more stories from the October 2024 Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) newsletter” provides some insight, which is still salient, about artificial intelligence scene (policy, diplomacy, etc.) in Canada..

There you have it.

October 31, 2023 data analysis and visualization workshop for science writers

Thanks to the Science Media Centre of Canada for the notice about this upcoming workshop for science writers, (from the Data Analysis and Visualization Tools for Science Writers page on eventbrite.com), Note: There is a fee of $125 (I assume this is US currency) and a limited number of discounts are available (keep reading either here or on the event page for details about the discounts),

[downloaded from https://www.eventbrite.com/e/data-analysis-and-visualization-tools-for-science-writers-tickets-692049688247]

Also from the event page,

This workshop will focus on reporting & producing data stories about science topics, highlighting free tools for analysis & visualization.

Date and time

Tuesday, October 31 · 12:30 – 2pm PDT

Location

Online

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.Eventbrite’s fee is nonrefundable.

About this event

1 hour 30 minutes Mobile eTicket

Science writers are used to encountering data, whether we’re reading through dense scientific papers or trying to figure out what a statistic means for our readers. But sometimes, datasets themselves can be sources for stories—and they have led to some of the most widely read science stories of the last few years, from El Pais’ visualization of coronavirus spread to ProPublica’s investigation of burning sugar cane. Datasets can help us make complex topics accessible, visualize patterns from research, or even investigate instances of wrongdoing.

A science writer interested in pursuing stories like these could find a wide variety of resources to help them get started on a data project. But the growing data journalism field can be overwhelming: you might not be sure how to pick an initial project, which online course to try, which tools to use, or whether you need to learn how to code first. (Spoiler alert: you don’t!)

This 90-minute hands-on workshop from The Open Notebook, building on the instructor’s TON article about this topic [TON = The Open Notebook], will provide a crash course in data reporting basics. It’s designed for science writers who are interested in pursuing data stories but aren’t quite sure how to get started, and for editors who are interested in working with writers on these stories.

You’ll get an introduction to all of the steps of reporting and producing a data story, from finding story ideas to editing and fact-checking. The workshop will include an interactive tutorial showcasing two common tools that you can start using immediately.

You will learn how to:

Recognize potential data stories on your beat
Search for public datasets that you can use
Use free tools for data analysis and visualization
Work with a data team or independently as a freelancer
Make your data stories accessible

The workshop will be recorded and made available to registered participants for three months following the workshop.

Instructor

Betsy Ladyzhets is an independent science, health, and data journalist focused on COVID-19 and the future of public health. She runs the COVID-19 Data Dispatch, a publication that provides news, resources, and original reporting on COVID-19 data. Recently, she was a journalism fellow at MuckRock, where she contributed to award-winning COVID-19 investigations. She also previously managed the Science & Health vertical at Stacker and volunteered at the COVID Tracking Project. Her freelance work has appeared in Science News, The Atlantic, STAT, FiveThirtyEight, MIT Technology Review, and other national publications.

Registration Fee

The registration fee is $125.

About our discounted rates: Our goal at The Open Notebook is to support the advancement of science journalists around the world. In particular, we want to ensure that the resources we provide are accessible to those who have experienced higher-than-average barriers to entry in our field. A limited number of discounted slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis to individuals who are members of communities that have historically been underrepresented in science journalism or whose economic circumstances would make the full cost of the workshops a financial strain. To use this discount, add the promo code TON_70DISCOUNT for a 70 percent discount. (The promo code box is above the workshops listing on the sign-up page.)

I found out a little more about The Open Notebook, from their About tab Mission page,

Our Mission

The Open Notebook is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is widely regarded as the leading online source of training and educational materials for journalists who cover science. We are dedicated to fostering a supportive, diverse, and inclusive global community that enables reporters and editors who cover science to learn and thrive. Through our comprehensive library of articles on the craft of science journalism and our extensive training and mentoring programs, we empower journalists at all experience levels, around the world, to tell impactful, engaging stories about science.

Why We’re Here

At no other time in human history has the meaning of what constitutes a fact—a valid piece of knowledge—been more at risk than it is today. Journalists’ ability to report stories about science clearly, accurately, and engagingly has never been more critical for public understanding of science and for a well-functioning democracy. Journalists who cover science play a crucial and demanding role in society—they must not only explain the newest advances in scientific research, but also provide critical context and analysis on issues ranging from climate change to infectious disease to artificial intelligence; shed light on the human beings behind the research; and serve as watchdogs to help ensure the continued freedom and integrity of the scientific enterprise.

To fulfill such a role takes skill. And the skills that science journalists need are endangered. Only a fraction of working science journalists are trained in formal journalism programs. And with the shrinking number of traditional staff jobs available, science journalism is fast moving toward a “gig economy” that relies on freelancers to produce work once done by staffers. One effect of that shift is that fewer journalists have the opportunity to master skills through the natural mentoring that takes place in newsrooms. In addition, science journalists who are from historically underrepresented communities face formidable barriers to entry and participation in the field. The Open Notebook is dedicated to helping journalists cultivate fundamental skills necessary for covering science and to helping foster a more inclusive community of voices covering science.

What We Do

Since The Open Notebook was founded in 2010, more than a million people from around the world have visited the site. Thousands of journalists have taken part in our courses, workshops, and mentoring programs. Below is a summary of our major programs.

There you have it.