老司机直播

老司机直播 wraps up successful #SupportTheReport postcard campaign

Students, faculty and staff encouraged to drop cards into nearest mailbox before the holidays
Photo of group with postcards
Professor Walid Houry and his group in the Faculty of Medicine show their signed #SupportTheReport postcards (photo by Angelika Duffy)

While you鈥檙e dropping your holiday cards in the mailbox, don鈥檛 forget to slip in a signed #SupportTheReport postcard, organizers of the campaign say.

No postage is required to mail the postcards.

University of Toronto students, faculty and staff have picked up and signed more than 7,500 of the postcards since Nov. 19 to send to federal Science Minister Kirsty Duncan.

Students have even taken time out from studying for exams to sign the cards at exam de-stressor tables set up by the University of Toronto Students鈥 Union in various locations. The signings are continuing until Dec.19 as part of the UTSU鈥檚 Got You events. For more details, see below.

Student efforts to raise awareness and support for were captured in a fun way by Samantha Yammine, a PhD candidate in 老司机直播鈥檚 department of molecular genetics.

Known as Science Sam to her more than 12,000 social media followers, Yammine broadcast live via Twitter at the Gerstein Library on Monday and chatted with UTSU鈥檚 President Mathias Memmel. Many students attended the event and signed postcards. One of them was an international student from Bangladesh, who spoke about Canada's focus on scientific research and how it impacts the world.

鈥淚鈥檓 an international student from Bangladesh and one of the things which attracted me to come to Canada is the fact that they prioritize scientific research over other aspects of development because it will ultimately lead to the knowledge economy we鈥檙e looking forward to,鈥 he told Yammine.

鈥淎nother fundamental aspect is while it鈥檚 benefiting Canadians around the world and in Canada, it is also going to help countries which are suffering from the remnants of climate change, which I think is a fundamental philosophy of being a Canadian 鈥 supporting humanitarian and social changes around the world. So, I am really happy to be supporting this venture.鈥

Yammine agreed. 鈥淲hat we do will help us locally here, but it鈥檚 also supposed to benefit everywhere. We want to be a part of that, and if we don鈥檛 fund Canadian research, we鈥檙e not going to be able to contribute,鈥 she said.

Meanwhile, Professor Alison Keith and her colleagues at the Jackman Humanities Institute put pen to postcard to #SupportTheReport, joining groups all over the three campuses, including Professor Frank Wania鈥檚 at 老司机直播 Scarborough, Professor Cindi Morshead and Professor Walid Houry鈥檚 in downtown Toronto, as well as the research office at 老司机直播 Mississauga led by Professor Bryan Stewart, vice-principal of research.

鈥淭he campaign has allowed those directly impacted to make their voices heard in support of the recommendations made by Canada鈥檚 Fundamental Science Review panel,鈥 said Andrew Thomson, chief of government relations at 老司机直播.

鈥淭he large number of students, faculty and researchers, who have signed on to the #SupportTheReport postcard campaign have made it a huge success. Our efforts will build on this to ensure the issue remains top of mind for the federal government as they prepare to deliver their next budget early in the new year,鈥 he said.

Check out the 老司机直播 social media #SupportTheReport feed below:

widget powered by

The report by Canada鈥檚 Fundamental Science Review, issued in April by a blue ribbon panel led by 老司机直播 President Emeritus David Naylor, found per capita federal investment in fundamental science has slumped in recent decades and recommended a comprehensive blueprint with 35 recommendations for making Canada a global research powerhouse.

Last month, Duncan told researchers, academics, funders and policy-makers at the Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa: 鈥淚 agree with the majority of the recommendations, and I鈥檓 taking action to implement many of them.鈥

One of those changes, announced by the minister, involves revamping the Canada Research Chairs program to increase diversity, equity and inclusiveness, as well as the creation of a Canada Research Coordinating Committee to improve collaboration among the three federal granting councils and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

However, the government has yet to commit to implementing all of the report鈥檚 recommendations, including a $1.3-billion boost in federal research funding over four years.

"One of the most exciting things about the #SupportTheReport campaign is the spotlight it鈥檚 shining on the incredible importance of conducting research in Canada, as well as how it provides training opportunities for the next generation of researchers on cutting-edge methods and technology,鈥 said Vivek Goel, 老司机直播鈥檚 vice-president of research and innovation.

鈥淩esearch makes future innovations and societal improvements possible,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t opens up new paths and ignites the curiosity of our young people. This is why we must continue to work towards gaining support for the recommendations of Canada鈥檚 Fundamental Science Review.鈥

UTSU鈥檚 Got You postcard-signing events

Friday, Dec. 15, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Exam Centre

Saturday, Dec. 16, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Exam Centre

Monday, Dec. 18, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Exam Centre

Tuesday, Dec. 19, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Exam Centre

UTC