A bunch of brainiacs are coming to Victoria next week, and Friday is your last chance to register to join some of them for a special opening-day event.
More than 400 Canadian scientists, scholars and artists will descend on the Empress Hotel Nov. 26-28 for the Royal Society of Canada’s annual meeting.
“This gathering is an opportunity for all of us to welcome Canada’s eminent scholars and celebrate their impacts in areas vital to Canada and the world,” said Jamie Cassels, president of the University of Victoria, the event’s presenting sponsor.
Eight UVic faculty members will be honoured: playwright Joan MacLeod, chemist Frank van Veggel, philosopher James Young, composer Dániel Péter Biró, exercise psychologist Ryan Rhodes, astronomer Sara Ellison, cosmologist Julio Navarro and writer Jack Hodgins.
The RSC will welcome MacLeod, van Veggel and Young as new fellows, the country’s highest academic honour. Biró, Rhodes and Ellison will be elected as members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
During a presentation described as akin to the Academy Awards for Canadian academics, Ellison will be presented with a Rutherford Memorial Medal for outstanding achievement in a branch of physics.
Hodgins will be awarded the Lorne Pierce Medal for outstanding achievement in imaginative literature. Navarro will receive the Henry Marshall Tory Medal for outstanding achievement in astronomy.
“This incredible breadth of expertise and impact really speaks to this university's research strength as a whole,” said David Castle, UVic’s vice-president research.
The three-day event will open with the Canadian Marine Biodiversity Symposium: Resources, Opportunities and Responsibilities on Thursday.
Researchers from across Canada will discuss ways to build, protect and sustain marine ecosystems in the face of climate change and other pressures.
Participants will include UVic biologist Julia Baum, who will discuss challenges in ocean management and how fish populations can be rebuilt. UVic geographer and humanist Rosemary Ommer will also weigh in on the importance of marine biodiversity, food security and human attitudes toward the ocean.
The symposium, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., is open to the public. The deadline for pre-registration is Friday. Admission is $78, or $33 for students. To register, go to bit.ly/CVENT1.
