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Globe and Mail
10 hours ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and the University of Ottawa Accelerate Low Dose Radiation Research and Foster Next Generation of Scientists
CHALK RIVER, Ontario, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Canada's premier nuclear science and technology organization, and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa), one of Canada's most innovative universities, are pleased to announce a new partnership to advance knowledge, education, research and innovation in low dose radiation (LDR) exposure health effects. Leveraging the leading research organizations' complementary capabilities, the new partnership builds on CNL's global leadership in LDR research with the establishment of a CNL-led LDR innovation hub, accelerating research critical to public safety and the health of Canadians. It will also serve to increase capabilities, education and training opportunities to graduate students and early career researchers. The partnership will also extend uOttawa researchers' access to Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's world class facilities at Chalk River Laboratories, including the unique Biological Research Facility, associated irradiation facilities and LDR Tissue Bank, and establishes a CNL satellite laboratory within uOttawa's new Advanced Medical Research Centre (AMRC) – set to open in 2026. This physical presence will be co-located with the Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology (OISB) as well as uOttawa state-of-the-art Core Facilities, which altogether will support new research directions in radiation sciences and advanced organoid-based systems biology. These areas are rapidly developing strengths at uOttawa, positioning the university as a national, and potentially international, leader in this field. uOttawa will also offer reciprocal access to key research facilities on campus, in addition to those located at the faculty of medicine and in AMRC. 'As a major player in the global research and development effort to support LDR research, CNL is focused on the prevention or reduction of radiation exposure effects in workers, patients and the larger population,' says Dr. Stephen Bushby, Vice-President, Science & Technology, CNL. 'We are very excited to include uOttawa as a major partner in the work needed to shed light on this complex field of research.' As part of this partnership, CNL will be contributing towards the acquisition of a mass spectrometer, which will be installed in the in the Metabolomics Core Facility at uOttawa. This strategic investment, supporting collaborative initiatives between OISB and CNL, will enable leading-edge single-cell metabolomics and spatial metabolomics, a rapidly advancing field with transformative potential in biomedical research. This will be the only equipment of its kind in eastern Canada, offering unique capabilities for high-resolution chemical imaging at the cellular level. The instrument will not only serve researchers at uOttawa, but also attract national and international collaborators, firmly establishing uOttawa as a leader in metabolomics and precision health research. The mass spectrometer will be a central component of the new Spatial Biology and Single-Cell Suite (3S) within the AMRC. This cutting-edge suite will integrate transformative new technologies into a coordinated workflow that complements and enhances five existing and intensively used Core Facilities: Flow Cytometry, Metabolomics, Gene Editing, Cellular Imaging, and Bioinformatics. By bridging these platforms, 3S will significantly expand research capabilities in some of uOttawa's strongest areas of discovery, particularly brain, heart, and cancer biology—driving breakthroughs in systems biology, precision medicine, and therapeutic development. 'This new equipment, the only one of its kind in Eastern Canada, positions the University of Ottawa as a leader in metabolomics and precision health research, while attracting national and international collaborations,' says Julie St-Pierre, Interim Vice-President, Research and Innovation, uOttawa. This new partnership builds on over a decade of collaborative research involving CNL and multiple uOttawa faculties, including Engineering, Science and Medicine. These collaborations have advanced understanding of the biomedical impacts of LDR, including studies on DNA damage and repair, protein synthesis, epigenetics, mitochondrial biology, metabolism, immunity, and stem cell functions. As part of this partnership, CNL has also provided funding support for postdoctoral fellow stipends, further enabling high-impact research and talent development. With the field of LDR research growing and Canadian leadership in LDR research well-recognized, both organizations will continue to explore additional opportunities to further strengthen this partnership. About CNL As Canada's premier nuclear science and technology laboratory and working under the direction of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), CNL is a world leader in the development of innovative nuclear science and technology products and services. Guided by an ambitious corporate strategy known as Vision 2030, CNL fulfills three strategic priorities of national importance – restoring and protecting the environment, advancing clean energy technologies, and contributing to the health of Canadians. By leveraging the assets owned by AECL, CNL also serves as the nexus between government, the nuclear industry, the broader private sector and the academic community. CNL works in collaboration with these sectors to advance innovative Canadian products and services towards real-world use, including carbon-free energy, cancer treatments and other therapies, non-proliferation technologies and waste management solutions. To learn more about CNL, please visit The University of Ottawa is powered by research. Located in Canada's capital, we bring together energetic and creative scholars to tackle urgent global challenges and to respond to emerging opportunities. As one of Canada's most innovative universities, we generate breakthroughs and discoveries that make a real difference in communities across Ontario, Canada and the world. Our thought leaders provide evidence-based insights that inform policy and support industry. Our influence keeps growing due to our vast range of international partnerships, including our membership in the U7+ Alliance. As the world's largest French-English university, we are a driving force in the Francophonie. To learn more about uOttawa, please visit uOttawa contact: media@ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
Forbes
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Science Cuts Threaten The Next Generation Of Innovators
Cutting science and research funding may appear fiscally responsible in the short term, but it risks ... More stalling discovery, exporting our talent, and missing opportunities to develop transformative solutions in education. Getty Images In labs, classrooms, and research centers across the United States, a quiet shift is underway. American scientists—long the backbone of global innovation—are considering taking their expertise overseas. This follows the Trump administration's deep cuts to federal research agencies, science funding, including grants and contracts. The impact is evident at the National Science Foundation (NSF), which recently canceled over 1,000 active awards and whose prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program posted its lowest acceptance rate in 15 years. Our European allies see this as the opportunity it is. The EU announced $556 million in new funding to ' make Europe a magnet for researchers ' over the next two years. NPR paints a similar picture : academics, facing shrinking financial support in the U.S., are increasingly drawn to countries doubling down on their public investments in scientific inquiry and innovation. President Trump says he wants America to lead in ' critical and emerging technologies .' And for nearly a century, we have. But steep cuts to NSF, the Institute of Education Sciences, and other research and development agencies undermine this vision. These cuts trade long-term scientific leadership for short-term budget relief. For example, Dan Garisto, who writes for the journal Nature , found that roughly $322 million of NSF's cancelled projects were in the STEM education division, which funds research on improving math and science teaching to grow the future U.S. science workforce. Furthermore, the public supports those kinds of STEM-improvement programs. A recent poll by the Association of Science and Technology Centers found that 90% of Americans believe that federal investment in STEM education is essential for the nation's future economic success. (The poll also found that a bipartisan majority expressed concern that Trump's cuts could prevent the U.S. from attracting and keeping top scientific talent.) What makes the prospect of a scientific brain drain concerning to me and many in the scientific community isn't just the loss of talent in research labs—it's the ripple effect that could reach directly into the nation's K-12 classrooms. Advances in neuroscience, behavioral science, and cognitive psychology are the foundation of many effective educational innovations, from AI-powered tutoring systems to evidence-based literacy instruction. Consider the decision of many school districts to delay high school start times—a change inspired by research showing that teenagers' sleep patterns shift later due to natural biological development. Another example is how learning platforms like Quizlet and Khan Academy incorporate behavioral science principles, like ' nudging ,' to help students stay motivated and engaged. These breakthroughs didn't happen in isolation. They came from a robust, well-funded pipeline of interdisciplinary research, and they've made real-world improvements in how students learn. But as NSF and the Education Department's Institute of Education Sciences see their staff and budgets significantly downsized, the momentum behind such discoveries could slow—or stop entirely. Instead of walking away, now is the time to invest. A coalition I lead recently set forth a framework for a 'reimagined' federal R&D system that includes multidisciplinary research and innovation, pathways that have been supported by agencies like NSF. An approach such as this gives the nation a chance to strengthen its R&D ecosystem and ensure that researchers across disciplines can continue translating insights into tools and techniques that help all students succeed. States Can Lead, But They Need Strong Research Partners The Trump administration has argued that more control should be returned to states , allowing governors and local boards to decide how education dollars are spent. This could include a bigger role for states to play in education R&D. That sounds promising, and I'm hopeful that states and their elected leaders are willing and able to step into the breach and drive improvements that will work best for their students. However, that may also mean that our state and local officials will need more, not fewer, education researchers who can help them test and prove what works and what doesn't. Merely shifting the responsibility from the federal level to the states doesn't really change the R&D braintrust needed to do the work. Nor does it eliminate the need for research infrastructure. It only makes that infrastructure more essential. Science As The Foundation For Innovation If the U.S. wants to remain a global leader in innovation, we must sustain the research ecosystem that fuels our progress. A strong evidence base in learning science is critical, not just for advancing knowledge but for empowering educators, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to create tools and strategies that meet the needs of today's learners. Cutting staff, grants, and contracts may appear fiscally responsible in the short term, but the longer-term risks are clear. We risk stalling discovery, exporting our talent, and missing opportunities to develop transformative solutions in education. But with the right investments and a renewed national commitment to science, we can chart a different course—one that supports the next generation of researchers and ensures our students are prepared to lead in the decades to come. Follow Sara Schapiro on LinkedIn.
