Extend patent protection to protect technologies
INTELLECTUAL MATTERS
As I have mentioned in the past, for an invention to be patentable, it must be both novel and inventive; the invention must be new and have...
Read More >>Then and Now
CHEMISTRY IN CANADA 1950
A dvertising in the 1950s pushed the limits of good taste — not to mention stereotyping — and Electric Reduction Company (ERCO) ads were no exception. While modern advertising continues to...
Read More >>Chemistry crucial to battling terrorism at airports
CHEMFUSION
We have become familiar with the routine at airports. Your carry-on bags are passed through an X-ray machine, after which an officer...
Read More >>Future road map
POLICY PUNDIT
The wild swings that affect research funding in Canada are well known to Gilles Patry. In 1993, when he became the new dean of engineering at the University of Ottawa,...
Read More >>The complicated debate over patenting DNA
INTELLECTUAL MATTERS
Like air and water, DNA should not be patentable,” blared the March headline in a major Canadian newspaper. The article underneath this headline detailed an out-of-court settlement after the Children’s...
Read More >>The magical (but misleading) traits of Moroccan oil
CHEMFUSION
Unless you’re familiar with Moroccan traditions, or are in the habit of frequenting trendy hair salons, chances are that argan oil has escaped your attention. Argan is a tree that grows in one specific region of Morocco and produce...
Read More >>Then and now
HISTORY
Starting in the 1890s, the use of motor vehicles in Canada slowly increased. William Still and Frederick Featherstonehaugh designed and built Canada’s first electric car in Toronto while George Foote Foss of Sherbrooke...
Read More >>On a mission
POLICY PUNDIT
World-renowned neuropsychologist Maryse Lassonde, the Royal Society of Canada’s new president, is determined to promote the culture of science.
Read More >>Rare student
CLASS DISTINCTION
Jackson Knott nabs the 2015 Award for Undergraduate Research in Inorganic Chemistry from the Canadian Society for Chemistry for his work developing rare earth-containing complexes.
Read More >>Seize the opportunity to influence Ottawa
GOVERNMENT
In the past months we have seen signs from Ottawa of a dramatic shift in the science and engineering research landscape in Canada. The federal government has signalled that it sees...
Read More >>Engineering change
POLICY
University of Calgary president and vice-chancellor Elizabeth Cannon, who also chairs Universities Canada, is helping nurture closer ties between the scientific community and Ottawa’s elected MPs. When Elizabeth Cannon joined...
Read More >>Managing both sides of the workplace safety coin
CAREERS
Occupational safety aims at avoiding workplace injuries and ensuring a safe and healthy work environment. It utilizes rules, training and personal protective equipment to achieve that goal. It is an...
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