Minister of Science Wraps Up Visit to AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb. 12, 2016) - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Canada's Minister of Science, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, was in Washington, D.C., this week, where she met with important science officials of the United States and moderated a panel discussion on Arctic research and international collaboration. She also participated in the Governor General's round table, meeting with Canadian innovators and education leaders based in the D.C. area.

During her visit, Minister Duncan met with Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator; Kathryn Sullivan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association; Dr. John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology; and other senior U.S. officials. In addition, she attended the New Zealand reception during the American Association for Advancement of Science's (AAAS) annual meeting, where she met with Sir Peter Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

During her various meetings and appearances, Minister Duncan underscored the importance of encouraging discovery-based research that can help find solutions to global problems. She also stressed the importance of international collaboration across the sciences and spoke on how developing a strong science ecosystem can translate into economic and societal benefits for all Canadians.

Quote

"The Government of Canada believes in science and values international scientific collaboration with partners in the United States, New Zealand and the global scientific community. Sharing research across borders and across disciplines is an integral part of the scientific process, and the Government of Canada is committed to encouraging Canadian scientists to share their research with the world."

- The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

Quick facts

• Minister Duncan met with various international officials and dignitaries to discuss the role of science in government decision making and how to encourage scientific collaboration across borders.
• While in Washington, Minister Duncan met with locally based Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and educators and participated in several important discussions about how to further advance a strong climate for scientific excellence in Canada.
• Minister Duncan also moderated a panel on how the successes of international scientific collaboration in the Arctic-in which Canada played a prominent role-can be translated to other scientific fields.
• According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada's higher-education sector spending intensity on scientific research and development is the highest in the G7. The Government of Canada and Minister Duncan look forward to building upon this base to spur further scientific discoveries that enrich and better the lives of all Canadians.

Associated links

• American Association for the Advancement of Science

• AAAS Annual Meeting Program

Follow the Minister on Instagram and Twitter: @ScienceMin