The Dalhousie University researcher is looking to create synthetic versions of spider's silk that have the potential to help heal damaged nerves and damaged hearts. 

Researcher Jan Rainey’s curiosity about synthetic fibres began during an undergraduate work term with DuPont. Years later, he heard stories from a fellow researcher that alluded to the amazing properties of spider’s silk. Now he's studying the unique characteristics of spider fibres in hopes of generating synthetic versions that are stronger than bullet-proof Kevlar and body restorative.  Drop in, stick around and get trapped in a great science story from a cutting-edge bio-lab.

Want to know more?

• Jan Rainey’s biography from Dalhousie University
• Learn about the fascinating history of Lycra
• Explore the history of a most extraordinary textile fibre, spider silk
• Cicada recording courtesy of Songofinsects.com

(Available only in French)

Can our critical infrastructure withstand the effects of climate change? 

Pooneh Maghoul and her research team are working to make our bridges, roads and other critical infrastructures more resistant to climate change and extreme environments on Earth and in space. 

She founded the Sustainable Infrastructure and Geoengineering Lab at Polytechnique Montréal. In this podcast, she explains the complexities of permafrost engineering and shares the most important lesson life has taught her. 

Some of the additional content for this podcast is only available in French. 

Read Pooneh Maghoul's biography on the Polytechnique Montréal website;  

Read the La Presse article: Du permélisol... jusqu'à la Lune!  

Read the blog post from the school of engineering at Polytechnique Montréal: An earthworm robot ... for the Moon!;  

Awards and honours:  

Winner of the prestigious ISSMGE (International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering) award;  

Recognized by the 

Canadian Geotechnical Society 

In 2002, German researcher Volker Gerdts relocated to Saskatoon. Cutting-edge vaccine research was the attraction. Now he is at the helm of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)

World-renowned infectious disease specialist Volker Gerdts calls himself a “builder” who is carefully assembling a passionate team working to stop disease outbreaks in their tracks. His passion is infectious as he strives to keep people in Canada safe from future pandemics.  

The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), working out of the University of Saskatchewan, is at the frontline of Canada’s pandemic preparedness initiatives.

Want to know more?

• Learn more about VIDO  and how it’s helping to build a healthier world  
• Click here  if you’re interested in knowing more about immunology and vaccinology 
• Find out how VIDO  is working to identify future diseases in order to control and contain initial outbreaks
• Visit VIDO’s profile on the Research Facilities Navigator  to learn more about research and business opportunities

(This podcast is only available in French) 

Nafissa Ismail focuses on the effects of hormones on the brain to pin down the interactions between our organs and our emotions 

Epidemiological data shows that the roots of depression form during puberty or adolescence for 75 percent of adults experiencing it. 

Nafissa Ismail is a professor at the University of Ottawa's School of Psychology and a leading figure in mental health research. 

Her work is making a significant contribution toward understanding the causes of mental disorders and how to treat them. 

Want to know more?

• Visit the websites of the NISE Laboratory  (neuroimmunology, stress and endocrinology) and the LIFE Research Institute . Nafissa Ismail is director of both. 
• Nafissa Ismail received the Governor General's Award for her research on women's health . 
• Get mental health support :  this Government of Canada site tells you how to find help. 

The University of Waterloo’s Suzanne Kearns is a global leader in sustainable aviation, but her flight path wasn’t without turbulence.

Suzanne Kearns grew up in Wiarton, Ont., where she would lie in the grass and watch airplanes from the local airport take flight overhead. Her dreams of flying led to a fixed-wing licence at 16 and helicopter licence a year later. At 24, she was a full-time university lecturer on aviation. Today, as the founder of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics, she is helping curb the environmental impacts of flight and inspiring the next generation of aviation professionals in the process.

Want to know more?

• Suzanne Kearns biography  from the University of Waterloo.
• More about the history, mission and vision  of the Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA), its research studies  and its flight simulator lab.  
• Pipistrel Aircraft  , a light aircraft manufacturer aiming to provide sustainable and environmentally-friendly solutions to the aircraft industry.
• Read about University of Waterloo alum Jeremy Wang and his company Ribbit, an innovator in pilotless planes.  

(This podcast is only available in French.)

This is a podcast about curious researchers, leading-edge science, and the joys of discovery.

Céline Surette embodies both the chemistry of living things and interdisciplinarity to serve the real needs and questions of communities. And to achieve this, and ensure that critical thinking triumphs, she'll pull out all the stops. 

Céline Surette is Dean of the Faculty of Science and Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Université de Moncton. She has a unique perspective on natural ecosystems as well as New Brunswick’s research community, including mentors and students, for whom she is a guiding light. And she isn’t easily thrown off course, even in the face of attempts to criticize science. Listen to Céline Surette talk about all the dimensions of her work in the field and in the lab. 

Want to know more?

Biography: Dr. Céline Surette, Environmental Scientist 

Group of Shediac, N.B. residents calling for bylaw to ban pesticides - New Brunswick | Globalnews.ca 

Tracadie- Sheila looking at by-law to ban the use of glyphosate 

Manganese in water tied to kids' low IQ | CBC News 

Protecting the health of our oceans: Fisheries and Oceans Canada  

This podcast is about curious researchers, leading-edge science and the joys of discovery.

Researcher Kelsey Leonard, member of the Shinnecock Nation and founder of the Wampum Lab at the University of Waterloo, delves into ocean, water and climate justice.

Shinnecock is a dialect derived from the Algonquian language. It means “people of the stony shores.” It’s along the stony shores of the Shinnecock Nation, on the Atlantic-facing eastern coast of New York’s Long Island that Kelsey Leonard developed her passion for the water. Undergraduate studies took her to Samoa and graduate studies brought her to the University of Waterloo, where she is now the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Waters, Climate and Sustainability.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Kelsey Leonard’s website (including her popular TEDTalk: Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans)

WAMPUM lab: An Indigenous framework to advance water security in the face of sea level rise

Find out more about the heritage of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and their connection to the sea

(Available only in French)

This is a podcast about curious researchers, leading-edge science, and the joys of discovery.

Ocean science research is at a pivotal moment according to Guillaume St-Onge, Director of the Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski at Université du Québec à Rimouski.

Canada abounds with ocean science expertise and technology, yet its fleet of research vessels has seen better days. Should we be concerned about how this will impact Canadian research in marine geology, physical oceanography, marine biology and marine chemistry?

In this episode, a professor of marine geology at Université du Québec à Rimouski and Canada Research Chair in Marine Geology lets us in on his thoughts.

Want to know more?

Guillaume St-Onge:

• Guillaume St-Onge's personal page on ISMER's website (French only) 
• Guillaume St-Onge's personal page on UQAR's website (French only )
• Canada Research Chair in Marine Geology (French only )
• Profile of Guillaume St-Onge on the Fonds de recherche du Québec website (French only )

Facility and partnerships:

• Navigator's profile for the Paleomagnetism and Marine Geology Laboratory 
• Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski  (ISMER) of Université du Québec à Rimouski (French only)
• Paleomagnetism and Marine geology Laboratory 
• Réseau Québec maritime (RQM)  (French only)
• Institut France-Québec maritime (IFQM)  (French only)

Articles about Guillaume St-Onge’s research (in publication order, from most recent to oldest):

• L’UQAR obtient le renouvellement de sa Chaire de recherche du Canada en géologie marine  [UQAR gets its Canada Research Chair in Marine Geology Renewed], by Jean-François Bouchard, published in UQAR-INFO (August 30, 2023)
• L'UQAR et ses partenaires reçoivent 154M$ du Fonds d’excellence en recherche Apogée Canada pour l’action climatique et le rôle des océans  [UQAR and its partners receive $154 million in funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund for climate action and the role of oceans], from the UQAR communications department (May 4, 2023)
• Remonter dans le temps pour mieux connaître les risques de séismes dans l’estuaire [Going back in time to better understand the risks of earthquakes in the estuary], by Julie Tremblay, published in Radio-Canada ICI Bas-Saint-Laurent (January 19, 2023)
• Le chercheur Guillaume St-Onge à l’honneur dans Québec Science  [Researcher Guillaume St-Onge in the spotlight with Québec Science], with Bis Petitpas, episode on Radio-Canada’s Bonjour la Côte (January 19, 2023)
• Tremblements de fleuve  [River earthquakes], by Joël Leblanc, published in Québec Science(January 12, 2023)
• Un chercheur de l’UQAR figure pour une quatrième fois parmi les dix découvertes de l’année de Québec Science  [UQAR researcher named for the fourth time in Québec Science’s top ten discoveries of the year], by Jean-François Bouchard, published in UQAR-INFO (January 12, 2023)
• Apogée, un programme de recherche sur les océans sans précédent  [An unprecedented marine research program], by Jean-François Bouchard, published in UQAR-INFO (January 9, 2023)

Articles of interest on topics addressed in the podcast:

• Prédire le comportement futur du champ magnétique terrestre  [Predicting the future behaviour of Earth’s magnetic field], by Pauline Gravel, published in Le Devoir (February 20, 2016)
• Le secret du cratère des Pingualuit  [The secret of the Pingualuit crater], by Joël Leblanc, published in Québec Science (December 13, 2012)

Information about the research vessels mentioned in the podcast:

• The Coriolis II, ISMER web page  (French only)
• The Coriolis II, REFORMAR web page 
• Le Coriolis II, un laboratoire flottant pour des recherches océanographiques  [The Coriolis II, a floating laboratory for marine research], by Valérian Mazataud, Guillaume Levasseur, Alexis Riopel, published in Le Devoir (August 12, 2023)
• The Listening River , dossier written by Pascaline David, photos by Benjamin Rochette and sound from besidemedia · BESIDE in partnership with Novarium 2
• The Amundsen 
• The JOIDES Resolution, press release from the National Science Foundation of the United States: Climate can grind down mountains faster than they can rebuild 
• Daily reports from the JOIDES Resolution Science Operator  (International Ocean Discovery Program)

This podcast is about curious researchers, leading-edge science and the joys of discovery.

York University’s Pirathayini Srikantha studies power grid systems with the aim of keeping Canada’s infrastructure safe from fluctuations and hackers. Find out why she’s passionate about power.

Our power grid is vulnerable. For one thing, it’s aging. For another, it’s prone to hackers. In the meantime, climate change means we need to find ways to integrate renewable energy sources that are intermittent with the shining sun or blowing wind. To avoid the crippling cost of replacing this infrastructure, jurisdictions must find ways to adapt. Pirathayini Srikantha, from York University’s, Lassonde School of Engineering, is an award-winning engineer who is confronting these multiple challenges. 

Want to know more? 

York University bio for Pirathayini Srikantha 

Ontario Professional Engineering Awards 2022 – Pirathayini Srikantha, P. Eng. (Engineering Medal – Young Engineer 

Electricity Canada – The Grid 

Effects of Externally Mediated Rewards On Intrisic Motivation – Edward L. Deci 1971 

The Motivation Paradox: Why Is A Carrot-and-Stick Approach Contra-productive – Igor Petrikovic 2013 

Commencement address delivered by the late Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios on June 12, 2005 

(This podcast is available only in French) This podcast is about curious researchers, leading-edge science and the joys of discovery.

Alexandre Langlois is passionate about all aspects of his job. As a researcher in Northern Canada, he studies the fastest-warming place on the planet and presents data on the issues that await us in terms of climate change.

Like a high-level athlete, Alexandre Langlois has been training since the age of nine to live in extreme cold conditions. Today, his research in physical geography provides him with a unique understanding of the evolution of the Earth, past and future and his observations on the relationship between man and nature leave him with clear insights about the impact of humans on the climate and environment.

Want to know more about Alexandre Langlois?

Langlois' Université de Sherbrooke profile .

Langlois' profile  from the Centre d'applications et de recherches en télédétection (CARTEL) at the Université de Sherbrooke.

April 9, 2021 article from the CARTEL website  announcing new CFI funding for Langlois’ research project.

A video of a conference presentation  about his CFI-funded project.

A video from Université de Sherbrooke  that asks three questions about studying the Arctic to understand climate change.

An April 3, 2021 article in La Tribune  about Langlois’ research.

(Ce balado est uniquement disponible en anglais.)

On a cold March 2, 2004, Carla Prado arrived on the doorsteps of the University of Alberta. She left behind her native Brazil to fulfill a dream of studying abroad.  Today, she is an academic leader in body composition research who passionately shares the benefits of protein-rich diets in the treatment of cancer. She uses social media and classic movies like The Wizard of Oz to help explain the science behind by her research. 

Want to know more about Carla Prado?

Read Carla Prado’s profile at the University of Alberta

Visit the PradoLab website where you can download the cookbook called The High Protein Cookbook for Muscle Health During Cancer Treatment

Watch the video called “The importance of nutrition to prevent and treat low muscle mass”

Learn more about Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 2019 recipients, including Carla Prado

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