When world leaders and scientists gather to discuss global challenges at the annual Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum in Kyoto, Japan this month, the University of Waterloo will be represented by Arthur Carty, executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.
When world leaders and scientists gather to discuss global challenges at the annual Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum in Kyoto, Japan this month, the University of Waterloo will be represented.
“The topics are the grand challenges of our time: energy, population, health, disease and climate change,” said Arthur Carty, executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. “I would describe it as the ‘Davos’ of science,” he said, likening the Oct. 7 to 9 forum to the World Economic Forum held every year in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
At STS Kyoto, Carty will speak about the challenges of modifying human behavior for sustainability, and is co-ordinating the Canadian delegation.
“It’s an important opportunity for Canada,” Carty said.
Based in Kyoto, the conference draws government leaders, Nobel laureates, acclaimed researchers and top university administrators. This year, Canada’s minister of state for science and technology, Gary Goodyear, will also be attending the forum.
“It’s really not so much about advances in science and technology as it is about dealing with their impacts on society,’’ Carty said.
Topics discussed at previous conferences ranged from food shortages, internet connectivity, and the global reach of infectious diseases, to water supply, the world’s aging population, and urbanization. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was among the issues on last year’s agenda.
The conference allows researchers, administrators and policy-makers to share approaches and build connections that span the globe, Carty said.
“The Waterloo connection is one that is constantly made,’’ he said. Waterloo has been represented at the STS for eight of the nine times it has taken place. The aim of the conference is to create change by inspiring governments around the world to apply the lessons learned.
“I do believe we have to take responsibility for these issues,’’ Carty said. “If we ignore them, we will be worse off in the end.”
