Waving the flag for Canadian Research
Waterloo partners in national campaign to raise the profile of Canadian research
Waterloo partners in national campaign to raise the profile of Canadian research
By Staff Marketing and Strategic CommunicationsResearch underway at Canadian universities today will change the way we live tomorrow.
Research2Reality, a new social media and television campaign by six of Canada’s top research institutions — including the University of Waterloo — aims to bring high-impact university research to the living rooms and laptops of millions of Canadians.
“Right now many Canadians don’t understand the scope of cutting-edge work being done in our backyards,” says Research2Reality co-founder and award-winning professor Molly Shoichet. “This initiative will bridge that gap between researchers and the public.”
The campaign, which will grow to include six public service announcements airing on the Discovery and Discovery Science channels, looks at the ways Canadian research impacts issues that matter deeply to Canadians, including health, technology, natural resources and sustainable energy.
Raymond Laflamme, director of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing, shines a light on the remarkable potential of quantum information science and quantum devices in one of the first-to-air public service announcements.
Philippe Van Cappellen, Canada Excellence Research Chair in ecohydrology, is profiled in another, focused water research as a key to our future health.
In addition to the television spots, which began airing on May 11, the campaign features interviews with more than 50 Canadian researchers discussing the long-term potential of their work — including nine from the University of Waterloo. The interviews videos will be rolled out in stages over the coming months, supported by a Canada-wide social media campaign.
Founded by Molly Shoichet, Professor of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering at the University of Toronto, and Mike MacMillan, founder and producer of Lithium Studios Productions, Research2Reality’s founding partners include University of Waterloo, University of Alberta, the University of British Columbia, McMaster University, the University of Toronto and Western University — along with the Ontario Government and Discovery Networks. Discovery Science is the official media partner.
Waterloo researcher participating in Research2Reality:
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The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.