We've got it down to a fine science

[Taller, Better]

an interesting article from yesterday's Globe and Mail. The statistics may surprise a few people. All highlighting in bold was done by me. Link:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...334362&page=69


BEST-KEPT SECRET: THE CITY OF FINANCE AND ARTS HAS ANOTHER PEDIGREE

We've got it down to a fine science

By any measure - money, brains or institutions - Toronto is a powerhouse of research and innovation

ALISON MOTLUK and ANNA-KAISA WALKER

Special to The Globe and Mail

May 10, 2008

Last year, Gordon Keller relocated to Toronto from New York. He didn't come here for the ethnic restaurants or the great theatre. Rather, the pioneering stem-cell researcher was drawn by the strength of Toronto's research environment. "It's an outstanding scientific community," he says. It's not just all the money and the shiny new buildings going up, although that hasn't escaped his notice (his lab is in one of them), but, importantly, the colleagues. Other top stem-cell scientists are here too: John Dick, Janet Rossant, Freda Miller. "There's a critical mass."

These are some of the names that make Toronto just as much a city of science as a place of finance or the arts. Today, a number of research centres at universities and hospitals are throwing open their doors for Science Rendezvous, in celebration, to show the citizens what makes Toronto science central - and here are our reasons.

Money

Stand at the corner of University and College and look around you. Within a two-kilometre radius, more than a billion dollars in research money is spent every year. Dubbed the "Discovery District," the area boasts the country's biggest university and its two dozen affiliated research institutes, a half-dozen research hospitals, and about 5,000 top scientists. More than 200,000 square metres of research space has been added since 2005, with 225,000 more in the works.
Better yet, stand at the top of the CN Tower, squint outward to the fringes of the city, and you will be taking in about one-third of all the research and development conducted in the country. Every year, $3-billion to $4-billion is spent on R&D in the Greater Toronto Area.

Brains

Despite Canadian fears of a brain drain, Toronto has actually become a brain magnet. The city has been especially successful at luring Canadian bright lights back home. Take Dr. Keller, described by New York magazine as one of the top six stem-cell gurus the Big Apple couldn't bear to lose. Tough luck: Last year, he returned to Canada after 24 years to be director of Toronto's McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine.

Dr. Keller returned to become a Canada Research Chair. This federal program was launched in 2000, to attract and retain top researchers. Toronto now has 296 of them, including chemical geneticist Guri Giaever, snatched from Stanford, mathematician Stephen Kudla from the University of Maryland, infectious disease specialist Leah Cowen pinched back from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and neuroscientist Evelyn Lambe enticed home from Yale.

The city has also been successful at tempting big names from other parts of Canada. Tom Hudson, a renowned genome scientist, moved here two years ago from Montreal to head the newly established Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Biochemist Aled Edwards, who directs the Clinical Genomics Centre, relocated from McMaster University in Hamilton last year. "We felt we could more easily accomplish our science in Toronto," Dr. Edwards says. "The university and associated hospitals give the impression that anything can be done. The funding and support is incredible." He heads labs in Stockholm and Oxford as well as in Toronto and says T.O. ranks with the best.

Universities

The University of Toronto is an academic powerhouse. It publishes more scientific papers than any other North American academic institution apart from Harvard. From 2002 to 2006, U of T put out 30,935 publications to Harvard's 46,842. U of T publications are highly cited, a testimony to how groundbreaking other researchers consider them to be. Its faculty represent 23 per cent of the most highly cited researchers in the country, even though they constitute just 9 per cent of all Canadian faculty. Same with prestigious awards: U of T profs scoop up almost a quarter of the bounty.

Thirteen thousand people are employed in the sciences at the U of T. The school is peppered with advanced research institutes, from the Fields Institute (for math) to the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, and it collaborates with 10 research hospitals.

But don't overlook U of T's smaller counterparts. York University is strong in space research and Ryerson University has developed niche specialties, such as medical physics.

Medical Research

Toronto boasts the fourth-largest cluster of medical expertise in North America. With research hospitals such as the Hospital for Sick Children, Princess Margaret, Sunnybrook and Mount Sinai, Toronto is a medical-research mecca. We lead not only with discoveries and treatments, but also with ideas of how medicine ought to be done. Witness the insistence by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research that all findings be made freely available within six months of publication. Witness, also, the bold redevelopment of the old Queen Street Mental Health Centre from a "lunatic asylum" to the new Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Once a segregated, stigmatized institution, the area is being transformed into a village, complete with new streets and parks, integrated into the neighbourhood.
Meeting of Minds

Every year, tens of thousands of scientists converge in Toronto for their annual meetings. This year, our fair city will host such gatherings as the American Thoracic Society, with 13,000 attendees, the North American Spine Society, with 7,000, and the American Transplant Congress, with 4,000.

Culture

The Ontario Science Centre, with up to 1.2 million visitors a year, ranks pretty consistently as the No. 1 destination among Toronto cultural institutions. "It signifies that people in Toronto are deeply interested in science," says Lesley Lewis, chief executive officer.
Print Edition - Section Front

When the OSC first opened in 1969, it was widely acknowledged as a world leader in interactive exhibits. Over the past couple of years, having undergone a $47.6-million overhaul, it is trailblazing again. There is now more emphasis on "experiences," especially ones that foster innovative thinking.

And let's not forget the Royal Ontario Museum. In an era when creationism and "intelligent design" are increasingly the subject of worship by our neighbours to the south, the ROM launched its gorgeous new dinosaur gallery and put on a frank exhibit about Darwin, the father of evolution.

Industry

Toronto's information and communications technology sector ranks third in North America, surpassed only by San Francisco and New York. All the big names in pharmaceuticals are here too - GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly. Still, worrying that that we weren't getting enough D out of our R, the province established a Ministry of Research and Innovation in 2005. Among its stated missions: Match innovators with investors.

Commercialization of great ideas is the prime purpose of the MaRS Centre - an "innovation centre" putting good science and technology ideas in touch with money and business smarts. Individual and corporate donors kick started the idea with a combined $11-million in December, 2000. Since then, the province has anted up $54-million and the feds have added $20-million. MaRS sits at the centre of all the action, at College and University, and has invited small startups, established businesses, business support services and venture capitalists to live and work under one roof.

Jason Sharpe, Sonya Amin and Eddy Xuan had all graduated from U of T's biomedical communications program and wanted to create animation that accurately depicted biological processes. "They helped us develop a business plan," Mr. Sharpe says. For free. Their company, axs, produces animation for hospitals - as well as the imagery of parasitic larvae and bacterial infection seen in the TV show ReGenesis.

Science Rendezvous

At today's inaugural all-city event - a kind of Luminato of science - you'll get up to speed about Mars probes, the human genome and more, all for free. The University of Toronto's St. George campus is a "science carnival" with buskers and kids' experiments. There are events outside the city core at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, U of T Mississauga and York University. Scientists in Schools is holding demonstrations at four malls, including Oakville Place and Oshawa Centre.

For info on all events:

sciencerendezvous.ca.

Toronto is a hub for some undeniably cool, cutting-edge research. INVENTours takes you through the labs of the top scientists.

10:30 a.m. MaRS Centre,

101 College St.

Who doesn't love genetics, the buzzword of the 21st century? Extract DNA from a banana, witness forensics demos and view mutant fruit flies.

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Mount Sinai Hospital and St. Michael's Hospital

The Ontario College of Art & Design offers three interactive art installations - Soap Box, Sound Sculpture and Cycle Erasure.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Three locations

Chemist John Polanyi talks about his life in science; astronomer Roberto Abraham discusses the future of monster telescopes.

1 p.m. Convocation Hall,

31 King's College Circle

At the Grown-Up Science Fair, hipsters recreate science class, but better, with an exploding volcano, 1980s science movies and beer!

7:30 p.m. Victory Café,

581 Markham St.

Anna-Kaisa Walker

Special to The Globe and Mail

[Filip]

Yup.. my mom kept repeating this over and over again.. First time I actually read an article on it.

[Epi]

Hey cool they mentioned someone I worked with before in this article!

Toronto is definitely a research capital. I believe the UofT is the most cited medical school in the world by publications. Or at least that's what former dean and current UofT president Dr. David Naylor kept saying.

[yin_yang]

we should all be proud to be part of this...my academic goal is to one day be included in the cream of the crop, and i firmly believe this can happen. aim high, torontonians.

[DrT]

Yeah, the cold weather keeps people indoors pursuing intellectual activities ... just kidding.

Ontario is highly competitive on a worldwide basis, 56% of Ontarians have a post-secondary education, the highest rate of any industrialized nation. Almost half of the patents in Canada originate in Ontario. Ontario has the most competitive business costs in the G7. The Economist ranked TO 5'th in the world this year in their Livability Index. The higher loonie now means more competitive wages paid in Canada.

Competition for the "biotech" industry is intense, many cities trying to lure researchers and drug companies, etc, but once a nucleus is there, like gravity, it attracts more players.

TO is indeed one of the heavyweights in North America in research and will hopefully continue to grow.

[Taller, Better]

This will come as good news to people who think downtown Toronto is stagnating!

[Skybean]

Surprising that the Ontario Science Centre is the most visited cultural destination since it is so far north of downtown.

[DrT]

Originally Posted by Skybean

Surprising that the Ontario Science Centre is the most visited cultural destination since it is so far north of downtown.

Yes, freakin hard to get to on public transport.

[Taller, Better]

I've never even gone there, and don't even really know where it is.

[Filip]

It probably has the most visitors because it's more of a kid's destination. Lots of hands on, childish exhibits (was tons of fun last year though so I'm still a kid).

[DrT]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

I've never even gone there, and don't even really know where it is.

In the ravine at SW corner of Eglinton Av. E and Don Mills Rd.

[yin_yang]

school field trips, that's why.

[DrT]

And let's not forget the Royal Ontario Museum. In an era when creationism and "intelligent design" are increasingly the subject of worship by our neighbours to the south, the ROM launched its gorgeous new dinosaur gallery and put on a frank exhibit about Darwin, the father of evolution.

Not a subtle insult at the USA, which is well deserved.

Our legislators here in Florida just passed some crazy legislation allowing "other theories" aside from evolution to be taught in our public schools. We are turning our young people's brains into mush.

I live in a d.mn theocracy here! Very upsetting.

Bill Lets Fla. Schools Teach Evolution Alternatives
Steve Cannon
Actor Ben Stein speaks March 12 in Tallahassee in support of legislation sponsored by state Rep. Alan Hays for Florida schools to teach challenges to evolution in science classes. AP

Morning Edition, April 29, 2008 · Florida's House and Senate have passed bills that would allow — or require — teachers to present alternate theories of how life evolved. Proponents say the issue is academic freedom. But critics say the bills would introduce religion into public schools.

The Florida House legislation must now return to the Senate, which has already passed a different version of the bill.

Two other states are also looking at the issue, framed as a matter of "academic freedom." That terminology is promoted by the Discovery Institute, a group that backs the teaching of "intelligent design" in classrooms.

[Jaye101]

Originally Posted by DrT

Yes, freakin hard to get to on public transport.

One bus from Eglinton Station, Broadview Station, Kennedy Station, & Don Mills Station.

[Taller, Better]

It is almost impossible to believe that a century later, Darwin's theories are still considered "controversial". So much so that the travelling show could not go to a lot of cities from lack of sponsorship. Even here they had to rely on smaller sponsors, as the big nationals were afraid of backlash from fundamentalist groups. Spineless. In 2008 people still fret about Darwin's discoveries.


thanks for the Science Centre info, guys. I'll put it on my "to do" list for the summer!

[CANAUS]

Originally Posted by DrT

In the ravine at SW corner of Eglinton Av. E and Don Mills Rd.

Wow! You know Toronto better than its natives!

[yin_yang]

Originally Posted by Jaye101

One bus from Eglinton Station, Broadview Station, Kennedy Station, & Don Mills Station.

a really long bus ride.

[CANAUS]

There's also a bus from Coxwell station along Don Mills Rd.

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by Skybean

Surprising that the Ontario Science Centre is the most visited cultural destination since it is so far north of downtown.

I find that surprising as well.

In fact I WORK at the Ontario Science Centre in the summer and I thought our numbers were decreasing.

[taal]

Give me a f**** break ... anyone who says geting to the science center by transit is hard realy has no idea what they are talking about.

Sorry it's just I heard a similar remark on CBC radio when addressing the tourism concern brought up by that recent article.

The bus' from eglinton station come all the time... not only that from don mills the bus ride is even shorter.