Dear Connect2Canada Friends,

When signing up to Connect2Canada, you indicated an interest in science and technology. We thought you would be interested in the following science and technology news from Canada.

Regards,
The Connect2Canada Team

	The Smart Fortwo (Coupe), one of the winners of the 2008 ecoENERGY Award for .

Canada Boosts Auto Research Funding: New Technology to Help Auto Industry Meet Consumer Demands
On Monday, June 2nd, the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, announced funding for 54 Canadian research projects exploring a wide range of advanced technologies to make future automobiles more efficient, safe and environmentally friendly. The Government of Canada is investing $9.5 million over two years for these projects through the Networks of Centres of Excellence Program. An additional $10.5 million is being provided by 240 private and public sector organizations, including automakers, parts suppliers and materials companies. As a result of this investment, more than 300 researchers at 43 universities will conduct research and development that will keep Canada at the forefront of innovation in the automotive industry.
http://www.ic.gc.ca/

University of Waterloo Places Fourth in Vehicle-Building Competition
A team of 11 students from the University of Waterloo (UW) came in fourth place among 17 teams in a contest sponsored by General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy to create a fuel efficient, safe, and high-performance vehicle. ChallengeX, the four-year competition series, began in 2004-2005 with 17 university teams from across North America - including one Canadian participant. The University of Waterloo was the only team to use hydrogen fuel cells to power its vehicle. Receiving top honours the first year for its modeling and simulation of its hydrogen fuel cell system, the team of UW students has made significant technological advances in implementing the most challenging technology among the competing university teams.
http://www.challengex.org/pdfs/2008_cx_winner_release.pdf
Listen to a podcast from ChallengeX.

Canadian Environment Awards Announces Winners for 2008
On Monday, June 2nd, the Canadian Environment Awards hosted a gala at Toronto 's Liberty Grand to recognize the 2008 winners of its annual celebration of environmental achievement. One of Canadian Environment Week's major events, the Canadian Environment Awards celebrates the commitment of Canadians who are helping to protect, preserve and restore the country's environment. Gold and silver community awards were given out in many different categories related to environmental issues, including climate change, conservation and sustainable living. Representatives from local, provincial and federal governments were on hand to congratulate the winners. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2008/02/c7527.html

	Using block polymers, Dr. Buriak and her colleagues have created straight, circular and other patterns of nanowires.

Researchers at NRC and the University of Alberta Create New Generation of “Nanowires”
Researchers at the National Research Council of Canada and the University of Alberta have cleared a major hurdle facing the nanotechnology revolution by producing tiny, nano-sized wires on silicon chips. Dr. Jillian Buriak leads the materials and interfacial chemistry group that achieved this feat, which solves the problem of integrating chip-technology with nano-electric components and paves the way for the development of nano-sensors with medical or environmental applications. Nanotechnology is the application of science and engineering at the atomic scale. It facilitates the construction of new materials and devices through the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules – the building blocks of nature.
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/highlights/2008/0806wires_e.html

Illustration of the Phoenix lander, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Arizona

Canadian Weather Station Helps Determine Potential Life on Mars
Canada's most important instrument on Mars is working perfectly on its first trial, shining a pencil-thin laser beam 20 kilometres up to measure the thick, swirling dust in the atmosphere. Canada furnished the $37-million mini-weather station aboard NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander, and Thursday, May 29th was the final day in the first phase of unwrapping all the gear, setting it to work, and making sure it can send home data. The Phoenix Lander aims to prove that water sources exist on Mars: not only is water crucial for any future manned missions, but such a discovery on the surface of Mars could indicate Martian life.
About the Canadian weather station's first trial:
http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/exploration/phoenix.asp
About the Mars Phoenix Lander:
http://www.innovationcanada.ca/en/articles/alien-forecast

New Aerospace Company Lands in Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island ’s aerospace industry is expanding with the establishment of the new aerospace company Action Aero, which focuses on regional aircraft, helicopter engine accessory repair and overhaul market. Action Aero, based in Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island, will soon begin operations. Action Aero is in the process of hiring employees and expects to create up to “1,200 jobs in aerospace by 2010,” says the Honourable Richard Brown, PEI ’s Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning. Aerospace is becoming one of PEI ’s largest industries, accounting for 25% of the province’s international exports and $287 million worth of annual sales.
http://www.acoa.gc.ca/e/media/press/press.shtml?4139

Government of Canada Opens Up Wireless Industry to More Competition
On Tuesday, May 27 th, the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, announced the opening of the bidding process for the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum auction. This auction follows a commitment made by this government to enable more competition in the wireless market. A total of 105 megahertz ( MHz) of radio spectrum will be open for bidding, which includes 40 MHz of AWS spectrum for new entrants and another 65  MHz of spectrum for all bidders. This is all part of an effort “to achieve lower prices, better service and more choice for consumers and business," said Minister Prentice.

About the Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) auction:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/
The Honourable Jim Prentice’s speech about the AWS auction:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/ic1.nsf/en/02006e.html
Round by round results of the AWS auction:
http://agora.ic.gc.ca/AuctionGCLF_BTS/mainmenu.cfm

	The Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Ontario

The Campbell Family Gives Record Support to Princess Margaret Hospital to Create The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute
Canada's leading cancer research centre announced on June 3rd that a long-term gift of $37.5 million from the Campbell family will be recognized through the creation of The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute (CFCRI) at Princess Margaret Hospital. The Campbell family's support over the course of their association with Princess Margaret Hospital now totals $67.5 million, representing the largest cumulative private gift to cancer research in Canada. The creation of The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute enables OCI to advance research into targeting discoveries to develop potential cures for many kinds cancer.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2008/03/c7680.html 

Supporting Science Education from Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Ontario
Science and technology are the basis of Ontario’s innovation-driven economy. To help inspire the next generation of innovators and leaders, Premier Dalton McGuinty government is investing $5 million to support science education from kindergarten to the senior years of high school. The provincial investment is divided between Let’s Talk Science ($1.5 million) and the Youth Science Foundation of Canada ($3.5 million). These organizations will work with other youth science groups specifically to support science and technology curricula in Aboriginal communities and enable youth to participate in science and technology competitions both at home and abroad.
http://www.mri.gov.on.ca/english/news/SciTech052208.asp