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Transcript of CIFAR Reach Magazine Spring 2010
NEXT BIG QUESTION
S P R I N G 2 0 1 0
M A G A Z I N E
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E C A N A D I A N I N S T I T U T E F O R A D V A N C E D R E S E A R C H
CIFAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS2009/2010
Richard W. Ivey (Chairman, CIFAR)
Chairman, Ivest Properties Limited
Toronto
Chaviva M. HošekPresident & CEO
CIFAR
Toronto
David Dodge(Vice-Chair)
Former Governor
Bank of Canada
Ottawa
Bruce H. Mitchell(Vice-Chair)
President and CEO
Permian Industries Limited
Toronto
Peter J.G. BentleyDirector & Chair Emeritus
Canfor Corporation
Vancouver
David ChoiPresident and CEO
Royal Pacific Realty
Vancouver
Evan V. ChrapkoCEO
The Growing Power Group of LPs
Edmonton
Anthony F. ComperImmediate Past President & CEO
BMO Financial Group
Toronto
Bruno DucharmeChairman
TIW Capital Partners
London, U.K.
Pierre Y. DucrosPresident
P. Ducros & Associates
Montreal
George A. FierhellerPresident
Four Halls Inc.
Toronto
Pierre FortinDepartment of Economics
Université du Québec à Montréal
Montreal
Anthony R. GrahamPresident
Wittington Investments, Ltd.
Toronto
Maxine Granovsky-GluskinTrustee
Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky-Gluskin
Charitable Foundation
Toronto
Gilles G. OuellettePresident & CEO, Private Client Group
and Deputy Chairman
BMO Nesbitt Burns
Toronto
Martha C. PiperChair of Board of Trustees
National Institute for
Nanotechnology
Edmonton
Gerard J. ProttiExecutive Advisor
Cenovus Energy
Calgary
Hugo F. SonnenscheinPresident Emeritus &
Distinguished Professor
University of Chicago
Chicago
Barbara StymiestGroup Head of Strategy, Treasury
and Corporate Services
RBC Financial Group
Toronto
Carole TaylorSr. Advisor
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Vancouver
Ilse TreurnichtPresident and CEO
MaRS Discovery District
Toronto
SPRING 2010VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research supports the
work of hundreds of researchers across Canada and around the
world. Currently, CIFAR supports 12 major multidisciplinary
programs. Those programs are:
Cosmology and Gravity
Earth System Evolution
Nanoelectronics
Quantum Information Processing
Quantum Materials
Experience-based Brain and Biological Development
Genetic Networks
Integrated Microbial Biodiversity
Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception
Institutions, Organizations and Growth
Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being
Successful Societies
P U B L I S H E R :
Chaviva M. Hošek
E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F :
Patchen Barss
E D I T O R I A L A D V I S O R S :
Penelope Codding, Elizabeth Gerrits,
Chaviva M. Hošek, Kara Palleschi, Sue Schenk,
Mel Silverman, Pekka K. Sinervo, Kara Spence
C O N T R I B U T O R S :
Alison Palmer, Adam Stewart,
Sofia Ramirez, Stephanie Crispino
D E S I G N :
ID8 Design Group
P R I N T I N G :
Sunville Printco
T R A N S L A T I O N :
Geneviève Beaulnes
Reach is a magazine for supporters, researchers, volunteers and
friends of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and anyone
else with curiosity and imagination. Published twice per year, Reach
celebrates advanced research and explores the issues, opinions and
ideas emerging from this work. We invite all comments or inquiries
concerning the content of Reach and/or the work of CIFAR.
Reach, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
180 Dundas Street West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1Z8
Phone: 416-971-4251 Fax: 416-971-6169
Email: [email protected]
Website: cifar.ca
3 Ask questions first, vote later BY CHAVIVA M. HOŠEK
4 What is the next big question?
5 Schedule of events
6 What is the fate of the universe?
7 What does the future hold for our planet?
8 Why is destiny not in our genes?
9 Where can quantum computing carry us?
10 How do microbes rule the world?
11 How can political institutions best promote peace and prosperity?
12 What does your genome say about who you are?
13 Can we build a brain?
14 Can we sustain the information revolution?
15 What makes a society resilient?
16 Can we create superconductors that work at room temperature?
17 What makes a great leader?
18 CIFAR Annual Donors
20 Event Sponsors
01
02
TELUS is proud to be partnering with the
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
in the search of the Next BIG Question.
To learn more about why TELUS was named
the most outstanding philanthropic company
in the world visit telus.com/community
We are a BIG supporter.
© 2010 TELUS. TELUS, the TELUS logo and the future is friendly are trademarks of TELUS Corporation, used under licence. 10_00122
Great-WestÊLifeÊandÊtheÊkeyÊdesignÊareÊtrademarksÊofÊTheÊGreat-WestÊLifeÊAssuranceÊCompany.ÊLondonÊLifeÊandÊdesignÊareÊtrademarksÊofÊLondonÊLifeÊInsuranceÊCompany.ʪCanadaÊLifeÊandÊdesignÊareÊtrademarksÊofÊTheÊCanadaÊLifeÊAssuranceÊCompany.ʪÊisÊaÊtrademarkÊofÊTheÊGreat-WestÊLifeÊAssuranceÊCompany.
Together.
Our community. Our future.
Proud to support CIFAR’s Next Big Question Series.
CIFAR researchers can spend anywhere from
five to 25 years working together to pursue the
answer to a single question. They collaborate
in teams ranging from 15 to 40 researchers
drawn from across Canada and around the
world. Each team member brings to the table
the ideas, expertise and insights they have
developed through their individual careers.
Together, these teams create knowledge of
such ambitious complexity that the effects
of their work are felt for generations.
This magazine contains persuasive cases
for the merits of 12 questions that CIFAR
researchers are working to answer. Each
event in the Next Big Question series will
address three of these questions. I hope that
you will take the time to consider them all,
and to vote – at the events or on CIFAR’s
microsite, www.cifarNBQ.ca.
I imagine it can be daunting to settle on
a single Next Big Question – any one of
these questions is worth many lifetimes of
exploration, so how can you choose just one?
I have great confidence, though, that our
readers and audience members will bring their
own experiences, ideas and insights to bear on
their decision, and that the results of our polls
will provide thoughtful, interesting results.
Please don’t stop there. The real point
of the voting is not to reach a conclusion,
but to begin a conversation. The big
questions change over time. CIFAR is
always seeking out new research areas that
are interdisciplinary, collaborative, risky
and aimed at creating knowledge with the
potential to change how we understand
our world.
I sincerely hope that you will join us on
this journey. By donating to the organization,
and by participating in our events and
reading our publications, you can be a part
of a community that is always exploring not
just the Next Big Question, but the one after
that and the one after that.
Chaviva M. HošekPresident and CEO
and Lawson Family Foundation Fellow
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Ask questions first, vote laterThen, keep asking questions
CIFAR researchers
can spend anywhere
from five to 25 years
working together to
pursue the answer
to a single question.
They collaborate in
teams ranging from
15 to 40 researchers
drawn from across
Canada and around
the world.
03
What is the NEXT BIG QUESTION?Welcome to a special edition of Reach magazine,
the flagship publication of the Canadian Institute
for Advanced Research. The issue you hold in your
hands is the companion piece for a fun and thought-
provoking competition called the Next Big Question.
The Next Big Question is a series of debates taking
place in each of seven Canadian cities.
There are 12 questions in the competition, each
taken from one of CIFAR’s twelve research
programs. At each event, three CIFAR researchers
will make the case for why their area of exploration
is most worthy of the title “The Next Big Question.”
The audience will have a chance to ask questions
and join in the debate. The evening culminates in
a vote, which determines the winner among those
three questions.
Want to vote for a question that is not being
presented in your city? Not a problem. You can read
the pitch for all 12 questions in this magazine or on
the Web. Visit us at www.cifarNBQ.ca to get more
information, to debate and discuss all the questions,
and to vote in our online poll. We’ll announce the
results of the online voting at the final event, and
also report back on all the winners in a future
edition of Reach.
SCH
ED
ULE
OF
EV
EN
TS Halifax
April 20, 2010
Allan MacDonald Can we create superconductors that work at
room temperature?
Steve Scherer What does your genome say about who you are?
Marla Sokolowski Why is destiny not in our genes?
Moderator: Costas Halavrezos
Ottawa April 27, 2010
Jerry Mitrovica What does the future hold for our planet?
Ray Laflamme Where can quantum computing carry us?
Michèle Lamont What makes a society resilient?
Moderator: Kathleen Petty
Vancouver May 10, 2010
Don Eigler
Can we sustain the Information Revolution?
Julio Navarro What is the fate of the Universe?
Jim Fearon How can political institutions best promote
peace and prosperity?
Moderator: Rick Cluff
Edmonton May 12, 2010
Barry Sanders
Where can quantum computing carry us?
John Archibald How do microbes rule the world?
Tim Besley
How can political institutions best promote
peace and prosperity?
Moderator: Paul Kennedy
Calgary May 13, 2010
Alex Haslam
What makes a great leader?
Tom Boyce Why is destiny not in our genes?
Alessandro Forte What does the future hold for our planet?
Moderator: Paul Kennedy
Montreal May 25, 2010
Gèrard Bouchard What makes a society resilient?
Roland Benabou How can political institutions best
promote peace and prosperity?
Hugh Wilson Can we build a brain?
Moderator: Paul Kennedy
Toronto June 10, 2010
TBD What does the future hold for our planet?
Louis Taillefer Can we create superconductors that work
at room temperature?
Brenda Andrews What does your genome say about who
you are?
Moderator: Paul Kennedy
CIFAR thanks all the CBC Radio One personalities who have joined us to moderate these events.
05
www.cifarNBQ.ca
WHAT IS THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE?
Is there any question bigger than what the
fate of the Universe might be? Every other
question you can ask just refers to small parts
of this one. The fate of the Universe involves
questions about the nature of matter and
energy, speculation about whether the laws
of physics could be anything other than what
they are, theories about parallel Universes,
and a quest to understand the very nature
of existence. To understand the fate of the
Universe, one must understand the forces
of nature – physics and chemistry are just
the start. What is the nature of gravity, that
strange force that causes every object in the
Universe to be attracted to every other? How
can space and time, which seem relentlessly
absolute, be warped and altered?
This biggest of questions also involves
studying the smallest of particles, for the
fate of the Universe is also tied up with the
forces that hold atomic nuclei together, and
the nature of electromagnetic radiation
that carries heat and light to us from the
sun. Everything we are familiar with, and
everything we wish to understand is tied
up with the nature – and therefore the fate
– of the Universe.
We don’t find anything depressing about
pondering the ultimate fate of the Universe –
far from it. The same way that understanding
the cycles of night and day, the seasons, the
phases of the moon, the spinning of galaxies,
and the birth and death of stars motivated
past generations of scientists, today we draw
inspiration from the awesome fact that we,
human beings – tiny creatures (on a universal
scale) on a small planet in the outer edges of
an ordinary galaxy – have developed the tools
needed to observe the universe and to gain
some understanding of its breadth, its depth,
its history and its future.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“What is the fate of the Universe?”
is the Next Big Question because it
evokes the awe-inspiring journey
of our intellect toward the ultimate
frontier of knowledge.
THE PITCH:
06
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR OUR PLANET?
At least for the foreseeable future, this
planet is the only home we’ve got. It would
be useful to know, then, whether it will
continue to be habitable.
Sometimes contemplating the future just
means wondering whether it will snow
tomorrow, or whether it will be a hot
summer this year. We can think bigger,
though. What will the climate be like a
hundred years from now, or a thousand or
a million? Will the greenhouse gases in our
atmosphere ever reach an upper limit and
start to diminish? Will our planet ultimately
end up like the super-heated surface of
Venus, or like the frozen wasteland of Mars,
or will it continue to move up and down
within a range of temperatures that are
hospitable to life as we know it?
We can think even bigger: climate is just
one aspect of the evolving system that is
the planet Earth. Will the plate tectonics
that cause earthquakes and volcanoes ever
decrease in activity? As Earth’s human
population continues to grow, how can urban
centres in areas of high risk – flood zones or
fault lines – cope with or plan for the natural
hazards they will inevitably face. How would
it change things if the great oceanic currents
were radically altered? Will there be mass
extinctions in the future as there have been
in the past? And most important, how do
air and earth and water affect one another
to shape the Earth’s evolution? What is the
relationship between changes in the Earth’s
upper atmosphere and its inner core?
The real magnitude of this question comes
from considering the entire planet as a single
system. Modeling any component of this
system is challenging enough. Put them all
together, and the task becomes much more
onerous. Yet, without exploring this question
to its fullest, we would inevitably miss key
pieces of the puzzle. This question is big in
its complexity, and even bigger in its urgency
for we human beings who contemplate it.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“What does the future hold for our
planet?” is the Next Big Question
because the Earth is our only option
for the human race, and nothing is
more important than knowing what
is happening to our home.
THE PITCH:
07
WHY IS DESTINY NOT IN OUR GENES?
Recent advances in gene sequencing
technology tempt us to look at our bodies
in a radically different, more genetic way.
Though the scientific value of these advances
is clear, the success of genomics may create
a false impression – that our genes are the
weavers of our fate, the sole determinants
of our destiny. There is much about your
personal future, though, that a genome scan
will never tell.
One thing genomics does not touch is the
important role that early life experiences
play in physical health and development.
These experiences set a trajectory for health
and development by changing the neural,
endocrine and immunological systems that
sustain human life.
One of the mechanisms by which these
changes occur is “epigenetics.” Epigenetics
is a relatively new field of research that
studies how environmental factors affect
the way genes behave. It allows us to search
the entire human genome for the effects
of socioeconomic status, for example,
opening doors to understanding how social
environments influence children’s health
and well-being. Early research results show
that children raised in less affluent settings
have highly distinctive patterns of gene
activation compared to children raised in
more affluent settings. In other words, two
people with identical DNA can have very
different health outcomes because varying
environmental factors can turn different
genes on and off in each individual.
Adults who were raised in low socioeconomic
circumstances show distinct epigenetic patterns.
A study of such individuals revealed that
certain genes that regulate the stress hormone
cortisol were less active and others that are
associated with inflammation were more active.
The childhood stress of being poor actually
shaped how these genes were expressed, even
if the person’s situation improved later in life.
This result helps to explain how adverse early
experiences can lead to a lifelong increase in
the risk of certain chronic diseases.
Thanks to advances in genomics, epigenetics
and neuroimaging, combined with new non-
invasive techniques for measuring physiological
changes, studies like these are constantly
emerging from the world of advanced research.
As these advances transform the way we view
health and development, they reveal new and
powerful ways to improve human health and
well-being. The ultimate result is the creation
of healthier and happier societies.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“Why is destiny not in our genes?”
is the Next Big Question because it
creates an unprecedented opportunity
to ensure that future generations are
healthy and well-prepared to answer
the biggest questions of their time.
THE PITCH:
08
09
WHERE CAN QUANTUM COMPUTING CARRY US?
A computer is essentially a tool for storing,
retrieving and processing information.
But what happens in a world where
“information” means something other than
what we normally understand it to be?
Quantum physics deals with just such a
world – subatomic particles like photons,
electrons, quarks and gluons don’t behave
the same way as human-scale objects like
baseballs, lightswitches, hammers and wires.
In the normal world, an object is either in
one place or another. A statement is either
true or false. A switch is either on or off.
Ascertaining the state of such objects is what
we would call “gathering information.”
In the quantum world, though, something
can be here, there or both here and there. A
switch can be on, off or both on and off. It’s
a concept called “superposition” and it’s one
of many entirely counterintuitive aspects of
the quantum world.
It makes it challenging to build a computer
out of these strange particles that behave
so differently from anything in the regular
world. But if we can make sufficiently
complex machines out of these particles, we
can use them to process information in ways
that are literally unimaginable – quantum
computers can meaningfully process kinds
of information that human being would find
paradoxical and impossible to reason with.
There are some very tangible, practical
applications for quantum computing –
things like creating unbreakable computer
encryptions, and for creating complex
scientific models, including those of the
subatomic world. Even more important
though, quantum computers provide a way
for us to step into another world and gain
access to a whole new kind of knowledge.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“Where can quantum computing
carry us?” is the Next Big Question
because it will revolutionize our
fundamental understanding of what
information is.
THE PITCH:
HOW DO MICROBES RULE THE WORLD?
Without microbes, we would not be asking
any big questions because there would be
no “us.” Microbes created our breathable
atmosphere. They make the Earth’s soil
fertile. They drive oceanic life cycles and
extract megatonnes of greenhouse gases
out of the atmosphere every year. The vast
majority of biodiversity on this planet exists at
the microbial level.
And that’s just the beginning. More than 90
percent of the cells in a human body are not
human at all – they are microbes. Each person
has between five and 10 kilograms of bacteria,
viruses and other microbes living inside and
on them – microbes that help us metabolize
food, microbes that keep us healthy, and of
course some microbes that can make us very
sick. Some researchers go so far as to argue
that there is really no such thing as a “human
being” – that we are each a human-microbe
symbiosis, with neither partner capable of
surviving without the other.
Microbes make life possible in so many
ways, and yet we know so little about
them. For normal practical purposes,
microbes are invisible, even though they
are everywhere around and within us.
And even when we do study them in the
field or in our laboratories, they are not
life as we know it – the way they trade
genetic material and evolve and mutate
is different from anything observable in
macroscopic organisms.
There are very practical reasons why
it is so important to understand how
our existence depends on the microbial
world – microbes can be used in disease
prevention, industrial processes,
environmental remediation and ecosystem
management, and for many other
pragmatic purposes. Even more important
though, is that microbes provide a whole
new way to understand the essence and
the evolution of life on this planet.
At this moment, new technological
advances, and new areas of research such as
metagenomics are empowering scientists to
attain a new and deep understanding of the
hitherto inaccessible lives of microbes. Not
only is this question big, but this is the right
time to answer it.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“How do microbes rule the world?”
is the Next Big Question because
microbes are essential for our survival,
and because we now have the capacity
to understand and harness them better
than ever before.
THE PITCH:
10
HOW CAN POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS BEST PROMOTE PEACE AND PROSPERITY?
Governing for peace and prosperity
presents colossal policy challenges: More
than one third of our world’s citizens
currently live in poverty. About 26 countries
currently have civil wars ongoing, with
many more suffering from nearly constant
low-level political violence.
To rise to these challenges and foster
peaceful and prosperous populations,
nations must create institutions that allow
all social groups to participate in and benefit
from the economy. They must ensure that
political leaders are accountable for policy
outcomes, both beneficial and detrimental.
Political and economic institutions– the
formal and informal “rules of the game” for
political and economic decision making in a
society – have a large impact on a country’s
ability to innovate, meet new challenges
and generate wealth. By allocating power
and resources, they shape incentives
not only through their formal and legal
provisions, but also through norms, habits
and expectations. Formal provisions also
require enforcement, which may or may not
occur depending in part on the nature of a
society’s informal institutions.
Though the link between political
institutions and prosperity is clear, the
relationship is complex: Institutions
that foster prosperity in one culture,
geographical location, or historical period
may be detrimental in another. Moreover, we
have little understanding of how to promote
the development of better institutions in
states that don’t have them.
We know that countries that started out
on similar footing often followed different
developmental paths. We also know that
the vestigial effects of slavery and colonial
institutions can strongly influence a nation’s
successes and failures many generations
later. We know many of the correlates of
economic growth and civil war, but not as
much about he causes and how these can
be shaped or determined by political and
economic institutions.
Sometimes the answers to this question
lie deep in the past. Often the answers are
far from straightforward. But the more
we learn about the ways that political
institutions, peace and prosperity influence
one another, the closer we become to
ensuring a higher standard of living for
all of the world’s citizens.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“How can political institutions best
promote peace and prosperity?”
is the Next Big Question because
conflict and poverty will persist
until we can answer it.
THE PITCH:
11
12
WHAT DOES YOUR GENOME SAY ABOUT WHO YOU ARE?
It can be daunting to spend too much time
thinking about your DNA. How much is
tied up in those tiny double helixes that
reside in the nuclei of each human cell?
We know there are genes that determine
eye, hair and skin colour. But what about
predisposition to diseases? Intelligence?
Athleticism? Artistic talent? Personality?
We know that genes don’t tell us everything
about who we are, but they do say a lot. In
fact, we are in the midst of an explosion of
new genetic information. Researchers are
identifying the functions of more and more
genes, gaining a better understanding of
what goes wrong, and getting closer to being
able to read a human genome as thoroughly
as you are reading this page.
One of the most explosive new areas of
DNA research is “genetic networks.” In
many cases, it’s not a single gene that has
something to say about who we are, but
a group of genes expressing themselves
together. A disease with a genetic
component, for example, may be the result
of dozens or even hundreds of genes
working – or failing to work – together.
Studying genetic networks is exponentially
more complex than analyzing a single
gene – it’s only in the past decade that we
have developed the science and technology
that allows us to create complex genetic
interaction maps, and to start to get a
sense of what they tell us about who we
are. Genetic networks are starting to give
up their secrets now – and the information
they contain will have a huge impact on
medicine, science and our understanding
of our own true nature.
Our genes could tell you not only what
diseases you are prone to, but also how
you personally can best take preventative
measures, and if you do get sick, what
treatments will be most effective for your
individual genetic make-up. The more we
learn about genomics, the clearer it becomes
that hidden in your genome are major factors
that help make you who you are.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“What does your genome say
about who you are?” is the Next
Big Question because the more
we know about our genome, the
more we know about ourselves.
THE PITCH:
CAN WE BUILD A BRAIN?
Every person reading this is the proud
owner of the most advanced, powerful
computer on the planet – the human brain.
Computer makers can tout the processing
power of their most advanced chips, but
even the best computer hardware can be
easily outperformed in pattern recognition
by children and adults. If we could build
an artificial system that could think and
process patterns like a brain, it would
forever change the way we think, both
about computers and about brains.
What does it mean that a child can
outperform a supercomputer? Obviously
computers are much better at some tasks
– doing complex mathematical operations,
for example. But some jobs are better
performed by children – any child, for
instance, can look at a picture they have
never seen before, and correctly assess
that it is an image of a dog. Even today’s
best computers running the latest
algorithms struggle to do this kind of
task quickly and reliably.
That’s just the start. Our brains give us
amazing capacity to interact with and
learn about the world around us. They
are unsurpassed at pattern recognition,
categorization and error correction.
Computers can’t come close to matching the
human brain’s ability to assimilate sensory
information – sights, sounds, smells, tastes,
feelings – and turn it into a coherent, useful,
meaningful model of the world.
Computers don’t come close, but they do
come much closer than they used to. A
confluence of technological, theoretical and
experimental advances mean that we are
nearer than ever to developing a “learning
algorithm” that will effectively allow us to
create an artificial brain that has the same
capacity to understand its environment as a
human being.
The technological implications are vast:
everything from better Internet search
engines to improved airport security. Even
more awe-inspiring, though, is that the
building of a brain will elucidate the nature
of human thought itself. Answering this will
demystify the wonders of the brain – the
astonishing capabilities that effectively make
human beings what they are.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“Can we build a brain?” is the Next Big
Question because it will not only drive
major technological advances, but also
push us to understand the true nature
of ourselves.
THE PITCH:
13
CAN WE SUSTAIN THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION?
Computer processors double in power about
every two years – this phenomenon is known
as Moore’s law. How does this happen?
Increased power comes from making
smaller and smaller switches, so that more
and more of them can be crammed onto a
computer chip. More switches means more
processing power. Moore’s law has been the
underpinning principle that has led to the
information revolution of the past 40 years.
There is a problem, though: there is a limit
to how small a conventional switch can be.
Scientists expect to hit that limit sometime in
the next decade. What happens then?
We think the answer lies in nanoelectronics,
which involves building devices measured
in nanometers (which are one billionth of
a meter). Effectively, this means building
computers one atom at a time, which
presents a whole set of engineering
challenges that are vastly different from
typical microchip production.
The laws of quantum physics start to come
into play, presenting major challenges both
for production and for the functionality of
the devices. Nevertheless, nanoelectronics
have already proven practicable, and this
field is the most promising way of ensuring
that Moore’s law – and the information
revolution – continue to progress.
From climatology to genetics, and from
economics to cosmology, research scientists
perpetually seek more powerful computers
in order to do more sophisticated modeling
and calculations. Because nanoelectronics
holds the key to ensuring the continued
advancement of so many other areas of
research, we need to answer this particular
question first.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“Can we sustain the information
revolution?” is the Next Big Question
because it allows us to answer so
many other big questions.
THE PITCH:
14
15
WHAT MAKES A SOCIETY RESILIENT?
The human body can suffer incredible
injury and somehow recover. Fortunately,
we understand many of the mechanisms at
work here. What about societies? They too
can be laid low, and be damaged in ways that
beggar comprehension. Poverty, corruption,
inequity, social turmoil, economic crisis
are only the beginning. Societies can be
wounded by flood or hurricane, devastated
by earthquake or landslide, crippled by
war, famine or oppression. And yet in
many cases, like living organisms, societies
find the strength to rise again. Prosperity
and enfranchisement replace scarcity and
alienation. Old wounds heal, and sometimes
not only do societies get back to normal,
but living conditions may improve in
various ways.
Sadly, not every society proves this robust.
Like the human body, societies can surprise
us as much with their fragility as with their
recuperative capacity. Why, though, are some
societies more resilient and more creative
than others? If we can find the answer to
this question, it could help us mitigate the
suffering of millions of people all over the
world whose societies have experienced one
form of hardship or another.
Another important reason why this question
matters so much is because we believe it is
answerable. The vagaries of history, geography,
personality and culture that shape any given
society – its highs and its lows – may seem
mysterious or impossibly complex, but
we believe that, to a large extent, they are
knowable. There are real truths, for instance
about why life expectancy plummeted in
Russia after the fall of Communism, but not
in the Czech Republic. There are reasons
why Canada weathered the recent economic
meltdown better than many other countries.
There are better and worse ways that Haiti
can respond to the earthquake that struck
there on January 12.
It is our conviction that a lot can be learned
about what makes a society resilient. And
we can use that knowledge to empower
ourselves to better respond to the injuries
and setbacks that any society might one
day suffer. Culture, and more specifically
collective imaginaries, are one of the many
factors that we seek to investigate as a source
of resilience – or lack thereof.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“What makes a society resilient?”
is the Next Big Question because
it addresses some of the greatest
difficulties faced by humanity,
and can help point the way toward
alleviating the suffering of millions
of people.
THE PITCH:
CAN WE CREATE SUPERCONDUCTORS THAT WORK AT ROOM TEMPERATURE?
Superconducting materials have a number
of fascinating and potentially highly useful
properties, including the power to conduct
electricity without resistance and the
capacity to create powerful magnetic fields.
Superconductors exhibit a “coherent” form
of electricity, much as a laser exhibits a
coherent form of light. These properties hold
enormous technological implications – for
power transmission, levitating high-speed
trains, magnetic medical imaging, wireless
communications and quantum computing.
But there is a problem: Superconductors
only work at very low temperatures. Some
materials need to be cooled to just a few
degrees above absolute zero – about -250°C –
in order to exhibit superconductivity. Others,
known as “high-temperature superconductors”
only need to be cooled to a balmy -140°C. Both
types of superconductors require cumbersome
cooling systems that are expensive and
impractical for many applications.
We are on the cusp of unlocking the secrets
behind what causes high-temperature
superconductivity. In the past three years,
CIFAR researchers have published a
series of landmark papers that have taken
us very close to putting this decades-old
mystery to rest. And once the nature of
this phenomenon is laid bare, we can then
turn our full attention to finding ways
to raise the upper temperature limit of
superconductivity.
Consider some of the possible applications
of room-temperature superconductors:
Inexpensive, portable MRI scanners; fast,
cheap magnetically levitating train systems;
power grids that lose no electricity during
transmission. Superconductors are already
used for these types of applications, but
their high cost makes widespread
implementation unpractical. Not only
would room-temperature superconductors
revolutionize these known uses, but they
would also open the door to countless new
applications that couldn’t be contemplated
with current technology.
Consider the laser once more: when it
was invented in the 1950s, the laser was
a “solution without a problem” – very
interesting scientifically, but without
immediately apparent practical application.
Today, lasers are employed for everything
from microchip production to eye surgery,
and from scientific research to stadium light
shows. Room-temperature superconductors
would be even more revolutionary, reshaping
consumer electronics, city infrastructure,
and the world of research itself.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“Can we create superconductors
that work at room temperature?” is
the Next Big Question because we
are getting close to answering it in
ways that could make huge changes
to both advanced research, and to
everyday life.
THE PITCH:
16
WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER?
There’s an old school of thought that says
the course of human history is charted by
“great men:” Heads of church and state,
generals and business magnates whose
individual qualities of vision, courage and
charisma (not to mention rage, hatred and
greed) are so powerful that they shape the
fate of nations and economies.
This school of thought is gravely and
dangerously misguided. We say “dangerously”
because it is predicated on some major
misimpressions about the nature of great
leadership. We need a smarter, better answer
to the question of what makes a great leader,
and we need it quickly. In a world where
politics, economics, business and activism are
all more global, complex and interconnected
than ever before, good leaders and good
leadership have never mattered more.
There are some obvious problems with
the “great men” theory, not least that
it suggests that men are better leaders
than women. There is still a strong and
erroneous association in many people’s
minds between female leaders and
failed businesses, projects and political
movements. We have found that the
correlation exists, but the causality goes
in the other direction: women are more
likely to be put in charge of organizations
that are already in trouble. We call this
“The Glass Cliff.”
There are subtler but equally important
misconceptions about what makes a great
leader, having to do with identity. The traditional
models are built around an “I-based” model of
identity, where the individual’s personality is
so strong that others cleave to the leader out
of sheer inspiration and loyalty. The truth is,
though, that the most effective leaders draw on
a “we-based” collective identity – followers see
their leader as “one of us.” It is group identity,
not a single person, that makes or breaks the
leader. In fact, to really understand what makes
an effective leader, we also have to understand
what makes a dedicated follower.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“What makes a great leader?” is the
Next Big Question because a better
understanding of leadership is key
to dealing with every major political,
environmental and economic crisis in
the world today.
THE PITCH:
17
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CIFAR ANNUAL DONORS(Donations received between July 1, 2008 and March 2, 2010)
V I S I O N A R I E S ’ C I R C L E($100,000 +)
$5 millionGovernment of Canada
$2 millionGovernment of Ontario
Government of British Columbia
$600,000Government of Alberta
$500,000Government of Quebec
$200,000 - $499,999The Lawson Foundation
RBC
$100,000 - $199,999Auld Cedar Charitable Trust
Arthur J.E. Child Foundation
Manulife Financial
The T.R. Meighen Family Foundation
R. Howard Webster Foundation
BMO Financial Group
(1 anonymous donor)
D I S C O V E R E R S ’ C I R C L E($50,000 - $99,999)The Harold Crabtree Foundation
George A. Fierheller
Flair Foundation
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life
Jerry and Geraldine Heffernan
Ivey Foundation
Richard W. and Donna Ivey
The Henry White Kinnear Foundation
The Koerner Foundation
The George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation
Bruce H. Mitchell
Power Corporation of Canada
George Weston Ltd.
Young Family Fund at the Hamilton
Community Foundation
Rothmans, Benson, and Hedges Inc.
(1 anonymous donor)
E X P L O R E R S ’ C I R C L E($25,000 - $49,999)Peter Bentley
The John Dobson Foundation
Bruno Ducharme
John and Gay Evans
Margaret and Jim Fleck
Hydro One
Margaret and Wallace McCain
Scotiabank
W. Garfield Weston Foundation
B U I L D E R S ’ C I R C L E($10,000 - $24,999)James C. Baillie
The Bealight Foundation
The Liz and Tony Comper Foundation
Purdy Crawford and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt
N. Murray and Heather Edwards
Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky-Gluskin
Anthony R.M. Graham
Richard M. Ivey
Sheryl and David Kerr
McLean Foundation
Gilles and Julia Ouellette
Petro-Canada
Roger Phillips
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Charles Sirois
Allan R. and Shirley I. Taylor
The Wilson Foundation
Alfred G. Wirth
B E N E F A C T O R S ’ C I R C L E($5,000 - $9,999)Bill Blundell
David Choi
Evan V Chrapko
David A. Dodge
Pierre Ducros
Derek and Adrienne Fisher
Richard and Nancy Hamm
Charles Hantho and Eileen Mercier
John F. and Judith I. Helliwell
Chaviva M. Hošek
Syd Jackson
Robin Korthals
Robert and Cheryl McEwen
Peter Nicholson
Richard Rooney and Laura Dinner
Rose Family Fund at the Toronto
Community Foundation
William and Meredith Saunderson
Arthur R. Sawchuk
Barbara Stymiest
Lawrence & Judith Tanenbaum Family
Charitable Foundation
Carole Taylor
Ilse Treurnicht
Trottier Family Foundation
(2 anonymous donors)
D E V E L O P E R S ’ C I R C L E($2,500 - $4,999)Stuart Butts
Will Falk and Kate Fillion
Ralph and Roz Halbert
Richard F. Haskayne
The Kololian Foundation
John C. Madden
The Mauro Family Fund
(1 anonymous donor)
P A T R O N S ’ C I R C L E($1,000 - $2,499)Aubrey Baillie
Mona H. Bandeen, C.M.
Lawrence S. Bloomberg
Beverley Brennan
Bruce and Mary Ann Burton
Howard Bussey
Philippe Casgrain
Minu and Raj Chandaria
Larry D. Clarke
Ronald L. Cliff
John A. Cook
Donner Canadian Foundation
Stephen J. Donovan
William Downe
Rob Dowsett and Anne Folger
James C. Duffield
John T. Ferguson
Galin Foundation
Harold Giles
Heather Gordon
Douglas and Ruth Grant
H. Donald Guthrie
Sabrina Hasham and Gulzar Raisa Charania
Geoffrey Hinton and Jacqueline Ford
Suzanne Ivey Cook
Knowledge Impact Strategies Consulting Ltd.
Lorraine and Claude Lamoureux
Spencer Lanthier
David Laprise
Michael Mackenzie
Sandy Auld MacTaggart
Paul S. and Martha McLean
Carol Mitchell and Richard Venn
John and Maggie Mitchell
Jerry Mitrovica
Nancy’s Very Own Foundation
Kara Palleschi
David and Anne Patterson
Gail Regan
Huntington Sheldon
Irving and Dorothy Shoichet
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P A T R O N S ’ C I R C L E C O N T I N U E DMel Silverman
Pekka and Pat Sinervo
Kara M. Spence
Douglas Steiner
Sunville Printco
Jane M. Wilson
Fei and Milton Wong
(2 anonymous donors)
S U P P O R T E R S ’ C I R C L E($500 - $999)Michael Adams
William Buyers
Paul Cantor
CIGI
Geoffrey Clarkson
Connell Limited Partnership
Sydney & Florence Cooper Foundation
Anne and Stefan Dupré
Elizabeth Gerrits and Gordon Evans
Dr. Reva Gerstein, C.C., O.Ont
Germaine Gibara
F. David A. Hartwick
Nancy and Frank Iacobucci
David H. Laidley, FCA
Ruixing Liang
Bruce Miyashita
Josh Pekarsky
Jean Pelletier
Martha C. Piper
Hugo F. Sonnenschein
Marnie A. Spears
Bette Stephenson
Doug Todgham
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
The William and Nancy Turner Foundation
University of Victoria
Susan Waterfield
Hugh R. Wilson and Frances Wilkinson
(3 anonymous donors)
F R I E N D S ’ C I R C L E($100 - $499)Susan Abbott
Carla and John Adams
David J.R. Angell
Jonathan Arac
Patricia Baird
Karen Baker-MacGrotty
Patchen Barss
Harry Baumann
The Hon. Mauril Bélanger, M.P.
Dennis Bennie
Bruce Burnett
Gwen Burrows
Reta Burrows
Wendy M. Cecil
Samantha Charlesworth
George Connell
Marcel Côte
James Coutts
Ian Currie & Associates
C. William Daniel
Ana D’Avila
Marie Day
Mauricio Drelichman
Simon Dupéré
Brenda Eaton
Lesley Evans
Brian E. Felske
Sheldon and Norma Finkelstein
Pat and James Fitzpatrick
Jack Frankel
Peter R. Frise
Thérèse Gaudry
Peter George
Joseph Glaister
Dr. David Goldbloom and
Ms. Nancy Epstein
Rose Goldstein
Mary P. Gordon
Michael W. Gray
David and Annette Grier
B. Heinrich
Elhanan Helpman
Russell Hiscock
Nancy Howe
Sally-Anne Hrica
David L. Johnston
Victoria Kaspi
George Kirczenow
Carol Kirsh
Eva Kushner
Jack Laidlaw
F R I E N D S ’ C I R C L E C O N T I N U E D The Hon. Marc Lalonde
Scott and Sara Lamb
Margaret Lefebvre
Dean R. Levitt
Bill and Janet L’Heureux
John Macaulay
Shawn J. Marshall
May Maskow
Jennifer Mauro
Donald McQ Shaver
Simon Miles
Elizabeth Mulholland
Jatin Nathwani
Roger Parkinson
Margaret Phillips
Michel Pioro-Ladrière
Sylvia Pivko
Mark Reed
Donald S. Rickerd
Harry G. Rogers
André Saumier
T. Ann Smiley
Adam Stewart
Jason Stewart
Kim Sturgess
Ann Swidler
Louis Taillefer
Telemission Information Inc.
Claudia Terrigno
Michèle Thibodeau-Deguire
André-Marie Tremblay
Ed Waitzer and Smadar Peretz
Allan Alexander Warrack
Anne C. Wettlaufer
Annita Wilson
Diane Wilson
Elizabeth A. Wilson
Rose Wolfe
James A. Woods & Assoc. Inc.
Yosef Wosk
Hugh Wright
Adam Zimmerman
Dorothy Zolf McDonald
(6 anonymous donors)
CIFAR also thanks Maple Leaf Foods for
its support.
If you have any questions about this listing,
or if your recognition wishes have changed,
please contact Adam Stewart at 416-971-4878 or
20
U N I V E R S I T Y P A R T N E R S
M E D I A P A R T N E R S
E V E N T S P O N S O R S
Listen. Debate. Vote.
Donate.The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research needs the support of people like you to help us
keep asking Big Questions.
CIFAR program members never know where their research will take them. Their questions
require explorations of the smallest atoms and the farthest galaxies. The research they do is
interdisciplinary, collaborative, risky and aimed at creating knowledge with the potential to
change how we understand our world.
You can join them on their journey by making a tax-deductible donation at
www.cifar.ca/donate
cifarNBQ.caCanadian Institute for Advanced Research
180 Dundas Street West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8
T 416.971.4251 F 416.971.6169