Better healthcare, disease prevention and securing the food supply are just some of the important contributions biotechnology has made to the Canadian economy. Each year, Canada celebrates the innovation and creativity of Canadian bioscience researchers and entrepreneurs during National Biotechnology Week, occurring this year September 26th to October 3rd. The Government of Saskatchewan and cities of Saskatoon and Regina have issued official proclamations to support Biotech Week.
Ag-West Bio Inc. coordinates National Biotech Week activities in Saskatchewan, with a committee from Saskatchewan’s bioscience organizations.
Dr. Wilf Keller, Ag-West Bio President
and CEO, notes that the high standard of living we enjoy in Canada is thanks in part to biotechnology. “An abundance of nutritious food, vaccines and other medicines, agriculture systems that use fewer and safer pesticides than in the past, cleaner fuels, biodegradable plastics and other environmentally friendly products—all this is because of science.”
Events happening in Saskatchewan:
– Saturday, September 27 & Sunday, September 28:
- Create a Dinosaur– Saskatchewan Science Centre, Regina
– Monday, September 29: #FoodMyths TweetChat
– Monday, September 29 to October 3: Canadian Light Source Synchrotron Tours
– Tuesday, September 30:
- Women in Bioscience – panel discussion, networking event
- Science Café in Saskatoon at Winston’s Pub, Saskatoon. Speaker: Scott Napper
– Wednesday, October 1: Science Café – Biotechnologies – Saskatchewan Science Centre, Regina
- Speakers: Janice Tranberg and Reno Pontarollo
– Thursday, October 2:
- Amazing Biotech Race at Innovation Place, Saskatoon
- Biotech and Beer at Boffins – industry networking event
For more information about National Biotech Week in Saskatchewan, please visit: www.agwest.sk.ca/kaizen/NBW2014/NBW2014.html. For information about events across Canada, visit www.imagenenation.ca.
Quick facts:
– Biotechnology is “the use of biological processes, organisms, or systems to manufacture products intended to improve the quality of human life.”
– Saskatchewan hosts much of Canada’s agricultural biotechnology activity, with many other areas developing, such as genomics, plant-made pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.
– Modern biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduce our environmental footprint, and help secure a sustainable food supply, natural resource management, providing cleaner energy and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes.
Download a PDF of this article here.