Each fall, the bioscience community in Saskatchewan celebrates with events geared towards industry networking as well as public outreach. Fun and information are delivered in equal portions during the week, with events like Biotech & Beer, Trivia Night and DNA Weekend.
The Government of Saskatchewan and the cities of Regina and Saskatoon have proclaimed Sept. 24 to 30 as Global Biotech Week. Ag-West Bio, Saskatchewan’s bioscience industry association, coordinates events throughout the week with the help of a local organizing committee.
Wilf Keller, Ag-West Bio president and CEO, says technology is advancing rapidly in this area. “It is more important than ever to keep people informed about the advancements in science. Biotechnology is a huge benefit to society, from insulin and other medicines to nutritious, affordable food. The public should also appreciate that biotechnology helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the amount of land needed to produce our food.”
Biotechnology provides products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduces our environmental footprint, and helps secure a sustainable food supply and natural resource management, providing cleaner energy and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes.
- Global Biotech Week kicks off on Sept. 24 at Innovation Place with the Saskatchewan Taste of Innovation lunch, prepared with interesting and delicious made-in-Saskatchewan food ingredients. The audience will be treated to the unveiling of #ScientistsArePeopleToo videos, featuring Saskatchewan scientists. A tour of bioscience companies at Innovation Place will follow.
- A special Café Scientifique “The “sci” in “sci-fi”: The factual basis for gruesome fictional aliens and other predatory horrors of the insect world” will be presented by entomologist Tyler Wist from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on Sept. 25, downstairs at Winston's Pub.
- On Sept. 26, the movie “Food Evolution” will be showing at the Saskatchewan Science Centre Kramer IMAX theatre in Regina, with two screenings: 11:00 am and 7:00 pm.
- On Sept. 27, 80 high school and Saskatchewan Polytechnic students will join forces to participate in the Amazing Biotech Race at Innovation Place, where teams will move from one checkpoint to the next, competing in “lab challenges,” answering skill testing questions, and gathering clues until they complete the race.
- Join us for Trivia Night at Winston’s Pub at 7:30 pm on Sept. 27. The event is free, and everyone is welcome.
- The Canadian Light Source is offering extra tours on Sept. 24, 26 and 28, at 2:30 and 7:00 pm.
- An industry networking event, Biotech & Beer, will be held at Innovation Place on Sept. 28.
- And last, but not least, DNA Weekend at the Saskatchewan Science Centre in Regina invites families to “Save the Banana” at 2:00 pm each day on Sept. 29 and 30.
For a full list of Saskatchewan events, please click here.
Download a PDF of this article here.