A meeting of firsts for the Government Chief Scientific Adviser and her counterparts from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
Professor Dame Angela McLean visited Ottawa to meet her counterparts from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in what was the first face-to-face meeting of the Chief Scientific Advisers (CSAs) of the five nations. This is also the first time all five CSAs were women.
Left to right: Chief Scientific Advisers of Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, United States and New Zealand. Credit: Mélanie Provencher
The Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) Professor Dame Angela McLean visited Ottawa to meet her counterparts from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and speak at an event on emerging technologies.
In what was the first face-to-face meeting of the Chief Scientific Advisers (CSAs) of the five nations, with all five CSAs being female (another first), they discussed science advice in emergencies, engineering biology, AI research and more. Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, joined the group for one of its discussions.
The public event, titled “Emerging Technologies: Shaping Tomorrow Together”, saw the Chief Scientific Advisers take part in a panel discussion in front of students, educators, the Canadian CSA’s Youth Council, policymakers and members of the diplomatic community.
During the visit, the GCSA also discussed biodiversity and engineering biology with officials from the Office of the Canadian Chief Scientific Adviser, the Office of Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Readiness, and the National Research Council of Canada.