In the Ontario vineyard of 2030, we’ll sip wines that were once the domain of far-away, exotic locations. Big business will set environmental and social policies. And consumers will choose how their energy is generated.
These are some of the visions of the future that Ontarians can hear about at Life in 2030: Discuss the Future With Those Who are Creating It, a free public forum on April 16 where the audience can interact with visionary researchers from three Ontario universities.
The free event is part of Research Matters, a province-wide series of panel discussions where a range of leading Canadian experts examine how research affects our lives, now and in the future.
Hosted by Brock University in collaboration with Western University and University of Windsor, it takes place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Trius Winery, 1249 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Debbie Inglis, Director of Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), will share the stage with Western University’s Timal Bansal and Rupp Carriveau from the University of Windsor, who brings perspectives of their research in corporate social responsibility and in energy delivery.
The panelists will explore possible future trends as they look through the crystal ball of their current research. After their formal presentations, audience members are encouraged to ask questions and discuss emerging challenges and opportunities.
The event will also be live tweeted (@Ontario Research), and those following online can participate in the discussion using the hashtag #Life2030.
“The impact of university research extends well beyond our classrooms and laboratories,” says Gary Libben, Vice-President Research, Brock University.
“Research is a dynamic partnership among researchers, communities and the world. The sharing of ideas and information generates innovative solutions and creates tremendous possibilities beyond the confines of any one institution.”
The event is moderated by John Storm, host of Cogeco’s Taking Niagara by Storm. Speakers are the researchers:
* Tima Bansal, professor, Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Business Sustainability; “The lines between business, society, and government will blur”
* Rupp Carriveau, associate professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Windsor; “Consumers will choose how their energy is generated”
* Debbie Inglis, director, Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), Brock University; “Climate change will move Ontario wineries toward great new styles and flavours of wine”
“I see things becoming a lot more distributed,” says University of Windsor engineer Rupp Carriveau. “The traditional, centralized power distribution that we’re all used to will slowly change to a point where it’s recognizably common, in 2030, to see new communities sprouting up with their own micro-grids.”
The Research Matters series is a collaboration among Ontario’s 21 universities to find new ways to tell stories about how research is changing the way Ontarians live, work and play. Earlier Research Matters events have played to full houses in Kitchener-Waterloo, Sudbury and Oshawa. The next event in the series takes place in Toronto on May 9.
Through the Research Matters campaign, Brock is working with other Ontario universities share the ideas and issues emerging from their leading-edge laboratories and classrooms, and to highlight the ways this work affects everyday life, now and in the future.
