In a groundbreaking report released this morning by the Canadian Council of Academies, Canada's six world-leading fields of research were identified. Not only did "physics and astronomy" rank among the top 6, but the subfield of "particle and nuclear physics" was recognized as one of the key drivers for Canada's strength.
Read the full report at the the Council's website.
The Council says about the report, "An authoritative, evidence-based assessment of the state of science and technology in Canada has found that Canadian science and technology is healthy and growing in both output and impact. Over the past five years, real improvements have occurred in the magnitude and quality of Canadian science and technology."
The report found that the six research fields in which Canada excels are: clinical medicine, historical studies, information and communication technologies (ICT), physics and astronomy, psychology and cognitive sciences, and visual and performing arts. With less than 0.5 per cent of the world's population, Canada produces 4.1 per cent of the world's research papers and nearly 5 per cent of the world's most frequently cited papers.
TRIUMF director Nigel S. Lockyer commented, "Without question, Canada has great research universities and great research institutions. The findings of this report are, in that sense, not surprising. I know my peers are extremely talented!"
Lockyer went on to say, "Speaking as a physicist and a student of public policy, the acknowledgment of Canada's physics & astronomy accomplishments in terms of quality publications is also not surprising. SNO distinguished itself by solving the solar-neutrino problem and SNOLAB is now hunting for dark matter. The Perimeter Institute is pursuing the deepest questions in theoretical physics with the world's greatest scientists such as Stephen Hawking. And TRIUMF helped Canada play its role in finding the Higgs boson at CERN and is a leader in using accelerators to advance isotopes for science and medicine."
In reference to the observation that Canadian physics ranks slightly higher in peer-reviewed scientific journals than in surveys of top scientists around the world, Lockyer said, "When I look at the report carefully, I see the usual lag time between accomplishment --– and recognition. Canada is producing the quality research in physics and astronomy (and even particle and nuclear physics), and it will take more hard work and investment to maintain our relative position and be recognized for it by leaders around the world."
The report is entitled, "The State of Science and Technology in Canada, 2012," and provides a thorough analysis of the scientific disciplines and technological applications where Canada excels in a global context. In 2010, Industry Canada via the Minister of Industry, asked the Council of Canadian Academies to assess the state of science and technology in Canada and to consider all fields in which research is conducted. As such, the Council assembled an 18-member expert panel from Canada and around the world to conduct this in-depth assessment. In particular, the panel focused on research performed in the higher education sector, as well as in the not-for-profit and government sectors.
Congratulations to the Canadian research community!
-- by T.I. Meyer, TRIUMF's Head of Strategic Planning & Communication
[Images courtesy of Canadian Council of Academies]