THUNDER BAY - From first looking up at the stars, to engineering the first space craft, to searching for exoplanets in the galaxy, all scientific inquiry starts with inquisitive and creative minds.
Governor General and former astronaut, Julie Payette, shared her journey of watching the moon landings as a child to venturing into outer space to open the 15th Annual Research and Innovation Week at Lakehead University.
And Payette’s words fit in well with this year’s theme of celebrating Our Creative Minds, said vice president of research and innovation, Andrew Dean.
“Without that creativity, we never would have thought about the possibilities other planets being there, or us not being the centre of the universe,” he said. “That’s really where research starts, is with creativity.”
“That’s where research starts. It starts with our minds, what are we thinking about, and what questions we want to answer. Much of the research that happens at university is really discovery research. Things you need the time to think about in all different ways. When I think of creativity, I think of all different aspects of university life and research. It’s not just performance or music or humanities. It’s everything that our minds go together.”
Research and Innovation Week will include numerous events, including the Festival of Ideas at Intercity Shopping Centre, an Indigenous fashion show, interactive displays, the Northern Ignite breakfast, researcher talks and discussions, and Tim Caulfield speaking about the health in the era of celebrity and social media.
“The vast majority of things are open to the public,” Dean said. “It’s our opportunity to really show what kind of research and innovation happens at Lakehead University and really be proud of it and celebrate it.”
Dean added that having Payette participate in the opening ceremonies was very special and her talk was very inspirational.
“But I think it showed how research and innovation is going to be key and critical to the development of our world, but also how we understand our relationships with each other, and also possible explanations to other spaces. I found it really inspiring,” he said.
“I think it also really highlights the importance of research and innovation and gives a rallying cry. It says Lakehead is a very significant player in research and innovation and we want people to know about that.”
For a complete schedule of events visit the Research and Innovation Week website.
