Investment in fundamental research benefits us all – Winnipeg Free Press

March 1, 2018

This week, the federal government announced a major investment in fundamental research that is being enthusiastically welcomed throughout the nation’s research community. Budget 2018 includes a commitment of $3.8 billion over the next five years which will be provided via the country’s three research granting councils, as well as the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The commitment aligns with recommendations from the Fundamental Science Review Panel Report, which was released last spring.

In the big picture, this is an important step towards reclaiming Canada’s place as a global leader of research and innovation. But it also moves the needle by increasing opportunities for talented young researchers from diverse backgrounds. That’s a big deal because their discoveries impact our society. We see this regularly at the University of Winnipeg, where bright minds comes together to find solutions to complex issues.

Melissa Anderson is a fourth-year physics student, and mother of three who moved to Winnipeg from the Fox Lake Cree Nation when she was only 16 years old. In 2016, Anderson worked with UWinnipeg physics professor Dr. Jeff Martin on an ongoing experiment at TRIUMF, a world-class particle accelerator located in Vancouver. Martin and his team are chilling neutrons to an ultra-cold and more measurable state, as part of a larger goal to answer why our universe is composed of matter and not antimatter. Anderson didn’t just assist the project — she helped define it. Using a technique borrowed from one of Martin’s colleagues, she designed an electromagnet that is able to create the uniform and stable magnetic field required for the experiment’s next steps. Anderson’s design is now being prototyped, and she is pursuing more research in astrophysics, as well as graduate studies.

Read More: http://news-centre.uwinnipeg.ca/all-posts/investment-in-fundamental-research-benefits-us-all/