Manitoba High School Students Explore the Future of Science

The University of Manitoba hosted its second annual SET Day, assembling over 100 students and teachers from across the province to learn about the future of research.

SET Day - Science, Engineering and Technology Day - is the only event of its kind in Manitoba and 30 high schools participated.  The day featured presentations by leading researchers in six fields: high-energy astrophysics, physiology, wireless communications, plant science, robotics and civionics.

Researchers that presented during the day-long event were:

Peter Cattini, physiology, who outlined how our explanding knowledge of gene regulation may one day allow us to trick immune systems into accepting donor organs in a presentation titled, Text "T" for Treatment.

Jane Froese, plant science, who speculated that future meals will consist of genetically modified organisms produced in farms adept in multi-cropping or companion cropping in her presentation titled, What's for Supper ?!? .

Chad Klowak, civil engineering, who spoke about how structural health monitoring allows engineers to gather rich sources of data by embedding sensors into capital projects in his presentation titled, Getting Bridges to Talk.

Samar Safi-Harb, physics and astronomy, Canada Research Chair in Supernova Astrophysics, addressed how supernova and the gaseous remnants they leave behind are essential to life, in her presentation titled, Space: The Final Frontier.

Nariman Sepehri, mechanical and manufacturing engineering, outlined how future robots will be smaller, softer to the touch, and able to shape-shift in a presentation titled, Robotics: Now and in the Future.

Lotfollah Shafai, electrical and computer engineering, Canada Research Chair in Applied Electromagnetics, outlined the research on antennas and wireless communications in a presentation titled, Signaling the Future.

Click here for information on SET Day 2009.