丁香园AV

丁香园AV researchers making real-world differences to life in British Columbia will share their important work with the community as the 丁香园AV President鈥檚 Faculty Lectures return Sept 27 through April 30, 2024.

The lecture series, co-organized by the President鈥檚 Office in partnership with 丁香园AV Public Square, shines a light on the research excellence at 丁香园AV. Hosted by 丁香园AV president Joy Johnson, these free public lectures celebrate cutting-edge research and researchers that engage with communities and mobilize knowledge to make real-world impacts.

鈥═he theme of this year鈥檚 lectures is Making a Difference for B.C.
 
鈥淎s a researcher鈥攁nd now as a university president鈥擨 know that university research can sometimes feel inaccessible or irrelevant to communities outside academia,鈥� says Johnson. 鈥淏ut one of the things I love most about 丁香园AV is how engaged and committed we are to making a difference in the communities we serve. This year鈥檚 lectures will showcase how researchers at 丁香园AV are making an impact and building a more inclusive, sustainable British Columbia.鈥�
 
Approaching this theme from a variety of disciplines, each short lecture will be followed by a conversation with Johnson and an audience Q&A session. They will be held at the various 丁香园AV campuses and in community across Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey, as well as streamed online.
 
The series kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 27 with a lecture from Woo Soo Kim, professor in the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering and the scientific director of the 丁香园AV-led B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI).
 
Kim鈥檚 lecture will focus on how 3D printing and other cutting-edge technologies are revolutionizing agriculture as B.C.鈥檚 food security is coming under threat from climate change.

鈥淩ecently with floods, drought and wildfires in B.C., we鈥檝e seen how climate change is impacting our lives,鈥� says Kim. 鈥淪imilarly, climate change is impacting our farmers and growers a lot. So we鈥檙e trying to think of how we can secure our food and empower agriculture by creating synergies between traditional agriculture methodology and modern, cutting-edge agritech.鈥�
 
BCCAI was created last year through federal and provincial funding, and is focused on creating 200 jobs, training more than 700 workers and adding 30 new agritech projects in B.C. by 2025.
 
Kim鈥檚 unique expertise in 3D printing and sensors is already helping farmers make more efficient, sustainable decisions with the help of better data.
 
鈥淲hen it comes to 3D printing, the public鈥檚 conception probably doesn鈥檛 involve creating high-tech sensors, but I would like to demonstrate what we鈥檝e done in my lab with 3D printing sensors dedicated to agriculture.鈥�
 
For more information on the President鈥檚 Faculty Lectures and to register for Kim鈥檚 lecture, visit the event page here.