Fisheries and aquaculture. Wildlife management and agriculture. Bird migration and airports. The pine beetle infestation. These are just some of the issues biologist Laura Kennedy has tackled. It reads like the resume of someone who has spent a lifetime working in the field and yet Laura is just starting her career. She’s not just a researcher, collecting samples and analyzing them in a lab: Laura’s hands-on and works to apply her research through innovative projects and cutting-edge companies. Today, Laura is the Technical Director at Northern Divine Aquafarms, one of the first closed-containment salmon farms in Canada. We sat down with Laura to better understand why biodiversity should matter to each of us – and the role of scientific innovation in tackling the challenges we’re facing.
What do you think?
- Should scientists be allowed to have opinions? Everyone else in society has them, so why a different set of rules for those in one profession?
- By voicing their opinions, does it colour scientific research, rendering it less meaningful?
- How can important science research be communicated and applied without having some people dismiss it as biased?
- Are we to blame for politicizing science?
More on Laura
Recommended TED Talk: How I fell in love with a fish
Favourite Book: Ender’s Game
Favourite Documentary: Notes in Spanish
Favourite Program: Girls in Science