Christine McKenna Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) has released the results of their Imagining Canada’s Future initiative, which includes six future challenge areas likely to emerge as Canada moves through the next few decades in an evolving global context. Following a cross-Canada consultation period launched in 2011, the six challenges were designated as areas in which SSHRC believes it can and should make a difference with help from the Canadian social sciences and humanities research community. Visit their new web page for details on each of the six future challenges, and be sure to check out their short video about the outlook for Canada’s future. SSHRC will also be hosting two panel sessions on October 15th at the World Social Science Forum in Montreal, Quebec. More information on the panels is available here and here.

The 2013-2014 Big Thinking season will kick off on October 3 with Richard Hawkins, professor at the University of Calgary and Fellow of the Institute for Science Society and Policy at the University of Ottawa. “Whither innovation? Moving beyond the buzzword” will see Hawkins address the current innovation policies in Canada, and how these are at odds with what we know about innovation and what policy measures can promote it. This Big Thinking breakfast lecture will not be held on Parliament Hill, and instead will take place at HUB Ottawa. Registration is officially open – and it’s free!

The Power of the Arts National Forum is quickly approaching, and the Federation’s President Antonia Maioni will be providing a keynote address on the last day of the conference. The Forum seeks to bring national attention to the importance of the arts as tools for social change, and will see over 200 representatives from widely varying fields meet to discuss how quality of life in our society can be improved through the arts. Co-hosted by the Michaëlle Jean Foundation and Carleton University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the event will take place at Carleton University from September 27-29. Click here to view the program schedule.