With growing pressures from a rising world population, global warming, inequality in access to food and changing views on sustainability, the food we eat will undergo major changes in the future. But with food culture such an integral part of most societies, we won’t be left without options. While plant-based diets are already exceedingly popular, expect a rise in edible insects, trends towards seaweeds and algae, and of course rapidly developing lab-grown meat alternatives.
This Nutrition Month, RCIScience serves you the Future of Food. From farm, lab and space to table, join us for an exploration of the future of farming, lab-grown proteins and the role of space-based food solutions.
About the Speakers
Moderator: Renée-Claude Goulet is a passionate science communicator, with over a decade of experience interpreting the science and technology behind agriculture and food to non-expert audiences. She is the Science Advisor at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, where she applies her expertise creating educational opportunities and presentations for museum audiences, researching and reviewing content for exhibitions and programs, and writing for the Ingenium Channel. She holds a Bachelors of science in biology and a Bachelor of education in sciences, and is an Ontario Certified Teacher.
Dr. P. Ravi Selvaganapathy is a Distinguished Engineering Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at McMaster University and the Canada Research Chair laureate in Biomicrofluidics. His research interests are in microfluidic devices for environmental and medical diagnostics, drug discovery and artificial organs. He has more than 20 years of extensive experience in micromanufacturing, microfluidics and materials development which has resulted in ~150 journal publications, 70 conference publications, 35 invited talks and 8 patents. In the recent years, he has developed several biofabrication methods for cultivated meat production.
Lynn Blackwood earned a degree in Human Nutrition from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and completed a Dietetic Internship at the Health Care Corporation of St. John’s in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Lynn has worked for the last 22 years in various roles relating to food and nutrition. Food security has always been at the core of her work as well as her passion and professional interest.
Lynn is one of few Indigenous Dietitians in Canada and a Nunatsiavut beneficiary. This makes her uniquely qualified to work as the Food Security Program Manager with the Nunatsiavut Government. Lynn is a board member of Dietitians of Canada and Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research.
Dr. Thomas Graham is an Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences and holds the PhytoGro Research Chair in Controlled Environment Systems at the University of Guelph. He completed a prestigious Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and returned to the University of Guelph where he continues to develop an interdisciplinary controlled environment agriculture (CEA) research and teaching program. His research covers topics such as bioregenerative life support for human space exploration, northern and remote community food insecurity,urban agriculture, and medical crops. Thomas is also active in STEM outreach activities through programs like TomatosphereTM.