The Lithuanian –
Canadian Community is
alive and well

 
Ambassador Ginte Damusis with speakers at the 14 May meeting of Lithuanian Honorary Consuls in Canada and the Lithuanian Embassy Advisory Group for Promoting Scientific Cooperation between Lithuania and Canada , Toronto , Ontario.

News from the Canada : Science informs good Public Policy
The Lithuanian – Canadian Community is alive and well.  When the call came from Ambassador Ginte Damusis to attend a meeting of the Lithuanian Honorary Consuls in Canada , academics and senior public executives from the Ontario Government , over 40 participants from 5 universities in Canada , USA  and Lithuania assembled in Toronto on 14 May 2011 . The question addressed by the  distinguished panels: How public policy supports or creates barriers to science and innovation.

The Director of Sunrise Valley, Andrius Bagdonas  updated the group on Lithuanian’s science valleys. And a new Lithuanian- Canadian academic network was created under the leadership of Dr. Victor Snieckus , Queen’s University , Kingston , Ontario .  A  good start to ensure networks between our two great countries yields value for both As a consequence of the network and the efforts of Honorary Consul Paul Kuras , Dr Mindaugas Kiškis, of Mykolas Romeris University attended discussion on e-business and intellectual property rights  at  Queen’s University and requested, in view of his original studies in chemistry, to visit the Snieckus laboratories (see 031 and 035 jpgs).  More exciting news in the wings –  Second generation Lithuanian Canadian , Peter Pakalnis has set up a Lithuanian – Canadian Student Association at Queen’s University and will be recruiting interested students next week as university starts its new academic year . A third year political science student , Peter fell in love with Vilnius last summer after a first ever trip to his ancestral home.  

Networking  academics, public servants and young professional interested in building a new future for Lithuania is surely a good start !

Victor Vytautas  Pakalnis , P.Eng. , MBA , M.Eng.
Professor, Kinross Professorship in Mining & Sustainability
Queen's University ,Kingston , Ontario Canada
follow me on twitter @vpakalnis