“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
– Frederick Banting
Nobel Laureate Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin with Charles Best, says something that we must embrace as Canadian Scientists. In this issue of IMMpress we have lots to be proud of as Canadian Scientists. We punch above our weight class (and above our funding levels!) when it comes to scientific achievement in Canada.
But we have work to do. Here is a short list based on articles in this issue:
- We need to cultivate a culture of innovation –anchor companies in Canada are needed.
- We need leadership at all levels of science – for example Dr. JC Zuniga-Pflucker’s example as Chair.
- We need to know who we are – our roots as Canadian Scientists are not only derived from stellar academics (Drs. Tak Mak, Till, McCulloch, Steinman), but we can also be inspired by holistic approaches used by indigenous peoples.
Perhaps the secret sauce for creating our future can be found in the “Inter-generational Richness” that was on full display at the Department of Immunology 40th anniversary (I’m quoting Dr. Jayne Danska who introduced some of our speakers). On that day, we looked both backwards through the generations of scientists who built our community, and forwards to those who are creating a new era of Immunology. If you were not lucky enough to attend the reunion, you can read about it in this issue. It was a fantastic day – one for the history books. And while I write this, in a few weeks we will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the T cell Receptor by Drs. Tak Mak and Mark Davis.
Back to Banting’s thoughts on the future, here’s some fun facts about his own history:
- He initially struggled with academic success
- He and Charles Best discovered insulin “by accident”.
- He was an artist and an aviation enthusiast who designed “The Banting-Brown Free-Fall Parachute”
- He sold the patent for insulin for $1 to the University of Toronto.
In short, Banting was Human, Curious, Creative, Adventurous and Generous – key ingredients that make up the Canadian Immunologist and ingredients I see in our students, post-docs, staff, faculty and alumni.
The future for Canadian Immunology is bright.
Jennifer Gommerman
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