December is Arctic Science Month
and today we're speaking
with Adrienne Turnbull,
Portfolio Manager
with Border Domain Awareness
at Defence Research
and Development Canada
about her work in the North
and why the Arctic is a priority
for Defence, the Government
of Canada, and Canadians.
Why is Arctic Science
month important?
Oh, Arctic, just in general,
is a very broad topic
and so, we need this ability
to present the work
that we're doing provides us
with new ways to collaborate.
There's so many
different challenges
that the Arctic gives us.
For example, there's
destructive ice that forms
in cold temperatures
on wind turbines
and prevents the generation
of renewable energy.
And they also need greenhouses
to produce fresh vegetables.
There's also value in working
with indigenous Inuit groups.
They are valuable resources
on many topics
and to improve science.
For example, we thought about
how this scientific culture,
which tends to like databases
and written results,
how does it benefit from
the northern indigenous culture
which has successfully shared
their information orally
for generations.
Can you describe
your work as it relates
to supporting Canada's
presence in the Arctic?
I work for Defence Research
and Development Canada
and I'm a Portfolio Manager
on Border Domain Awareness.
I work with planes,
satellites and ships
that track vessels
through Canadian waters,
specifically the Great Lakes
and all three oceans.
This is particularly
important in the Arctic
as ships that break down
need search and rescue.
And those ships and planes
that go to rescue
the broken-down vessels, they
need to travel long distances.
This is unforgiving,
the Arctic is unforgiving
to those that need help
as there's no coconuts
laying around
and the cold weather
can quite quickly kill.
Cruise ships are at higher risk
because they have
more passengers.
And when passengers are
safely on shore,
they are fed and sheltered
by small communities
that have most supplies
shipped from the south.
So it's definitely a risk
for the communities
that help them out.
So, my role is essentially
to improve search
and rescue capabilities
in order to find people faster
and to keep the Northern
community safe and healthy.
What other Defence science work
is being done in the area?
Defence Research
and Development Canada,
they have projects that are
useful both for the Arctic,
as well as ones
that are useful everywhere.
The All Domain Situational
Awareness program
and follow-on
that is in North America,
they'll be searching ways
to improve the tracking
of unknowns in the air
and the ocean.
I find it really interesting
that the changes in
the Arctic ice are affecting
a lot of their technologies.
In addition to mine,
the Border Domain Awareness,
the Centre
for Security Sciences,
has community
resilience projects
where they prepare
remote communities
for emergency response.
There's also the Innovation for
Defence Excellence and Security
or IDEaS program.
And they have challenges
for academia and for industry.
They have recent challenges
for human performance
in severe climate conditions,
as well as Arctic-specific
communication systems.
They're also planning
for new ones,
specifically ruggedized
wind turbines.
Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you!
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