Itâs not every day that you get to meet a world leader, let alone have the opportunity to share your passion with them.
But when Chancellor Angela Merkel made HÂț» her only other stop besides Ottawa on her first bilateral visit to Canada, she specifically requested time to sit down and meet with some of the universityâs oceans researchers â both faculty and students.
Despite the motorcade, security, and sizeable entourage, the researchers found Chancellor Merkel, who Forbes magazine recently named the worldâs most powerful woman, surprisingly down-to-earth.
âAt first I was intimidated,â said Paul Mattern, a PhD candidate in Mathematics and Statistics and Oceanography, who took part in the roundtable discussion with the Chancellor. âThere were hundreds of people [on campus] and they were closing up all the [nearby] buildings, but sheâs a very nice person. It was almost a personal communication with her.â
Chancellor Merkel has a doctorâs degree in chemistry from the University of Leipzig and is the first female Chancellor of Germany, a position sheâs held since 2005.
âShe was so approachable, it was unreal,â said Boris Worm, an assistant professor in Dalâs biology department, who facilitated the discussion. âSheâs a scientist, so she was really interested in what was being said.â
âThereâs a connection between her and science,â said Mr. Mattern. âSheâs not just a far-removed politician.â
Mr. Mattern was actually singled out for recognition during the meeting: he defended his doctoral thesis on Wednesday, and the Chancellor personally congratulated him and led the room in applause.
âThat doesnât happen every day,â said Dr. Worm. â[Mr. Mattern is] German, too, so that means quite a bit, for the head of state of your country to congratulate you personally, one day after defending your PhD thesis.â
Making connections, determining priorities
The subjects discussed included global challenges, research priorities, policy requirements, and societal implications of oceans science, and how these will be addressed through German-Canadian collaboration. Part of the Chancellorâs visit to Dal included signing a memorandum of understanding on scientific research between the Halifax Marine Research Institute and Germanyâs Helmholtz Association.
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Some of the researchers taking part in the discussion included biologists John Cullen, Sara Iverson and Julie Laroche; oceanographers Keith Thompson and Katja Fennel; Doug Wallace, the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Oceans Science and Technology; and Meinhard Doelle of the Schulich School of Lawâs Marine & Environmental Law Institute.
âShe showed interest in protected areas in the ocean,â said Dr. Worm, whose on-campus Worm Lab examines marine biodiversity. âShe addressed the question of where these would have to be, how we can make sure from a scientific perspective that weâre putting them in the right places, making them big enough, and that things can be done in a timely manner. Thatâs something else she said: âYou donât want to come back in 10 years and find youâve put a protected area in the wrong place.ââ
Moritz Schmid, a PhD candidate in Oceanography at the University of Laval who also attended the roundtable, said much of the discussion focused on communication between scientists and the government, and how researchers can better connect their work with decision makers.
âWe canât talk about things [to politicians] in scientific language,â said Mr. Schmid. âWe have to make it understandable.â
âShe gave us some hints as to how thatâs to happen,â said Dr. Worm. âShe said scientists need to talk about whatâs important from a policy perspective, to figure out what the priorities are, and how to simplify things.â
Science: A universal language
Dr. Worm is also German, as are Mr. Schmid and Franziska Bröll, a PhD candidate in Oceanography at Dal who was at the roundtable. One of the biggest issues of the evening was whether or not to use their native tongue when addressing Chancellor Merkel.
âThat was a problem,â said Mr. Schmid. âI wasnât sure whether to speak German or English. We always work in English and in the scientific field youâre more confident in English. But talking the Chancellor, I thought itâd be nice to talk German, so I talked German and it was great.â
Ms. Bröll had a similar experience: âIâve had all my education in English, so Iâm more comfortable speaking English about the work Iâm doing. But when the Chancellor came, I really wanted to speak German to her, so I did. It looked like it made her happy to see Germans in Canada who were integrated and working as scientists, and that was very reassuring.â
The event was organized in a relatively quick 10-day period. âEverybody worked together very hard, and in the end, it was seamless,â said Dr. Worm. âIt was relaxed and she said she felt very welcome, which is exactly what we wanted to do for her.â
A genuine discussion
Ms. Bröll said the Chancellor was incredibly sincere during the meeting.
âItâs good to see a state leader that takes the time to talk to scientists and actually wants to know what theyâre saying,â she said. âYou can feel a genuine interest, because she asks questions that itâs clear sheâs thought about. She understands what sheâs asking and theyâre not questions that have been scripted by someone else.â
When it came time to throw some questions back at the Chancellor, Ms. Bröll was ready. âShe said, âIâm only here once, I probably wonât be coming every week, so if you have any questions, raise your hand,â and I was the first one to do it.â
Ms. Bröll asked a question that's likely on any young scientistâs mind: âHow do I make a difference?â The Chancellorâs response?
âShe basically told us to never lose our curiosity, never despair, and always look at your own mistakes before othersâ,â said Ms. Bröll. âI thought that was really interesting."
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