I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to say goodbye to the people I have met here at the forum. I have to be honest, I came here slightly skeptical and worried I would feel like an outsider. I am so happy to be proven wrong. The friends I made at the forum are dear to my heart. I seriously appreciated the maturity, intelligence and kindness I have experienced here at LIYSF. I have to say that if there were more people like those whom I have met at the forum this year, the world would be a better place. Meeting the young people here concerned with issues such as combating climate change, solving world hunger, looking towards long-distance space travel and finding sustainable energy sources gives me so much hope that the world we are moving into will be a positive place capable of change and cooperation.
The theme of the science forum this year was “Science; making life better”. The issues that we face as a planet are some of which we have never seen before. It is my belief it will take all of us coming together as a global community, innovating and cooperating to truly make this world better. With the minds and personalities I have met over the past few weeks I have no doubt that this monumental undertaking may actually be within our reach.
This forum has been the best opportunity for sharing opinions and ideas. It has highlighted for me the importance of cooperation and knowledge sharing. Having the opportunity to come to the forum and watch a global network of young people be formed makes me so excited to see what the future brings for those who have participated in this years forum. Undoubtedly, we will soon see dozens of names from LIYSF 2017 contributing in high impact journals and changing the world for the better.
We had the opportunity today at the participants forum to debate some important scientific issues, including the ownership debate concerning personal vs. institutional ownership of research and government funding of research. Despite the exhaustion, some important points were made, and it is clear that these issues are not so simple as to say a solution lies on one side or another. We also had the opportunity to hear from a Canadian speaker, Dr. Eric Yeatman, who talked about computers and the future of human technology. I look forward to what we come up with next, as it seems the possibilities are nearly endless.
Saying goodbye to the forum and all the people in it was hard. I have had such an amazing time and truly loved meeting people from around the world. I don’t know if it will be my name in the journals one day, but I am looking forward to seeing whose name will be.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at the forum for filling it with such amazing speakers and creating such a positive environment. Thank you to UFV for funding Perrin and I to come here and experience the forum. Thank you to those that helped me get here and were alright with me coming to London; Trenton, mom and dad and the moral support of my friends. Thank you to Steve and Allan, who were invaluable in helping me through the application process and in completing my research. And thank you to everyone for reading 😊 I know I am not the most artistic writer, I am a science student after all, but I appreciate the support of everyone and would like to thank you for putting up with the science and the sarcasm.
Looking forward to telling everyone more about it when I get home!
Thanks, T.