It鈥檚 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 Dalhousie 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 university鈥檚 oceans researchers 鈥� both faculty and students.
Despite the motorcade, security, and sizeable entourage, the researchers found Chancellor Merkel, who Forbes magazine recently named the world鈥檚 most powerful woman, surprisingly down-to-earth.
鈥淎t first I was intimidated,鈥� said Paul Mattern, a PhD candidate in Mathematics and Statistics and Oceanography, who took part in the roundtable discussion with the Chancellor. 鈥淭here were hundreds of people [on campus] and they were closing up all the [nearby] buildings, but she鈥檚 a very nice person. It was almost a personal communication with her.鈥�
Chancellor Merkel has a doctor鈥檚 degree in chemistry from the University of Leipzig and is the first female Chancellor of Germany, a position she鈥檚 held since 2005.
鈥淪he was so approachable, it was unreal,鈥� said Boris Worm, an assistant professor in Dal鈥檚 biology department, who facilitated the discussion. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a scientist, so she was really interested in what was being said.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a connection between her and science,鈥� said Mr. Mattern. 鈥淪he鈥檚 not just a far-removed politician.鈥�
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.
鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 happen every day,鈥� said Dr. Worm. 鈥淸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.鈥�
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 Chancellor鈥檚 visit to Dal included signing a memorandum of understanding on scientific research between the Halifax Marine Research Institute and Germany鈥檚 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 Law鈥檚 Marine & Environmental Law Institute.
鈥淪he showed interest in protected areas in the ocean,鈥� said Dr. Worm, whose on-campus Worm Lab examines marine biodiversity. 鈥淪he addressed the question of where these would have to be, how we can make sure from a scientific perspective that we鈥檙e putting them in the right places, making them big enough, and that things can be done in a timely manner. That鈥檚 something else she said: 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 want to come back in 10 years and find you鈥檝e put a protected area in the wrong place.鈥欌��
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.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 talk about things [to politicians] in scientific language,鈥� said Mr. Schmid. 鈥淲e have to make it understandable.鈥�
鈥淪he gave us some hints as to how that鈥檚 to happen,鈥� said Dr. Worm. 鈥淪he said scientists need to talk about what鈥檚 important from a policy perspective, to figure out what the priorities are, and how to simplify things.鈥�
Science: A universal language
Dr. Worm is also German, as are Mr. Schmid and Franziska Br枚ll, 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.
鈥淭hat was a problem,鈥� said Mr. Schmid. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 sure whether to speak German or English. We always work in English and in the scientific field you鈥檙e more confident in English. But talking the Chancellor, I thought it鈥檇 be nice to talk German, so I talked German and it was great.鈥�
Ms. Br枚ll had a similar experience: 鈥淚鈥檝e had all my education in English, so I鈥檓 more comfortable speaking English about the work I鈥檓 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.鈥�
The event was organized in a relatively quick 10-day period. 鈥淓verybody worked together very hard, and in the end, it was seamless,鈥� said Dr. Worm. 鈥淚t was relaxed and she said she felt very welcome, which is exactly what we wanted to do for her.鈥�
A genuine discussion
Ms. Br枚ll said the Chancellor was incredibly sincere during the meeting.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good to see a state leader that takes the time to talk to scientists and actually wants to know what they鈥檙e saying,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou can feel a genuine interest, because she asks questions that it鈥檚 clear she鈥檚 thought about. She understands what she鈥檚 asking and they鈥檙e not questions that have been scripted by someone else.鈥�
When it came time to throw some questions back at the Chancellor, Ms. Br枚ll was ready. 鈥淪he said, 鈥業鈥檓 only here once, I probably won鈥檛 be coming every week, so if you have any questions, raise your hand,鈥� and I was the first one to do it.鈥�
Ms. Br枚ll asked a question that's likely on any young scientist鈥檚 mind: 鈥淗ow do I make a difference?鈥� The Chancellor鈥檚 response?
鈥淪he basically told us to never lose our curiosity, never despair, and always look at your own mistakes before others鈥�,鈥� said Ms. Br枚ll. 鈥淚 thought that was really interesting."
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