Falling Walls
Congratulations to Dr. Jörg Stetefeld who was a finalist in the Falling Walls of Science Breakthroughs of the Year.
The World Science Summit with the Falling Walls Conference and the Berlin Science Week are organized by the Falling Walls Foundation, a charity. Since its foundation in 2010 in Berlin, it serves as a unique international platform for pioneers in academia, industry, politics, the arts, and civil society. In commemoration of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, it focuses on the question: Which are the next walls to fall?
Over the summer, leading academic institutions nominated their Breakthroughs of the Year in 10 fields of science – from life sciences to science engagement initiatives. Jorg Stetefeld was a finalist for “Breaking the Wall of the Canadian Arctic”.
Environmental DNA is a non-invasive way to sample organisms. It’s revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring in the Canadian Arctic. The Stetefeld lab, in partnership with the Kivalliq Inuit Association, extracts eDNA from environmental samples without having to isolate the target organisms. This is helping the Inuit to monitor the environmental effects of mining and climate change in the Arctic.