Federal Partners in Technology Transfer
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ARCHIVED - 1970s
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1970
Laser Power... Dr. A. Jacques Beaulieu and a Defence research team invent the TEA Co-2 laser, which enables the construction of high-power gas lasers.
1970
Double-Dipped Seaweed... Government labs help develop improved methods of growing and harvesting Atlantic Canada's Irish Moss, a carageen used as a thickener in foods such as ice cream and chocolate sauce.
1970
Air-to-Ground... Defence research specialists produce the CRV7 70mm air-to-ground rocket weapon system, still used by more than seven nations.
1971
Nobel Winner... Dr. Gerhard Herzberg of NRC wins a Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work in identifying molecules in space.
1972
Anybody Home?... The launch of ANIK A-1, the first satellite in the Telesat program, gives Canada the world's first domestic geostationary communications satellite system. The ANIK satellite system later brings quality telephone service to northern communities and television programs to every point in the country.
1972
Gaggles of Geese... Canadian biologists obtain an inventory of Lesser Snow Geese nesting in Arctic Canada by adapting existing technology of large format 23cm vertical aerial photography. An ongoing periodic inventory later documents the tremendous growth of these populations over more than three decades.
1972
Eyes on the World... A federal satellite station in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan receives the country's first Landsat data from a NASA satellite, in a space-to-earth show that soon propels Canada to the forefront of earth observation and remote sensing.
1973
Moly Medicine... AECL research reactors begin production of molybdenum-99 to obtain a radioactive decay product that helps doctors get detailed pictures of organs, simplifying diagnosis and often eliminating the need for exploratory surgery. By 1999, Canada produces the world's supply of moly-99, used in more than 7 million diagnostic procedures a year.
1973
Black Box... A flight recorder playback centre is opened at Uplands airport in Ottawa to retrieve and analyse data from flight recorders, more commonly known as black boxes. Researchers also develop ways to improve cockpit voice recorders to analyse background noise and produce clearer reception.
1974
Film Glory... Hunger/ La Faim, an NRC/ National Film Board animated film shot in Canada using computer-generated images, wins the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in France and an Academy Award nomination in Hollywood. (Photo courtesy of National Film Board)
1975
A Cow's Christmas... The world's first pre-sexed calf, a Holstein heifer named Eugenia Carol, is born on December 25 at the Animal Disease Research Institute in Nepean, Ontario. Eugenia's birth represents a breakthrough in the development of bovine embryo transfer techniques that are later applied to other animals.
1976
Space to Home... The launch of Hermes, a forerunner of the direct-to-home TV broadcast satellite, gives Canada the most powerful communications satellite of its time.
1976
Mink in the Pink... A solution to the problem of the deadly Aleutian disease that devastates ranched mink is found when Dr. Hyun Ju Cho of the Animal Diseases Research Institute in Lethbridge, Alberta develops a test that is soon used worldwide to eradicate the disease.
1976
Rain or Snow... Weather forecasts are as predictable as spring rain with the introduction of a spectral operational model devised and implemented by Dr. André Robert. By the 1990s, Roberts' Numerical Weather Prediction model is used in the production of weather warnings and forecasts by more than half of the meteorological centres around the world.
1977
Decorator's Dream... Researchers help a private company develop a pre-glued and completely strippable wallpaper that takes the home-decorating market by storm.
1977
Prairie Gold... Canola, a hybrid oilseed that made its debut in Canadian fields in 1973, is officially named. Used as an ingredient in margarine, cooking oil, lubricant and non-polluting inks, canola soon becomes Canada's third largest cash crop.
1978
Fibre Phenomenon... A photosensitivity phenomenon is uncovered when CRC's Dr. Kenneth Hill discovers that an ultraviolet laser beam applied to an optical fibre changes the refractive index and creates perturbations in the fibre, known as Bragg gratings. By 1999, fibre gratings improve the efficiency and performance of a variety of telecommunications applications as well as optical fibre products such as specialized lasers.
1978
Hermes Shoots and Scores!... The world's first direct-to-home satellite television broadcast on May 16 beams Game Two of the Stanley Cup hockey series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins from Canada to a Canadian diplomat's home in Lima, Peru via the Hermes satellite. (Score: Montreal 3, Boston 2)
1979
Starry, Starry Nights... Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope opens in Hawaii, allowing data to be gathered on Mount Mauna Kea about the early universe, the nature of dark matter, star clusters, galactic structure and our own Milky Way.
1979
Blanche du Pois... A commercial vegetable blancher, destined to be used around the world for frozen food production, is constructed by Canadian researchers.
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