Savvas Chamberlain
Chairman (retired) and Founder, Teledyne DALSA Corporation

Savvas Chamberlain knows better than most people that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology.   After all, he’s a scientist and inventor who turned his deep expertise in CCD image sensors (the kind of sensors inside high-end digital cameras) into a company called DALSA.  Today, DALSA is a global leader in high performance imaging and semiconductors.  Their image sensors are even inside NASA’s Mars Rovers. 

It wouldn’t have happened without physics:  semiconductors (of which CCDs are a type) were invented by theoretical physicists: Willard Boyle (a Canadian) and George Smith from Bell Labs, who were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work. The connection is even deeper, as CCDs rely on the photoelectric effect, described by Albert Einstein in 1905.  

The breakthroughs made by the great physicists of the past have shaped our modern world in deep and surprising ways.  And the breakthroughs made by the great physicists of the present – who knows where they will take us? 

The beauty of investing in these breakthroughs is that the price tag does not have to be high.  This isn’t “big science” with its high-price equipment.  Theoretical physics is work done on a chalkboard. 

By lending their support to the Perimeter Institute, far-sighted individuals like Savvas Chamberlain can help make the breakthroughs that will change the world. 

“The  work I’ve done in my career has been at the cutting edge of technology – and I am aware that not so long ago the science behind it was just math and sketches on a chalkboard.   I am eager to see what today’s chalkboards will look like when they too come to life.”  

– Savvas Chamberlain

Cowan Foundation

Since 2009, the Cowan Foundation has supported  the Perimeter Institute’s popular Alice and Bob videos, and the teacher resources that support them. 

The animated siblings Alice and Bob might be Perimeter’s most popular ambassadors. Through a series of 60-second Alice and Bob videos, thousands of school children have discovered that it is sometimes the simplest questions that lead us to the most profound insights into the nature of our amazing universe.

Watch Alice & Bob

“Dr. Richard Epp and "Alice & Bob" captured the attention of the 100 school children at Empire Public School during a noon hour presentation. What was most exciting to me as a parent volunteer was to see the way the PI people were able to engage the children's sense of wonder by demonstrating their own. 

In a low-key manner that was perfectly suited for kids, the Perimeter representatives explained complex ideas and processes, shared their own curiosity and invited the children to do the same.

My daughter came home bubbling over with questions and concepts, and at the same time was very clear about what she had learned.  I wish science could be presented in this way more often!”

– Susan F., Parent Volunteer

One of the goals of The Cowan Foundation is to support the delivery of innovative programs that encourage excellence by providing opportunities for our future leaders of tomorrow.  We’re pleased to join with the Perimeter Institute in nurturing curiosity and wonder through the Alice and Bob classroom resources . 

– Heather McLachlin, President, Cowan Insurance Group

BMO Financial Group

In 2010, the BMO Financial Group announced its single largest donation in its history of supporting science: $4 million to establish the BMO Financial Group Isaac Newton Chair in Theoretical Physics at Perimeter Institute. 

Perimeter is already competing successfully for faculty members with the leading institutions of the world. Still, the competition for the very best minds is fierce.
 
That’s why one of Perimeter’s highest priorities is establishing five prestigious endowed chairs, and recruiting as new chairholders five of the most influential theoretical physicists of our time.
 
One of the world’s top scientists has agreed to fill BMO/Isaac Newton chair: Xiao-Gang Wen, a leading expert in condensed matter theory.  He comes to Perimeter from MIT, where he held the Cecil and Ida Green Professorship in Physics .

“This investment is a game-changer.  Last fall, when we announced BMO’s support in attracting even more of the best theoretical physicists to Canada, we were confident that this chair, in particular, would be a magnet for talent. Dr. Wen is a scientist of exceptional global stature, someone who is pushing the boundaries in an area of science where the potential applications are simply enormous.  It’s an opportunity not only to enhance innovation in Canada, but also to establish our leadership position in new quantum technologies — globally.”

– Bill Downe, President and CEO of BMO Financial Group