Prof. Shoshanah Jacobs

U of G’s Prof. Shoshanah Jacobs was one of several Canadian scientists asked by CBC’s Quirks and Quarks radio program to describe what the Apollo 11 moon landing meant to them.

(Listen to the full episode.)

Jacobs, with the Department of Integrative Biology, said the achievement of landing on the moon “fundamentally changed the way that we innovate.” She said it showed what can happen when technological genius comes together to solve big questions like how to leave the atmosphere and land on another space object.

It was also one of the earliest examples of a cross-disciplinary approach to science and research, she said.

Jacobs studies Arctic seabird eco-physiology, as well as knowledge translation and transfer. While she is not a planetary scientist, Jacobs was asked to contribute in order to bring together a cross-section of scientific viewpoints.

In May, Jacobs spoke to the show about why geese waste energy honking during migration.