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Using tiny mirrors to create a unique illusion in a silver coin is yet another example of how photonics – the science and technology of light – applies in so many diverse ways in our lives.

Take a mind-blowing trip to the lab as TED Senior Fellow Andrew Pelling shares his research on how we could use fruits, vegetables and plants to regenerate damaged human tissues -- and develop a potentially groundbreaking way to repair complex spinal cord injuries with asparagus.

The CAP Herzberg medal recognizes outstanding achievement in any field of research by an early-career Canadian physicist (i.e. successfully defended their doctoral thesis within the 12 years prior to the award). The annual CAP Herzberg Medal was introduced in 1970. Prior to 2011, the medal was awarded for outstanding achievement by a Canadian physicist under the age of 40.

"Ms. Scarfe has recently completed her Master of Science degree at the University of Ottawa. Her love for delivering physics education began as an undergraduate, where she had the opportunity to serve as Teaching Assistant in the first-year labs. Since then, her passion for communicating physical concepts to students, particularly those with negative preconceptions of physics, has continued to grow as she has become more experienced in the early University Physics curriculum"

In a world first, researchers from the University of Ottawa in collaboration with Israeli scientists have been able to create optical framed knots in the laboratory that could potentially be applied in modern technologies. Their work opens the door to new methods of distributing secret cryptographic keys – used to encrypt and decrypt data, ensure secure communication and protect private information. The group recently published their findings in Nature Communications.