From the CEO
On the United Nations International Day of Peace, and especially after watching the terrifying Oppenheimer movie, I was pondering to what extent, if any, Qubit Systems contributes to peaceful coexistence. As with Hippocrates, First, do no harm, is a good way to start, but it’s not really enough. Charitable giving helps, and we continue to add our drop to the ocean. Bringing scientists together from diverse cultural, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds is always a good thing to promote international cooperation, and I’ve been on the organising committees of a number of international conferences, with only one occasion I can recall in which verbal sparring threatened to spill over into fisticuffs. But on further reflection, I’m also pleased to say that the work of Qubit and its partners can make a positive contribution to peace in a number of ways, as in the examples below.
Whether you choose to read further or not, here’s wishing you peace now and in the future.
Dr. Steve Hunt, President and CEO.
Peace through Food Security
It’s appropriate when naming the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, that Famine most often precedes War, Pestilence and Death. Provide nations with abundant nutrition and, hopefully, peace will prevail. However, with the world population predicted to reach ~10 billion by 2050, a second Green Revolution is required to prevent catastrophic shortages of wheat, maize, and rice. High throughput plant phenotyping (shoot, root and whole plant) at the laboratory and field scale is an increasingly important tool for the development of next generation crops. Qubit Systems, with its partners, is pleased to be at the forefront of such development. For more on plant phenotyping equipment click HERE.
Peace through Climate Stabitity
There is no greater threat to world peace than the current climate crisis. Extreme weather events, flooding, wildfires, and drought are existential threats that can and will lead to mass migration and political turmoil unless we are willing to recognise and address climate change. With our partner, JB Hyperspectral of Germany, Qubit provides hyperspectral technology for monitoring the effects of climate change on terrestrial and aquatic environments, providing evidence for changing climatic patterns and the effects these are having on the biosphere. For more on these hyperspectral instruments click HERE
If you are a scuba-diver, like me, what could be more peaceful than strapping on a tank and descending into the magnificence of a pristine coral reef? Unfortunately, though, vast areas of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by ocean warming and acidification as the levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases continue to increase. Lose the coral reefs and we lose the biodiversity of the oceans. Lose that biodiversity and we face yet another existential threat. Immediate action is required to repopulate many reefs with corals more resistant to high water temperatures and low pH, as well as to study the dynamics of coral metabolism in changing environments. Qubit is active in this research by providing the unique diver-deployed CISME system for non-invasive, in situ monitoring of coral photosynthesis, respiration and (de)calcification. For more on this vital technology, click HERE
Peace through Education
With so much disinformation and pseudo-science being disseminated online (designed deliberately to sow division and dissent) it’s vital that students are provided with affordable tools to investigate scientific phenomena to sharpen their critical thinking skills.
Q: How does an NDIR CO2 analyzer work, professor Hunt?
A: By monitoring the infra-red absorption band of CO2 in the air.
Q: Oh…doesn’t absorption of IR cause heating?
A: Sure does.
Q: So, elevated CO2 levels should cause atmospheric heating – yeah?.
A: You’ve got it! Tell your friends – and anyone else who’ll listen.
The idea for forming Qubit Systems began in the teaching labs of Queen’s University at Kingston, where we developed accurate and inexpensive equipment (including a range of NDIR CO2 analyzers) for teaching practical aspects of the biological sciences.
For more on Qubit’s laboratory teaching packages, click HERE
Upcoming Conferences and Exhibitions
ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting St. Louis, Missouri. Oct 29 to Nov 1, 2023.
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting San Francisco, California, December 11 – 15, 2023.
Plant and Animal Genome Conference. San Diego, California, January 12-17, 2024,