- FROM THE TOP
- Cybersecurity starts with you
- It’s the “dog days of summer” but, have you had your say?
- DNA Barcoding is Moving Arctic Research Forward
- POLAR’S PEOPLE
- The Mosquito Music Festival was a blast!
- LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE
- Inukitut - Paurnaq - ᐸᐅᕐᖓᖅ
- Are you ready to Talk the Talk?
- Upcoming Learning Opportunity
- WORKPLACE NOTICES
- POLAR’s Ottawa Office Internet Bandwidth
- UPDATES
- POLAR Events Calendar
- SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
- Lots Happening on POLAR’s Social Media Channels
FROM THE TOP
Cybersecurity starts with you
It's hard to imagine life before the Internet. Millions of emails are sent every second around the world filled with personal information, providing a rich source of information for cyber criminals. Email is one of the easiest ways for cyber criminals to target ordinary citizens.
What are the risks:
Here are a few risks to always be aware of when it comes to your email:
- A weak email account password could leave your personal information vulnerable. In fact, a weak password is a cyber criminal's best friend so it's essential to create passwords that protect you.
- Spyware may be sent as an attachment in an email and allow criminals access to your information.
- Viruses can spread through email to your entire contact list without you knowing it.
- Email phishing scams can trick you into opening attachments or giving up personal information. They appear to be emails from organizations or companies you trust, but they're often the gateway to identity theft.
- Spam can get through your filter and inundate you with unsolicited email.
- Your identity could be compromised through email in a number of ways.
Find out how to protect yourself online via the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s (CCCS) website.
How to report phishing at POLAR?
Click here to learn how to report suspicious emails at Polar Knowledge Canada.
For more info:
Please do not hesitate to contact Martin Turpin at martin.turpin@polar.gc.ca for any further information or concerns. You can also check out CCCS’s How Cyber Safe Are You in the Digital Age? infographic and video for interesting statistics and tips.
It’s the “dog days of summer” but, have you had your say?
It’s the “dog days of summer” when the dog star Sirius rises. The days are hot and sultry and perfect for kicking back and reflecting. It’s a good time to think about what’s going well within our organization and what areas may need improvement.
The 2019 Public Service Employee Survey is underway. This is your opportunity to have your say. If you haven’t already done so, please take the time to fill out the survey.
If you haven’t yet received the email invitation to participate in the survey, please contact Advanis at 1-866-539-7829 or at pses-saff@advanis.ca. For more information, please visit the Public Service Employee Survey page on GCintranet.
Beat the heat in a cool place! Settle in with your device (and your favourite pooch if you have one) and have your say about what’s working well at POLAR and what could be improved.
DNA Barcoding is Moving Arctic Research Forward
Imagine being able to identify Arctic species with nearly the same ease as barcodes being scanned in a grocery store check-out.
That’s the goal of a project led by the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph, dubbed Arctic Bioscan.
The project, funded with $1.8 million over two years from Polar Knowledge Canada, depends on advancements in technology used to read the genetic coding of organisms, and the development of a concept known as DNA barcoding.
The application of this technique will allow for easier cataloguing of both existing and new species found in the North, and allow for a much more accurate depiction of population numbers amongst different species.
Results will be very useful in documenting current and future climate changes.
This project was recently featured in the Nunatsiaq News this month:
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/new-effort-to-catalogue-arctic-biodiversity-depends-on-dna-barcodes/
POLAR’S PEOPLE
The Mosquito Music Festival was a blast!
It’s that time of year again! Hopefully Cambridge Bay staff packed their mosquito repellant for the August long weekend. With mid-late summer warm weather up North the mosquitos are swarming all over the landscape.
To celebrate this annual occurrence, a couple of acts were lined up during the Mosquito Festival with headliners such as The Blue Berries, a musical group that travels throughout Canada spreading their own form of blues, and Shawn & Lynette Holmes, a travelling gospel music group based out of Newfoundland.
You can read about the many other acts and fun activities in a news article about the events happening in the North in August here.
LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE
Inukitut - Paurnaq - ᐸᐅᕐᖓᖅ
The *Inuktitut word of the week is “paurnaq”. It means “crowberry”.
It is pronounced: pa-oorng-aq
Listen to the pronunciation here.
*The term “Inuktut” refers to the Inuit language, encompassing all its many dialects, among them Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut.
Are you ready to Talk the Talk?
Upcoming Learning Opportunity
The Canada School of Public Service is hosting a learning event in Ottawa on September 16, 2019 – Indigenous People: A global perspective.
Location: Collaboration Lounge, Académie De-La-Salle, 373 Sussex Drive (Guigues Avenue entrance), Ottawa, Ontario. The event will also be available across Canada by webcast.
For centuries, Indigenous Peoples on all continents have travelled the world, sharing traditional teachings through storytelling and art, and more recently research and social media. As they share their music, theatre, dance and other art forms, they spread their values, tenets and cultures.
This is an opportunity to learn about Indigenous Peoples' international experiences. Participants will meet and hear from Indigenous panellists who will relay the importance of discovering Mother Earth as a whole and sharing their Nations with the world. This is a special opportunity to hear about, and from Indigenous Peoples presenting a global perspective on the rich diversity of cultures they cherish and share.
Employees who are interested in attending this event, must register online: https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/events/indigenous-agp/index-eng.aspx
Happy Learning!
WORKPLACE NOTICES
POLAR’s Ottawa Office Internet Bandwidth
Due to data throttling and increasingly slow outlook email and general internet speeds, the President’s Office will be monitoring daily internet usage in an effort to regulate server capacity.
As a reminder:
- No streaming of videos, music, movies
- Do not connect personal phones to the server
- Send folder file path rather than attaching or forwarding very large documents
We would like to thank everyone for their patience as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
UPDATES
POLAR Events Calendar
You will find below the latest version of the POLAR events calendar, including upcoming events and conferences for your information.
Note: The calendar is subject to change. Any travel has to be pre-approved by Directors (and above for international destinations).
Please send any calendar updates or additions to Jerry Kallada at jerry.kallada@polar.gc.ca
POLAR events calendar: Aug 14, 2019
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Lots Happening on POLAR’s Social Media Channels
- POLAR and the University of Wisconsin give a public presentation on the ABoVE project
- 3D printing allows repairs with temporary parts
