12 Events that will change everything

In addition, an interactive online feature on their website includes a video interview with CIFAR Quantum Materials Program Director Louis Taillefer, who is one of the world leaders in the race to solve room-temperature superconductivity.

Dr. Taillefer, who was recently appointed to the Order of Canada for his contributions to physics, leads a team of CIFAR researchers who are scattered at institutions across Canada and in several other countries. In the past three years, this team has made great advances in understanding so-called "high-temperature superconductors," which, despite their name, only exhibit superconductivity at very cold temperatures (below -100 degrees Celsius).

These recent discoveries have fuelled hope and speculation that scientists are getting closer to creating superconductors that work at everyday temperatures. Should they do so, it would change everything from electricity distribution to high-speed ground transport to medical imaging. As is true for so many areas of advanced research, such as the transistor, the greatest technological advances from such a discovery will inevitably be those that nobody has thought of yet.

CIFAR is proud to support the work of Dr. Taillefer and his colleagues, and is pleased to see his contributions recognized in such a public way.

This story relates to our research program: Quantum Materials