Profs. Misra and Mohanty participated in the Second Canadian Science Symposium on Plastics on February 24-25, 2026. This was a national, virtual event to bring together Canadian scientists, researchers, and policy practitioners. The goal of the symposium was to inform future priorities and updates to Canada’s Plastics Science Agenda (CaPSA) using insights and recommendations from experts in the field.

Profs. Misra and Mohanty were panelists in a session titled "Design, Innovation & Circular Solutions". The panel discussed materials design, product innovation, and circular solutions, focusing on scientific evidence to reduce environmental risks from plastics. Speakers examined how materials and product design choices influence environmental performance, exposure pathways, and end-of-life outcomes, as well as key uncertainties and evidence gaps related to materials innovation, safe-by-design approaches, and emerging alternatives. The session explored the challenge of assessing new solutions for design and innovation in complex systems, balancing performance, environmental tradeoffs, and unintended consequences.