Public science lectures in Halifax, NS
Stimulating the cerebral GOREtex
What is that tingle we feel when we are afraid? What do we find scary? Can a brain live without a body? Find out what horror films reveal about human psychology, focusing on the science of the brain and behaviour and its relationship to the things that make us cower in fear.
Heath Matheson, a developmental neurobiologist at Dalhousie University and Let's Talk Science volunteer, will tell us how the brain produces our feelings of fear, what we find frightening and why some people enjoy watching horror movies so much.
Where: Spring Garden Rd. Memorial Public Library, 5381 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, NS
When: Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Turbidity Currents: The Power of Underwater Avalanches
Turbidity currents are the submarine big brothers of avalanches, but instead of snow it is mud and sand that flow down the side of the continental slope to the deep sea. These currents gouge great canyons and break trans-oceanic cables on their way. Just like avalanches, turbidity currents are unpredictable.CarolAnne Black, a graduate student with the Department of Oceanography at Dalhousie University and Let's Talk Science volunteer, will explain how scientists study them.
Where: Spring Garden Rd. Memorial Public Library, 5381 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, NS
When: Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.
Dinosaur Day in Alliston, ON
Let’s Talk Science volunteers from Toronto will be leading up to 100 kids, ages 6 – 12, through hands-on science activities to learn about dinosaurs and fossils. Parents and children will learn how to put together a dinosaur skeleton, how to dig for dinosaur bones and be able to make their own dinosaur fossil!
Where: New Tecumseth Public Library, Memorial Branch, 17 Victoria St. E, Alliston, Ontario
When: Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Weekend chemistry in Toronto
In celebration of the International Year of Chemistry, Let’s Talk Science volunteers from the University of Toronto, in partnership with the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science, will be leading up to 100 kids, ages 6 – 12, through hands-on science activities to explore the chemistry found in everyday life. Parents and children will measure the pH of common household items, learn the difference between soaps and detergents, see how a diaper works and make slime!Where: J.R. Macleod Auditorium, Medical Sciences Building, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario
When: Sunday, March 6, 2011, 2:30 - 4 p.m.
Photos of the science activities and story opportunities are available throughout the afternoon.
For more information about the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science, visit royalcanadianinstitute.org.
2nd Annual StemCellTalks
Let's Talk Science volunteers, in partnership with the Stem Cell Network, are once again hosting StemCellTalks for Grade 11 and 12 students. In its second year, this one-day symposium, which brings together high school students and leading stem cell experts to explore stem cell science, is being held at three Let's Talk Science sites.
Let's Talk Science volunteers from UBC held the event for nearly 50 eager Vancouver-area students this past December. Students learned about the characteristics and origins of stem cells, stem cell transplantation in cancer treatment and tackled several stem cell cases. To read more about the UBC StemCellTalks event, click here.
Upcoming StemCellTalks, hosted by Let's Talk Science volunteers at the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa, will be held on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the MaRS Auditorium in Toronto, and the University of Ottawa, respectively. For more information about each of these events, visit their websites: StemCellTalks, UofT, and StemCellTalks, UOttawa.
Climate change challenge
What do high school students know about carbon footprints, renewable energy, the Alberta oil sands and low-carbon economic solutions?
On Februrary 23, 2011, 250 Victoria, B.C., high school students will convene at the University of Victoria to explore questions about rising energy demands, conflicting messages in climate science, resistance to change and the need for action, and the climate challenge facing their generation. Let’s Talk Science volunteers from UVic, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, will guide the morning discussions. Posters created by the high school students will be presented, judged and will be on display in the lobby outside the David Lam Auditorium in UVic’s MacLaurin Building until 3 p.m.
