Science Rendezvous

U of T transformed into giant, open-air lab for Science Rendezvous

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 13 May 2019 13:42:42 +0000

U of T transformed into giant, open-air lab for Science Rendezvous

geoff.vendeville Mon, 05/13/2019 - 09:42

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Melissa Finlay, a first-year student in the Faculty of Arts & Science, leads boys through a mirror tracing task, which demonstrates how procedural memory allows us to compare different tasks and procedures (all photos by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Topic

City & Culture

Cell and Systems Biology

Chemistry

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Arts & Science

Graduate Students

Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

Science Rendezvous

STEM

Trinity College

There is ground-breaking reseach being done every day at the �ؿ�ζSM, but it's not always on display like it was last weekend.

U of T became a giant open-access laboratory on Saturday during Science Rendezvous, an annual and free all-day festival meant to encourage interest in S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). Researchers at 40 sites and across 30 Canadian cities participated in this year’s event.

U of T News visited the fair to document the festivities and young scientists in the making.

Neha Chauhan, a graduate student in laboratory medicine and pathobiology, puts a magnifying glass over a platelet made of pipe-cleaner. “It’s really fun bringing science to the streets like this,” she said.

A boy is submerged in a bubble fortified with glycerine. Bijan Mirabi, a PhD student in organic chemistry, said he loves doing science outreach. “I like introducing science to people who might not know that they love it,” he said. “I want to show them that there’s more to it than just sitting in a lab all day.”

A boy flashes a smile as he gets into the driver’s seat of Polaris, the Blue Sky Solar Racing team’s solar-powered vehicle. It was built for a 3,000-kilometre race in the Australian outback.

Danielle MacPherson, who works in donor relations at U of T, volunteered to dress up for the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s quarantine tent. She was assigned small pox. Educating the public about vaccines is particularly important now, she said, since the World Health Organization has listed “vaccine hesitancy” as one of the top-10 threats to global health.

A look inside a spectrograph – also called a spectroscope – made in the early 20th century, in U of T’s scientific instrument collection. The spectrograph was likely used with a small telescope focused on a celestial object such as the sun, or to demonstrate spectroscopy by being focused on some other light source.

A girl learns how plants resist infection in an activity hosted by the department of cell and systems biology. PhD candidate Francis Lee led people through an interactive game to learn how researchers like Professor Keiko Yoshioka help crops defend themselves against infection.

Twins Lucas (left) and Jayden Poon take turns looking up at the sky through a telescope at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s tent.

Game of Thrones fans may recognize the shiny black rock in the middle as Dragonglass, but geologists typically refer to it as obsidian.

Hugh Considine uses tweezers to place the first piece in a line of dominos, part of a physics experiment. The smallest piece weighs a fraction of a gram while the largest weighs over 45 kilograms.

Cherry blossoms and black holes: Check out these May events

Romi Levine — Wed, 01 May 2019 16:14:22 +0000

Cherry blossoms and black holes: Check out these May events

Romi Levine Wed, 05/01/2019 - 12:14

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Cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom outside of Robarts Library (photo by Noreen Ahmed-Ullah)

Romi Levine

Topic

City & Culture

Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

School of Cities

Art Museum

Cherry Blossoms

Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Faculty of Arts & Science

Rotman School of Management

Science Rendezvous

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

April showers have brought May flowers as the cherry blossoms outside Robarts Library begin to bloom. But the Instagram-worthy foliage isn’t the only event getting people excited at the �ؿ�ζSM this month.

May is full of fascinating events – from city-wide science, architecture and photography festivals to talks by a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and a researcher on the team who captured the first-ever image of a black hole.

Here is a selection of events taking place on all three campuses this month:

May 2

Kids can learn about what it’s like to work and study at U of T at Bring Our Children to Work Day. The annual event invites appointed faculty, librarians and staff to bring children in Grades 4 to 7 for an exciting day of activities. Registration is now closed but you can find out more about the events on the downtown Toronto, Scarborough and Mississauga campuses.

Faculty and students from U of T, York, Ryerson and OCAD have been working together on a research project exploring affordable student housing in Toronto. The group will be presenting some of their findings at StudentDwell+: Reimagining Student Housing, a two-day symposium held at York University.

Donna Strickland, Nobel Prize in Physics recipient for 2018, will be delivering the Welsh Lecture in Physics at U of T. She’ll be talking about her award-winning work on ultrashort optical pulses.

Hear from Harvard University’s Peter Galison, a member of the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, about what went into capturing the historic image of a black hole, at an event presented by U of T’s Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology.

May 3

Exciting news for the Robarts Library expansion – crews have begun to drill the concrete to connect the library with the new Robarts Common structure. Studying at Robarts may be a little loud, but you can ask staff at the ground floor information desk and second-floor Ask Us desk for earplugs.

Shutterbugs rejoice – Toronto’s Contact photography festival is back, with captivating exhibitions taking place on U of T campuses:

See the world through the eyes of an engineer at Ambition, Innovation, and Excellence: A Decade at Skule, which will feature photographs from current students and alumni, providing an intimate look at the faculty.
Director of the International Human Rights Program in the Faculty of Law, Samer Muscati, will be showcasing photographs from his visits to Rwanda 15 and 25 years after the genocide at Hart House and at U of T Scarborough. An event to commemorate the 25^thanniversary of the genocide will be taking place at U of T Scarborough this afternoon.

May 4

American artist Carrie Mae Weems will be speaking at U of T as part of the Contact festival. The MacArthur grant recipient, whose work has been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, will also be presenting her work at U of T’s Art Museum and at locations across the city. Her lecture is sold out but you can join the waitlist.

May 5

Roll up your sleeves and join the U of T Trash Team for the annual Clean up the Don event, where you can do your part for the environment by picking up litter along the Don River watershed.

May 8

What makes a successful city? U of T’s School of Cities is hosting an event that will explore the challenges and opportunities faced by big cities around the world for the book launch of Perfect City: An Urban Fixer’s Global Search for Magic in the Modern Metropolis, by Joe Berridge, one of the world’s leading urban planners.

Ahead of the G20 summit in Japan, the Centre for the Study of Global Japan and the G20 Research Group of U of T are hosting a one-day symposium to discuss the evolving agenda of the annual meeting of global leaders. Officials and scholars from around the world will be attending the event held at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, including Takako Ito, consulate-general of Japan in Toronto.

May 11

Glowing bacteria, mutant flies, scavenger hunts and virtual reality tours are just a few of the displays and activities at this year’s Science Rendezvous, the annual family-friendly festival. Here’s what’s happening on the downtown Toronto, Scarborough and Mississauga campuses.

May 13

This is the last week to see the work of some of U of T’s talented artists at the Master of Visual Studies graduate exhibition and the Shelley Peterson art exhibition at U of T’s Art Museum.

May 14

Listen to captivating stories told by members of Toronto’s medical community at the department of medicine’s annual Story Slam, in partnership with the Annals of Internal Medicine.

May 25

Explore some of U of T’s most fascinating spaces at this year’s Doors Open Toronto. It’s your chance to admire the architecture in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, explore One Spadina, and check out the new Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which will be hosting lightning lectures and interactive activities for kids.

May 28

Join urban thought leaders, policy-makers, planners, community advocates and business leaders to exchange ideas on ways to meet the challenges of governing cities in the midst of change at the Governing Cities in the 21st Century symposium. The event will feature experts including Michelynn Laflèche, vice-president of United Way Greater Toronto, Bill Peduto, mayor of Pittsburgh, and Richard Florida, University Professor at the Rotman School of Management. You can learn more and register here or watch the livestream.

May 30

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic will be at the Rotman School of Management to discuss his new book, Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (And How To Fix It), which explores the flaws in a system that rewards arrogance and loudness over humility and wisdom.

Science Rendezvous brings U of T research from the lab to the streets

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 14 May 2018 13:27:47 +0000

Science Rendezvous brings U of T research from the lab to the streets

geoff.vendeville Mon, 05/14/2018 - 09:27

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Mason Godkewitsch, 8, makes shadow puppets on the walls of the “cell cave” in the student lounge in the McLennan building on the downtown Toronto campus (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Topic

City & Culture

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Dalla School of Public Health

Graduate Students

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Science Rendezvous

STEM

U of T Scarborough

Through fluorescent cells projected onto walls to solar-powered vehicles, the �ؿ�ζSM community showed thousands of people the wonders of science on Saturday.

Science Rendezvous brought U of T research from the lab to the streets to inspire the next generation of scientists. The science festival began in 2008 as an initiative of the �ؿ�ζSM, Ryerson University, York University and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. It has since become the largest science festival in the country, organizers say.

U of T News captured some of the action over the weekend.

A girl adds to a poster about what it means to be a woman in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville).

Bulent, 3, looks up at his dad and MBA student Levent Timur from the wheel of Polaris, a solar-powered vehicle made by U of T's Blue Sky Solar Racing Team (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville).

Bona Kim (left), a physiology PhD student, teaches Emma Asgeirsson, 8, about the female reproductive system. Asgeirsson listened to a recorded fetal heartbeat through a stethoscope. "It sounds like someone eating," she says (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Mason Godkewitsch, 8, poses for a photo inside the cell cave in the McLennan building at the downtown campus. The images on the walls are neural cells that started as pluripotent cells in the lab of Radha Chaddah, a visual artist who obtained a master of science in cell and molecular neurobiology (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville).

A boy looks inside a box containing glowing microbes. Scientists from the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution & Function (CAGEF) displayed naturally fluorescent bacteria and bacteria that were made to glow with a gene from jellyfish.

Sylva Donaldson, project manager of CAGEF, says she hoped visitors learned that not all bacteria are bad. “There are a lot of good bacteria in us, on us and in the environment that actually fight off the bad ones.” (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Kids inspect an R2-D2 replica made by the R2-D2 Builders Club at the Bahen Centre (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville).

At the �ؿ�ζSM Scarborough, young visitors learned about spiders from Maydianne Andrade (left), a professor of biological sciences and Canada Research Chair in Integrative Behavioural Ecology (photo by Sara Weales).

Mo Waja is the happiest man with smallpox. He dressed up in period garb for the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s exhibit of contagious diseases, including whooping cough and measles. (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Master of teaching students Robin Connolly (right) and Isabella Vitale entertain a young visitor to the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education booth (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

U of T takes science to the street with creepy crawlies and candy rockets at Science Rendezvous

Romi Levine — Mon, 15 May 2017 17:58:02 +0000

U of T takes science to the street with creepy crawlies and candy rockets at Science Rendezvous

Romi Levine Mon, 05/15/2017 - 13:58

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Chemistry students perform a jaw-dropping candy rocket experiment (all photos by Romi Levine)

Romi Levine

Author legacy

Romi Levine

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Within the first half-hour of arriving at this year’s Science Rendezvous at U of T's downtown Toronto campus, I got my DNA extracted, ate worms and held a giant-sized cockroach.

While certain activities at the annual family-oriented science and engineering festival are not for the faint of heart, there is truly something for everyone.

From Toronto to Tuktoyaktuk: U of T faculty, students take Science Rendezvous across Canada

Romi Levine — Fri, 12 May 2017 20:34:32 +0000

From Toronto to Tuktoyaktuk: U of T faculty, students take Science Rendezvous across Canada

Romi Levine Fri, 05/12/2017 - 16:34

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Kids learned about biology at U of T Scarborough's Science Rendezvous celebrations last year (photo by Ken Jones)

Romi Levine

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Romi Levine

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Subheadline

“I'm hoping we light a little spark in these kids so they can discover and learn”

It took two days and five flights for �ؿ�ζSM PhD student Daniel Szulc to get to Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories – all for the sake of science.

Szulc is running programming for the territory’s celebration of Science Rendezvous – a Canada-wide science and engineering festival for the entire family, which takes place this Saturday.

The Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) student will be flying on a tiny plane from Tuktoyaktuk to Inuvik and Aklavik throughout the day, running interactive workshops for children living in remote areas so they feel included in the day-long fun. The free festival engages students of all ages.

“We're running some demos with the classrooms where the children and students can do hands-on experiments and actually experience being a scientist,” Szulc says. “I'm hoping we light a little spark in these kids so they can discover and learn.”

Here's how you can celebrate Science Rendezvous at U of T

He described the area he'll be working in as “absolutely beautiful.”

“Because it's so remote, it's really difficult to get materials up here and get individuals up here so bringing science up here can allow kids to get a chance to interact with things that they don't normally interact with,” says Szulc.

Science Rendezvous, now in its 10th year, was the brainchild of U of T University Professor R. J. Dwayne Miller, who having been inspired by a similar event in Germany, decided to launch a festival in Canada in partnership with universities and organizations all over the country.

At U of T's downtown Toronto campus, there's plans to once again celebrate science in a big way. Students will get to explore outer space using virtual reality, watch an earthquake simulation and learn about edible bugs. Check out the exhibits lining St. George Street, take a tour of the campus’s state-of-the-art labs and participate in the Canada 150-themed Science Chase scavenger hunt.

“Science is about asking questions, solving problems, challenging dogma,” says University Professor Molly Shoichet, U of T President Meric Gertler's senior adviser on science and engineering engagement. “Imagine what we would be doing if we didn't? We probably would still be using leaches to cure diseases.

“Science Rendezvous ignites that spirit of discovery, engaging us all to invent a better future.”

Robots, solar cars, rockets, satellites, and drones, oh my! Come see them all at #SR2017 this Saturday, May 13th! #OdySci #ChooseScience pic.twitter.com/kZa3aCdrCe
— SR UofT (St. George) (@UofTSR) May 11, 2017

Unfortunately, U of T Scarborough’s Science Rendezvous activities, which were to take place at the Toronto Zoo, have been cancelled due to a strike.

Last year, the festival was attended by 300,000 people. Miller, like Szulc, sees it as an opportunity to inspire a new generation to “unleash their inner geek.”

“Everybody's born a scientist. Everybody's curious. We just need to get that instilled in a way that it's part of a lifelong pursuit so you stay thinking critically.”

This year, all Science Rendezvous sites are taking part in a water-testing experiment.

“It'll be a good opportunity to engage the local communities, and to get excited about water science and create a picture of the water health in Canada,” says Katie Miller, Science Rendezvous’ executive director. “They will upload the results to the website. It will create an overall picture of what is going on around the country.”

In the Northwest Territories, Szulc will be running the water-testing experiment and will be teaching high school students how to produce energy through water splitting.

“Then we're having elders come in to have their perspective on water – how they assess water, really trying to create culturally-relevant programming so students can see that their culture and their life here also connects to science, and they can use science to enhance it,” Szulc says.

#TBT to these young scientists having a great time at SR2016! Come to #SR2017 and these fashion choices could be yours! #OdySci pic.twitter.com/TBmFhbSbnH
— SR UofT (St. George) (@UofTSR) April 20, 2017

Science Rendezvous is a lot of fun, but it’s also a chance for scientists to showcase their work to a wider audience, says Professor Miller.

“It's a great opportunity for the scientists themselves to give back to the general public, tell them what they're doing with public money and explain what it's good for,” he says.

The event also helps to ignite a passion for science that many scientists feel is under threat south of the border.

“Now more than ever it's becoming apparent at how much we need to be more active and engaging our general population,” says Katie Miller. “For a while, it was assumed it was seen as being important, and now we really need to re-engage with the general population on a regular basis and keep that importance relevant in their mind.”

U of T’s Science Rendezvous 2016: walk on water and watch drones fly

lanthierj — Wed, 04 May 2016 14:09:41 +0000

U of T’s Science Rendezvous 2016: walk on water and watch drones fly

lanthierj Wed, 05/04/2016 - 10:09

Krisha Ravikantharaja

Author legacy

Krisha Ravikantharaja

Topic

City & Culture

Science Rendezvous

This Saturday marks the ninth year of Science Rendezvous, a free science street festival for scientists of all ages, at the �ؿ�ζSM’s St. George campus.

Organizers promise “five city blocks of hands-on learning and discovery that moves state-of the-art laboratories and research facilities into city streets” and “brings kids face-to-face with the scientists, engineers, clubs, hobbyists, and researchers at the frontiers of innovation”.

If you know a student interested in a behind-the-scenes look into science as a career, Science Rendezvous is a great opportunity, said Maisha Zaman, a spokesperson for Science Rendezvous, �ؿ�ζSM Chapter.

“Occurring simultaneously in over 30 sites across Canada, Science Rendezvous offers visitors of all ages a chance to meet with world-class researchers, take part in experiments and, above all, have fun while discovering science in a whole new way,” Zaman said.

Last year's Science Rendezvous included robots, exploding fruit, giant bubbles – and a chance to see U of T's solar race car.

See highlights from 2015

The solar car is back this year, by popular demand.

“We hope that the attendees of Science Rendezvous will gain a greater appreciation and understanding of green energy and engineering innovations in general, and be inspired to become involved in similar projects in the future,” said Zhexiang Wang, member of the �ؿ�ζSM Blue Sky Solar Racing advancement team.

“I think seeing a car that raced across Australia, that was designed and built by students who were once in their shoes is a pretty good way to spend a Saturday!”

Other must-see events on May 7 include an inaugural interdisciplinary science show which features a self-flying drone demonstration by the Institute for Aerospace Studies and something called the 100-ft Non-Newtonian Dash (where the World’s Largest Non-Newtonian Running Track will apparently allow participants to simulate the sensation of walking on water).

Professor Dwayne Miller of chemical and biological physics is responsible for bringing the event to Toronto after inspiration struck while he was at similar festival in Germany. Miller’s goals of boosting student interest and public involvement in STEM fields remain at the core of the annual event.

“Everyone is born a scientist: you’re naturally curious,” Miller says. “Somewhere in our education system we beat it out of them. So the idea is to bring back the curiosity that people have and give them a venue to ask their questions and talk to real scientists.

“I thought it was really important to see what kind of science is going on in their backyards.”

This year’s theme is superpowers. Organizers put out a call for young scientists and superheroes to help defeat an evil mastermind who’s attempting to take over the world by unleashing a series of disasters as part of “The Amazing Science Chase.”

The Science & Tech Street Fair will take place along St. George Street between Harbord and College, and will feature 50 pavilions. Past years’ events have welcomed 15,000 attendees of all ages.

This year marks the first time that Science Rendezvous will be the Kick-Start Event to the Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada’s National Science and Technology Week (Science Odyssey).

Science Rendezvous is one of many events the university hosts annually to promote scientific literacy.

Read about the Science Leadership Program

Read about Science Literacy Week

For live tweets from Science Rendezvous on Saturday, follow @uoftmedicine and the hashtag #SR2016

For more information visit http://sciencerendezvousuoft.ca/

Stolen crystals and exploding fruit: Science Rendezvous at U of T

sgupta — Fri, 01 May 2015 13:02:41 +0000

Stolen crystals and exploding fruit: Science Rendezvous at U of T sgupta Fri, 05/01/2015 - 09:02

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Every year, thousands of kids and parents explore Science Rendezvous at U of T (photo by Jon Horvatin)

Terry Lavender

Author legacy

Terry Lavender

Science Rendezvous returns to U of T

sgupta — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 10:25:58 +0000

Science Rendezvous returns to U of T sgupta Wed, 04/30/2014 - 06:25

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Enjoying the view from a different angle on Elephant Thought's gyroscope at the 2012 Science Rendezvous (all photos by Jon Horvatin)

Terry Lavender

Author legacy

Terry Lavender

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Welcoming the community to the popular science festival

Slime, squishy circuits, robots, polar bear cubs and electronic bats. They'll all be there on Saturday, May 10 as the �ؿ�ζSM participates in the seventh annual Science Rendezvous event.

Science Rendezvous highlights and promotes science by showcasing the best and most innovative research in Canada. The ultimate goal is improving student enrolment and public investment in science and technology in the future, says Science Rendezvous executive director Kelsey Miller.

“Science Rendezvous offers visitors of all ages a chance to meet with world-class researchers, conduct experiments, and above all, a chance to have fun while discovering science in a whole new way,” Miller says, noting that it is always scheduled for the day before Mother's Day, to place an emphasis on the importance of women in science.

The St. George campus will host a street carnival, a science chase and lab tours, say U of T Science Rendezvous co-chairs Jessica Sonnenberg and Olivia Podolak. Activities take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s theme is busting common science myths and misconceptions, Sonnenberg says.

�ؿ�ζSM Scarborough is also taking part. UTSC student volunteers will lead activities and displays at the Toronto Zoo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to encourage Zoo visitors to think about what makes animals so amazing and unique through the prism of science, says organizer Andrew Peters, a UTSC biological sciences grad student. Many of the activities involve migratory birds, since Science Rendezvous coincides with Migratory Bird Day this year, but other zoo inhabitants, including a polar bear family, will also be taking part.

Science Rendezvous began at U of T seven years ago at the instigation of Chemistry and Biological Physics professor Dwayne Miller and has since spread across the country. This year 80 organizations are involved with 300 events scheduled in 30 cities.

“Everyone is born a scientist,” Professor Miller told U of T News in 2012. “You’re naturally curious. Somewhere in our education system we beat it out of them. So the idea is to bring back the curiosity that people have and give them a venue to ask their questions and talk to real scientists. I thought it was really important to see what kind of science is going on in their backyards. It’s Canadian and we should celebrate that. The other really important feature is to attract the best and brightest in science.”

U of T News asked Sonnenberg and Podolak about this year’s Science Rendezvous and what visitors to the St. George campus can expect.

What’s happening at Science Rendezvous at U of T this year?
This year, we chose to focus on busting common science myths and illuminating little-known science facts. We have arranged for every department to bring forth a misconception or interesting fact about their field so that attendees can bust these myths one by one for a chance to win a prize. U of T St. George's site is, as far as we know, the first and only site to implement an overarching theme to unify our exhibits.

Another event that we are really trying to promote this year is our Science Chase. Science Chase is very similar to the Amazing Race TV show, where participants will be required to complete a series of scientific challenges in a race against the clock. This year's story line has our participants acting as aliens who have landed on planet Earth and will participate in activities to teach them about humans' way of life.

What are you personally looking forward to at Science Rendezvous?
Olivia: I'm not sure what I'm most looking forward to since there's always so much going on at the event! I guess I'm most looking forward to seeing the final product after months of the hard work put in by our executive team and all of the participating departments.

Jessica: I would have to agree with Olivia on that one -- seeing the end product (an amazingly successful event, of course) is one of my favourite parts. My other favourite is first thing in the morning, when everyone is just finishing setting up and the first few kids come running onto the site - I love the excited look on their faces.

Who comes out to Science Rendezvous?
Olivia and Jessica: Last year, we had approximately 10,000 visitors come by our festival. The visitors ranged anywhere from university professors to young children being pushed around in strollers by their parents. It's an all-ages festival meant to shape the minds of Canada's youth, while increasing the public’s involvement in the world-class research that is happening right here at home, so everyone is welcome to come. We train our volunteers to run their exhibits in ways that can be tailored to visitors' level of expertise in the area, as to maximize the amount of learning that goes on.

How many volunteers are involved? What do they do?
Jessica and Olivia: Typically, we have just over 500 volunteers participate in our event. The volunteers are either departmental (i.e., hired by the department to run department-specific demonstrations) or general. The general volunteers help run the show by offering support to the departments, or by manning the general demonstrations or booths, such as first aid stations, face painting stations, freezing flowers with liquid nitrogen (and having kids smash them after!), promoting the event in Toronto by handing out balloons and brochures, etc. The volunteers consist of professors, graduate students, undergraduate students, and even some very keen high school students. (Pictured above: chemistry students create ice cream using liquid nitrogen.)

How did you personally get involved in Science Rendezvous?
Olivia: I first got involved as a general volunteer. I was an undergrad student at McMaster, but since they didn't host Science Rendezvous, I would commute to the St. George campus to participate instead. When I came to U of T to do my Master's, I wanted to get more heavily involved, especially in the organization of the festival, so I took on the role of executive volunteer coordinator. Based on my work last year, I was hired as co-chair with Jessica!

Jessica: I took a bit of a different, less logical path with Science Rendezvous. I was a member of an organization called ChemClub in my first year of grad school, and one of their roles in the Chemistry department is to organize the Chemistry pavilion at UofT. I signed up to co-organize the event with an SR veteran that year and loved it so much I became the head organizer for Chemistry in my second and third years. This year I decided I wanted to try something new with a bit more responsibility so I applied for the co-chair position at U of T.

What makes you passionate about science?
Olivia: I am constantly curious about the world we live in. The fact that there is so much to explore in the natural world is both inspiring and a little daunting, which I think ultimately fuels my passion to learn more.

Jessica: To be honest, I think my brain is hardwired that way - when I look at the world all I see is questions, and constantly looking for more answers is what drives me. I find science beautiful and terrifying, exhilarating and frustrating, logical and confusing, and ultimately, that's what I love about it!

What's your own area of research?
Olivia: I'm doing my PhD in psychology. I investigate how musical training and exposure fine-tunes certain brain processes. More specifically, I'm studying the psychological mechanisms that allow musicians to read music.

Jessica: I am just finishing up my PhD in inorganic chemistry. For my research I focus on developing more sustainable catalysts for use by the pharmaceutical industry. Specifically, I am looking at iron catalysts to potentially replace toxic and expensive precious metal catalysts.

For more information about Science Rendezvous activities on the St. George campus, visit the Science Rendezvous website at sr.escalator.utoronto.ca, or view the event map. Information about activities at the Toronto Zoo can be found at http://torontozoo.com/events/. The Science Rendezvous main website is at http://www.sciencerendezvous.ca.

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Science Rendezvous

U of T transformed into giant, open-air lab for Science Rendezvous

Cherry blossoms and black holes: Check out these May events

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Science Rendezvous brings U of T research from the lab to the streets

U of T takes science to the street with creepy crawlies and candy rockets at Science Rendezvous

Read more about Science Rendezvous at U of T

From Toronto to Tuktoyaktuk: U of T faculty, students take Science Rendezvous across Canada

Here's how you can celebrate Science Rendezvous at U of T

U of T’s Science Rendezvous 2016: walk on water and watch drones fly

See highlights from 2015

Read about the Science Leadership Program

Read about Science Literacy Week

Stolen crystals and exploding fruit: Science Rendezvous at U of T

Science Rendezvous returns to U of T