Last Friday (April 29, 2022), I highlighted one of the local (Vancouver, Canada) university’s (Simon Fraser University [SFU]) May 7, 2022 Science Rendezvous festival activities and the federal government’s Science Odyssey programme running from May 7 – 22, 2022.
Now it’s UBC’s turn, from a May 4, 2022 media advisory (received via email),
Get hands-on with science, ice cream and air cannons at UBC Science Rendezvous
Event: Join UBC for Science Rendezvous, a free festival that takes science out of the lab and onto the streets, on Saturday, May 7, 2022.
Festival-goers of all ages will get a chance to meet with world-class researchers and innovators, participate in hands-on experiments and see amazing scientific demonstrations.
Please note, in accordance with UBC campus rules, masks or face coverings are required in public indoor spaces.
Date/Time: Saturday, May 7, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. [PDT]
You can find more details at UBC’s Science Rendezvous 2022 webpage (scroll down to find this year’s events; they seem to have recycled their 2021 promotional video). Here’s a sample of the 2022 events,
Pacific Museum of Earth
Get hands on with a table of touchable fossils. There will also be tours of the new Hominin Hall and guided tours of the new Walk Through Time exhibit at 11:00, 1:00 and 3:00.
Location: Pacific Museum of Earth
Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Visit Canada’s largest blue whale skeleton. The Museum is running its regular daily programming schedule and is open by donation.
Location: Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream with UBC Chemistry
Time
Show
Room
11:00
Fun with Colours
Chemistry B150
11:30
Fun with Materials
Chemistry B250
Noon
Fun with Fuels
Chemistry B150
12:30
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Between Chemistry B and D wings, weather permitting
1:00
Fun with Colours
Chemistry B150
1:30
Fun with Materials
Chemistry B250
Location: Chemistry B Block
Fun with Robots
UBC Geering Up Engineering Outreach is on a mission to provide youth with the opportunity to investigate engineering, science and technology in a fun, educational and safe environment.
Location: Earth Sciences Building lobby throughout the day
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Create Your Own Gut
Make a piece of art with Microbiology and Immunology that lets you “create your own gut” by decorating it with specific microbes based on your lifestyle.
Location: Outside the Beaty Museum throughout the day
Extract DNA from strawberries
The UBC Social Exposome Research Cluster aims to understand the biological mechanisms by which social factors get ‘under the skin’ to influence health. Join us for fun-filled STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] demonstrations, interactive activities and the premiere screening of a video at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. showing how early life factors influence future health outcomes.
Location: Michael Smith Building, Room 101
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Science Talks
10:00am
Microbes and Human Health
The Tropini lab investigates the connection between gut microbes and human health, common factors that impact bacteria in our gut, and how these changes may contribute to digestive disorders.
Location: Earth Sciences Building, Room 1013
3D Coral Project
Location: Earth Sciences Building, Room 1012
11:00am
How Birds Move
How birds use visual motion to maneuver, feed and avoid collisions in flight.
Location: Michael Smith Building, Room 102
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Venues
The locations are close together. Museums are open by donation. In accordance with UBC’s campus rules, masks or face coverings are required in public indoor spaces. [Go to UBC’s Science Rendezvous 2022 webpage for campus map and links to more detailed maps.]
Enjoy!
*Blog head changed on May 6, 2022 at 1610 PDT from “University of British Columbia (UBC) and Canada’s Science Rendezvous and Science Odyssey events in May 2022” to the more accurate “University of British Columbia (UBC) and Canada’s Science Rendezvous is part of Science Odyssey in May 2022”
Science Rendezvous began as a joint program between the University of Toronto, Ryerson University [name changed to Toronto Metropolitan University as of April 26, 2022; read why in the Toronto Metropolitan University Wikipedia entry], York University and Ontario Tech University in 2008. These founding partners saw the need to work together in order to launch an event of great enough scale and exciting content to engage the public in the vast wonders of science and engineering. Since that time, Science Rendezvous has grown to include 40 of Canada’s top research institutions and over 85 community partnerships across 30 cities in 10 provinces and 2 territories. Today, it is a marquee event and signature partner of Science Odyssey, and is the single largest science festival in Canada.
This year’s Science Rendezvous is being held on Saturday, May 7, 2022; the events can be found here.
I received an April 26, 2022 notice (via email) from Simon Fraser University (SFU) about local (Vancouver area) Science Rendezvous events,
Simon Fraser University – Faculty of Science presents:
Science Rendezvous and International Astronomy Day
Friday May 6 & Saturday May 7, 2022 (see event listing for breakdown)
Attend Science Rendezvous and celebrate International Astronomy Day with SFU Science for an exciting and fun online science experience! Our day’s line-up includes student spaceflight experiments that are going up to ISS, astronomy presentations, a magic chemistry show, a special Meet an SFU Scientist talk with an astrostatistician and live streamed, front-row, remote access to our on-campus telescope. We will also offer in-person tours of the Trottier Observatory on our Burnaby campus (weather-permitting).
Explore all Science Rendezvous events and register here to receive Zoom invites:
Learn about the experiment proposals from SD43 that were proposed to go into space, where students explored the effects of microgravity on a number of scientific questions. One experiment will go to the International Space Station! Hear from our student finalists from Dr. Charles Best Secondary, Port Moody Secondary and Hillcrest Middle School — this is your chance to ask them questions about their spaceflight experiments!
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Science in Action at SFU presents: Chemistry Magic!
Did you see that? Where did it go? High in the sky? Or down below? Watch very closely, here it comes back! We can do it again. Now how about that?!
Join us for Chemistry Magic, a fun and enlightening science show!
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Meet an SFU Scientist: Dr. David Stenning
Astrostatistics: The Final Frontier?
Dr. David Stenning will discuss how new research in the exciting interdisciplinary research field of astrostatistics is advancing both astronomy and statistics. Dr. Stenning will provide insight into its applications such as predicting solar activity and space weather, discovering Earth-like exoplanets, and learning about cosmology and the fate of our universe.
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Celebrate International Astronomy Day!
The Royal Astronomy Society of Canada (RASC), Vancouver, is collaborating with SFU and the Burnaby Festival of Learning to bring you a series of astronomy-related events, workshops, and activities on May 6th and 7th! These include stargazing at SFU’s Trottier Observatory, a talk on the life cycle of a star, an interactive presentation on the solar system, and more.
As for Science Odyssey, there’s more information on their About page,
Science Odyssey is a national campaign that celebrates Canadian achievements in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, featuring fun and inspiring experiences in museums, research centres, laboratories and classrooms from coast to coast. Every year in May, hundreds of science outreach leaders deliver fun, engaging and inspiring activities to Canadians of all ages.
Powered by NSERC [Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada], Science Odyssey demonstrates how discoveries and innovations shape our daily lives and foster a strong science culture in Canada.
In 2021, Canadians enjoyed close to 600 virtual and in-person events hosted by 300 partners!
To get information about this year’s events, you can try here. (For some reason I can’t get events using ‘location’ as the parameter; I had better luck with ‘organization’.)
ARPICO (Society of Italian Researchers & Professionals in Western Canada) has announced (received via March 18, 2022 email) a special event for April 13, 2022,
It is our pleasure, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, to announce that ARPICO’s next public event will be held on Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 7:00 PM. This will again be a virtual event using our BlueJeans videoconferencing platform.
The event is in celebration of Italian Research in the World Day instituted in 2018 to value the quality and competencies of Italian researchers abroad and promote concrete actions and investments to allow Italian researchers to continue pursuing their careers in their homeland as well as make Italy an attractive environment for foreign researchers.
This year we are pleased to have Dr. Valentina Marchetti, a professional and academic in stem cell biological research, share with us a special lecture:
Understanding Vascular Diseases and Development Using Stem Cells
WHEN: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 7:00 PM (BlueJeans link active at 6:45 PM)
WHERE: Online using the BlueJeans Conferencing platform. A link will be provided after you register via EventBrite (see RSVP below).
RSVP: Tickets for this event are required, but FREE; all wishing to attend are requested to obtain “free-admission” tickets on EventBrite (green “Register” button on that page), so that you may receive the online event link via email.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the event. See registration details below in the RSVP section. If you have any difficulties with EventBrite, please email us at info@arpico.ca and we will add you to the registration list personally.
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Event Abstract
The vascular system is one of the first to develop during embryo development and is essential for the maintenance and function of all organs and tissues in our body. A complex network of arteries, veins, and capillaries is formed early on and further organized to supply tissues and organs with oxygen, nutrients, and other essential molecules.
The inner lining of all blood vessels is composed of so-called endothelial cells, a single-layered cobblestone-like sheet of cells that play an important function as precise sensors of molecules and shear stress in blood. In response they regulate vessel tone, coagulation, cell differentiation, organ development and regeneration, among other things.
As such, endothelial cells are part of an important pathway for therapeutic intervention in multiple diseases including diabetes, atherosclerosis and cancer.
Experimental models of blood vessels can therefore contribute significantly to better understand the various human diseases and drug development. Stem cells (for our purposes, short for “human induced pluripotent stem cells”) are a prime tool to create better experimental in vitro models of the vasculature and can be used in specialized devices to mimic the human physiological environment.
Dr. Marchetti will illustrate experimental models of the vascular system including the usage of primary endothelial cells and the novel blood vessel organoid technology, among other things, in the context of vascular disease.
About Our Speaker
Valentina Marchetti obtained her PhD in experimental physiopathology at the University of Rome (Tor Vergata) Italy. She subsequently moved to the USA where she spent 5 years as post-doctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute, studying the usage of stem cells and myeloid cells for treating diabetic retinopathies and neurodegenerative diseases of the eye.
In the last 8 years she has been working in an industry environment, at STEMCELL Technologies, Vancouver, Canada, where she is responsible for establishing, validating and developing products for supporting endothelial stem cell biology research. In the last year she has also been extensively collaborating with several laboratories and has been an active part of an international group investigating the new SARS-COV-2 role in vascular diseases.
She has recently been appointed Adjunct Professor, in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University. She is the author of numerous publications on key regulators of insulin resistance, vascular inflammation and microvascular complications related to cardiovascular diseases, as well as the roles of stem cells in diabetic retinopathies and cell therapy applications.
I have more details such as the agenda (from the March 18, 2022 email),
Evening Agenda
6:45 PM – BlueJeans Presentation link becomes active and registrants may join.
If you experience any technical details please email us at info@arpico.ca and we will attempt to assist you as best we can.
7:00 PM – Notes from Consul General of Italy, Fabio Messineo, introduction of & lecture by Dr. Valentina Marchetti
8:00 PM – Q & A Period via BlueJeans Chat
If participants wish to donate to ARPICO, this can be done within EventBrite; this would be greatly appreciated in order to help us continue to build upon our scholarship fund, and to defray the cost of the videoconferencing license.
Yes. If you have any questions, contact us at info@arpico.ca
I am having trouble using EventBrite and cannot reserve my ticket(s). Can someone at ARPICO help me with my ticket reservation?
Of course, simply send your ticket request to us at info@arpico.ca so we can help you.
Should you have any questions about videoconferenceing via the Bluejeans Meetings platform, just click through to the EventBrite page for APRICO’s April 13, 2022 event.
This event is for people who live in New York City but it has some features, which are available to anyone anywhere with English language skills who wants to learn more about artificial intelligence (AI).
We Are AI is a five-week course run as a learning circle by Peer-to-Peer University (P2PU). The goal of the course, which kicks off on March 24, 2022 is to introduce the general public to the basics of artificial intelligence (AI), discuss some of the social and ethical dimensions of its use in modern life, and empower individuals to engage with how AI is used and governed. No math, programming skills, or existing understanding of AI are required!
The in-person We Are AI program is offered by the Center for Responsible AI (R/AI) in partnership with Queens Public Library, one of the New York City public library systems. It will be led by Julia Stoyanovich, professor of computer science and engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, professor of data science at the NYU Center for Data Science, and director of NYU R/AI; and Eric Corbett, a Smart Cities postdoctoral research associate at Tandon’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (NYU CUSP).
AI systems, whose decision making processes are invisible to the public, increasingly determine what we read, what we buy, the entertainment we are offered, where we work, what kinds of medical care we receive and more. For citizens to have any meaningful influence over how AI is used as a social tool, they must have some familiarity with how these technologies work, their flaws, and where they are deployed.
“Artificial intelligence is used to make high-stakes decisions that affect all of us,” said Stoyanovich. “But too few citizens are aware of the influence of AI in their lives — in fact many are not even aware of the existence of these systems. We partnered with Queens Public Library and P2PU to help citizens get informed, empowered and active in shaping the laws that can determine how these frameworks are used, and also to help us learn how to get even better at teaching these critical subjects.”
Those interested in participating in We are AI can register here
The course uses everyday imagery and lay-friendly language to offer a primer on such topics as:
Algorithms, and how machine learning systems make predictions about the world based on past experience encoded in the data
Classifiers and how to design them
Ethics in AI
Racism and gender bias in decision making AI used in delivering online ads and hiring
“AI continues to profoundly transform the world we live in and it is essential for the public to have a deeper understanding of this powerful tool and the challenges it brings,” said Sharon Myrie, Vice President of Programs and Services at Queens Public Library. “We are thrilled to partner with the New York University Tandon Center for Responsible AI and Peer 2 Peer University to launch this relevant program, helping our customers navigate various aspects of this new technology.”
The Center for Responsible AI (R/AI) has more information about the program on its We Are AI webpage,
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Anyone can use this material to facilitate a learning group or educate themselves on the topic of AI. (No math, programming skills, or existing understanding of AI is required.)
This course is designed to be run as a learning circle: a facilitated study group for people who want to meet regularly and learn about a topic with others. There are no teachers or students in a learning circle—it is a group where everyone learns the material together. The learning circle’s facilitator decides the meeting schedule, keeps the group on task during meetings, and supports individual learners’ participation and goals. (Learn more about learning circle facilitation here.)
All of the materials, discussion prompts, and activities needed to run a group with minimal preparation are incorporated into this course. The flow of each meeting will vary but generally: participants will watch short instructional videos, discuss the subject matter, and complete short activities. There is no homework (only optional supplemental readings) so all work takes place during the meeting. Check each module for tips on facilitating specific material.
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How wonderful that they have made the materials available to everyone.
*Blog posting title “The “We are AI” series gives citizens a primer on AI with” had the word ‘with’ removed on April 4, 2022.
The world’s smallest car race will return to Toulouse (southwestern France) on 24-25 March. Eight international teams will be at the starting line for the competition. Christian Joachim, a CNRS [Centre national de la recherche scientifique] research professor and the event organiser, provides details regarding the issues involved.
Event: NanoCar Race II, March 24-25, 2022 at CEMES [Centre d’Élaboration de Matériaux et d’Etudes Structurales] (La Boule), in Toulouse. The race will be broadcast on the event’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkQixqt0xegeVEmo9y9gMXQ
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A March 7, 2022 CNRS press release written by Grégory Fléchet, which originated the news item, proceeds in an interview format accompanied by footnotes, Note 1: Links have been removed; Note 2: The press release is illustrated with numerous embedded images,
Five years after the first NanoCar Race, this new and – to say the least – unique race is finally returning to the CEMES.1 Why such a long wait?
Christian Joachim:2 The very first molecule-car race in April 2017 required four years of preparation. For this second edition, the call for applications was made in March 2018, with a view to holding the competition in Toulouse in 2020. In late 2019, the international organising committee selected 11 teams from the 23 statements of intent submitted from all continents. Everything was in place for the race to be held in the spring of 2020. Unfortunately the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, forcing us to put the event on standby until July 2021. After this long break, only eight teams remained. We interviewed them by videoconference in September 2021, with support from the French embassies in their respective countries as well as the CNRS offices abroad, in order to confirm their level of commitment. The eight teams then travelled to Toulouse on 23 November, 2021 to officially present their molecule-car during C’NANO 2021. Together we set a date for the race.
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How does the scanning tunneling microscope that will capture the images of the race and fuel the molecule-cars operate?
C. J.: We are mostly using the imaging function of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). With a single atom at its tip, this high-precision instrument can scan a material’s surface, while keeping that surface less than a nanometre away from the particle. At that distance, a “tunneling” current is established, on the order of 1 nanoampere for 1 volt of applied voltage. This weak current converted into an amplified voltage can stabilise the distance between the tip and the surface without them touching. This enables us to produce, line by line, an image of the observed material.
For greater precision, the scanning should be performed at a temperature near absolute zero, around -270 °C. This prevents the atoms that make up the track’s surface from being tossed about by thermal agitation. Once the molecule-car is on the racetrack, the driver uses the tip of the STM to supply energy and move the vehicle forward. To do this, the pilot can increase the voltage between the tip and the surface, or can leave the former at the same place on the molecule-car for a certain amount of time, between 100 milliseconds and a few seconds. In this latter scenario, the tunnel current’s small inelastic effect through the molecule-car increases the vibrational energy of some of its mechanical degrees of freedom, which moves the car forward step by step, generally a few hundred picometres at a time (1 pm=10-12m).
Can you describe the structure of the track on which the nanocars will race?
C. J.: The track was created on the surface of a pure gold crystal – in this case a pastille 8 mm in diameter – naturally featuring small grooves. These folds, which minimise the gold crystal’s surface energy, are arranged in straight lines of 100 to 200 nm, forming lanes for the molecule-cars. Track length differs from one gold pastille to another, as does the arrangement of narrow and wide grooves, which generally vary between 4-10 nm.
This layout depends on the preparation methods used by each competitor. At the end of each straight line in a given track, groups of atoms on the surface shift slightly, thereby creating a small bend – measuring between 4-5 nm with a curve of 20-30° – that connects it with the next straight line. This is the chief difficulty of the race, as a molecule-car can easily end up stuck on a bend. During the first NanoCar Race, drivers noticed that the most effective way to negotiate a turn was to bypass it on the right or left by following the next track.
This year eight teams will compete.4 What do their nanocars look like?
C. J.: Some molecule-cars, like the one from the Strasbourg Institute of Chemistry, have two wheels and a central chassis. Others, including that developed by the Spanish team from the Nanoscience IMDEA, have four wheels attached to a chassis. Those of the Japanese and French-Japanese teams have two wheels with paddles, and a foot at the back to protect the chassis from being crushed against the track’s surface. A dipole moment can be included in the frame via a small chemical grouping located at the front of the molecule. The prototype from Ohio University has two enormous wheels attached to a narrow chassis. The latter remains an essential feature regardless of the vehicle’s chemical structure. By raising the molecular structure to which the wheels or paddles are attached, the chassis reduces the molecule-car’s interactions with the track’s surface.
Festival in Indonesia and exhibition in Forum Wissen Göttingen [Germany]
Keeping the environment unspoilt, promoting social equality and strengthening sustainability – this is what connects researchers from the University of Göttingen and the university in Jambi on Sumatra with artists from Indonesia and documenta fifteen. Together, they are organising a festival in Permatang Kabau, a village on the island of Sumatra, as part of a collaboration for the contemporary art exhibition documenta, which will be held this year for the fifteenth time. The festival of Semah Bumi (balancing, serving, seeding) will feature concerts, art exhibitions and theatre performances from 12 to 13 March 2022. Starting with the question “What do we want our village to look like in twenty years?”, the participants will formulate their wishes for the future and develop common goals from the perspective of sustainability in the region.
“The holistic approach of our research offers a variety of opportunities to answer questions about sustainability and human-environment interactions from an artistic perspective,” says Professor Alexander Knohl, head of the Bioclimatology Research Group at Göttingen University. The Collaborative Research Centre EFForTS brings more than one hundred researchers from Indonesia and Göttingen together to study the changing ecological and socioeconomic functions of tropical lowland rainforests. They work to find out how the inhabitants of Sumatra can use their land more sustainably, promote biodiversity and, at the same time, meet the local needs.
The village of Pematang Kabau is the perfect spot for this: years ago there were extensive tropical forests there, but today the landscape is dominated by rubber and oil palm plantations. The effects of change are therefore also the focus of the Semah Bumi festival. “This festival connects art, science, nature and society,” says Adhari Donora from Rumah Budaya Sikukeluang, a collective of artists from Sumatra, who are responsible for the artistic conception of the festival. The artists – including Rani Jambak, Helmi Hardian, Uncle Twist and Ismet Raja Tengah Malam – and the researchers want to exchange information with the local community about the latest findings in sustainability research. In addition, they plan to initiate a long-term project, based on local experience, to mix palm oil monocultures with native tree species. Documenta fifteen is supporting this project along with many long-term sustainability projects and one euro from every documenta fifteen ticket sold will go towards these.
The results will be on display at an exhibition at the Forum Wissen Göttingen from June 2022. In parallel to documenta fifteen, visitors will be able to experience the social and ecological dimensions of research in Indonesia from different perspectives.
The project’s overall aim is to explore and implement more sustainable land use and value chain management in two villages in Jambi Province, Indonesia, starting in the village of Pematang Kabau. The results will be presented to the public at Forum Wissen in Göttingen in 2022, taking place at the same time as documenta fifteen.
In March 2022, the first two workshops of this long-term sustainability project will occur during the Semah Bumi Festival in Pematang Kabau. Participants are invited to reflect on their hopes for Pematang Kabau and to try and develop a common vision for the future in answer to the question, “What should our village look like in twenty years?”
The organizers have provide a visual image,
Semah Bumi Festival of Science, Nature, Society and the Arts, Jambi, Indonesia, 2022
Getting back to the Semah Bumi webpage on the Documenta Fifteen website,
The Sustainable Village Project’s research experiences a stronger local anchor through its collaboration with the festival, hosted by the artist collective Rumah Budaya Sikukeluang from the province of Riau in Sumatra.
Various artists will undertake a residency in Pematang Kabau a month before the start of the festival. During this time, they will work collectively to observe, recognize, and experience the local environment and its community while having access to the research of the Sustainable Village Project. Later, the artists and collectives in residence will produce artworks based on their explorations and collaborate on one shared project, which will be led by the local participants and presented during the festival.
Documentation of these works and their development can be found on the Instagram accounts of @sikukeluang and @semahbumi.
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It doesn’t look like there will be a livestreaming or online events for those of us unable to attend Semah Bumi in person.
Collaborative Research Centre 990: Ecological and Socioeconomic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems (Sumatra, Indonesia) (Phase 3: 2020 – 2023)
Over the last decades, the lowlands of Jambi province in Sumatra (Indonesia) have undergone a major transformation from forests towards a cash crop-dominated landscape of rubber and oil palm plantations. EFForTS is a Collaborative Research Centre 990 funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) that investigates the ecological and socio-economic effects of such transformation based on research carried out in the Bukit Duabelas and Hutan Harapan area in Jambi province focusing on smallholder systems.
In the EFForTS project, more than 160 researchers from the University of Göttingen in Germany and the Indonesian universities IPB University (Bogor), UNTAD (Tadulako University, Palu) and UNJA (University of Jambi) work in close cooperation, representing a wide range of disciplines including ecology, forestry, agriculture, remote sensing, economics, human geography, and cultural anthropology.
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The art bit
There are two artist collectives involved. Rumah Budaya Sikukeluang in Sumatra is hosting the Semah Bumi festival and workshops (March 12 – 13, 2022) in Pematang Kabau, Indonesia. ruangrupa, a Jakarta-based artist collective, is providing artistic direction for documenta 15 (June 8, – September 25, 2022 in Kassel, Germany).
Before describing documenta 15, here’s an introduction to documenta (from its Wikipedia essay), Note: Links have been removed,
documenta is an exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultural Show) which took place in Kassel at that time.[1] It was an attempt to bring Germany up to speed with modern art, both banishing and repressing the cultural darkness of Nazism.[2] This first documenta featured many artists who are generally considered to have had a significant influence on modern art (such as Picasso and Kandinsky). The more recent documentas feature art from all continents; nonetheless most of it is site-specific.
Every documenta is limited to 100 days of exhibition, which is why it is often referred to as the “museum of 100 days”.[3] Documenta is not a selling exhibition. It rarely coincides with the three other major art world events: the Venice Biennale, Art Basel and Skulptur Projekte Münster, but in 2017, all four were open simultaneously.
ruangrupa is the Artistic Direction of the fifteenth edition of documenta. The Jakarta-based artists’ collective has built the foundation of their documenta fifteen on the core values and ideas of lumbung (Indonesian term for a communal rice barn). lumbung as an artistic and economic model is rooted in principles such as collectivity, communal resource sharing, and equal allocation, and is embodied in all parts of the collaboration and the exhibition.
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In parallel with Kassel-based documenta 15 (June 8, – September 25, 2022), Forum Wissen, an academic museum, at the University of Göttingen, will display results from the Semah Bumi Festival and workshops held in Indonesia.
Apparently Stephen Hawking (1942-2018), the renowned British physicist, left behind a mystery. From a February 11, 2022 posting by Bill Young on tellyspotting.kera.org blog,
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While the Cambridge [University of Cambridge] cosmologist devoted his life to the conundrums of the cosmos, he left behind a mystery of his own amid the eclectic contents of his former office centering around his treasured blackboard that famously became smothered with cartoons, doodles and equations at a superspace and supergravity conference he arranged four decades ago in 1980.
What all the blackboard graffiti and in-jokes [emphasis mine] mean, however, is taking some time to unravel and has all the makings of a mystery that, ultimately, might prove even too much for the minds of Endeavour Morse, DCI John Barnaby, Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes to solve.
Today [January 8, 2022], on what would have been Professor Stephen Hawking’s 80th birthday, the Science Museum Group has announced a new temporary display, Stephen Hawking at Work, which will explore Hawking’s remarkable life as a scientist, science communicator, and as a person who lived with motor neurone disease. Opening on Thursday 10 February at the Science Museum, the display will feature significant objects from Hawking’s office, the extraordinary contents of which were acquired for the nation by the Science Museum Group in May 2021 through the UK Government’s Acceptance in Lieu scheme. These important items will provide insights into a scientist who challenged perceptions of theoretical physics with a playful, imaginative and social approach to work.
In Stephen Hawking at Work,visitors can see Hawking’s rare PhD thesis, his spectacles adapted to aid communication and even an invitation to the time travellers’ party Hawking hosted. Visitors across the country will be able to study these fascinating items up close for the first time as the display embarks on a tour of the Science Museum Group’s museums, opening next at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester later this summer. The display is expected to tour the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, the National Railway Museum in York and Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham, during 2023 and 2024. Global audiences will be able to explore hundreds of remarkable items from Hawking’s working life as this significant acquisition is catalogued, photographed and published to the Science Museum Group’s popular online collection in 2022.
Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries said: ‘I am thrilled the Science Museum Group, in its exciting new display, will be honouring the birthday of one of the greatest British scientists ever to have lived.
Our Acceptance in Lieu Scheme exists exactly so that works of national importance can be saved for the nation, and it’s fantastic that these objects will now go on public display across the country to inspire a new generation of thinkers and scientists.’
As a scientist, Hawking took a playful approach to collaboration. This is exemplified through one of Hawking’s most treasured possessions: a doodle-covered blackboard from the Superspace and Supergravity conference in 1980. Delegates covered the blackboard in equations, cartoons and jokes about each other. Hawking had this souvenir framed and hung in his office and now, forty years later, the Science Museum’s conservators have stabilised the chalk dust so it can continue to be enjoyed by those who see it.
Hawking’s sense of humour is further illustrated by one of his favourite pastimes, making bets with his peers on scientific debates. Perhaps the most famous is the Black Hole Information Paradox bet he made with Kip Thorne and John Preskill and visitors can see the wager Hawking signed with his thumbprint.
The display will also contain one of only five known copies of Hawking’s PhD thesis. This significant thesis examined possible solutions to Einstein’s equations of general relativity to demonstrate that the universe must have originated in a singularity, a single point of infinite density. The thesis also provides an early example of Hawking’s clear writing style when dealing with complex ideas – a style which ultimately enabled him to become a compelling communicator of science.
Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said: ‘Stephen Hawking had a lifelong relationship with the Science Museum—from visiting as a child to receiving a museum Fellowship for his contributions to science—so I’m thrilled we are placing objects from his office, a hub of scientific debate and discovery, on display for the first time. These remarkable items will go on to tour the Science Museum Group, enabling visitors across the country to be inspired by and gain insights into one of the greatest scientists of our age.’
From his bestselling books to his unmissable cameos in popular television shows, Hawking used a huge breadth of channels to inspire and advocate for making complex scientific theories accessible to the wider public. On display in Stephen Hawking at Work will be a photograph from the set of Hawking’s guest appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the episode, Hawking—the only person to play themselves in the Star Trek universe—joins a game of poker as a hologram with Lt Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Isaac Newton (John Neville) and Albert Einstein (Jim Norton).
Hawking believed in the importance of debate and discussing topics with others who might disagree. His readiness to engage in discussions and understand the viewpoints of others is symbolised by the insignia given to him in 1986 on becoming a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences [a scientific academy of Vatican City], which will also be on display. The medal is a reminder of Hawking’s ability to inspire communities far beyond the world of theoretical physics.
Stephen Hawking at Work also explores Hawking’s experience of motor neurone disease. Initially given a two-year prognosis when diagnosed, Hawking lived with the disease for more than five decades. From the late 1960s he used a wheelchair and from 1986 Hawking used a voice synthesiser after an emergency tracheotomy meant he could no longer speak. On display will be the latest generation of wheelchair used by Hawking: the Permobil F3 model. Jonathan Wood, Hawking’s graduate assistant, noted it was far more than just a wheelchair – it was also his voice, how he communicated his ideas to the world, his ventilation support and his mobile office.
Hawking’s innovative communication systems demonstrate how technology was adapted to accommodate changing needs over the course of his life. Visitors will see Hawking’s earliest voice synthesiser, adapted to hang on the back of his wheelchair and his spectacles which had an analogue cheek sensor to control his voice software.
If you are unable to get to any of the locations where the exhibit will be available, the Science Museum has some of the objects displayed online.
This ‘day’ was first declared by the United Nations in 2015 making February 11, 2022 the eighth annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Here’s my list (not exhaustive) of websites and events honoring women in science.
Canada
Ingenium, the umbrella organization for Canada’s national science museums (the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, Canada Aviation and Space Museum and the Canada Science and Technology Museum) doesn’t seem to have recognized the day with any special webpages or events but it does have a Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) webspace featuring a slide show, posters, videos and more which highlight women’s contributions.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022
At the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, we honour the work of women in science on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
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A unique path to a scientific career
Lucy Harrison is a Project Manager in Vancouver. Find out how scuba diving with her father at 12 years old sparked her interest in marine biology and led her on a very unique career path.
Her studies include a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Plymouth in Marine Biology and a Master’s Degree from Simon Fraser University in Tropical Marine Ecology.
Problem-solving and learning by science-based experience
Lynette Esak is a Project Manager in Edmonton. Lynette’s drive to solve puzzles made her a natural fit for a career in the sciences.
Her studies include a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with focus on plants, soils and economics, and a Master of Science in Soil Science, both from the University of Alberta.
Social science and impact assessment
Marion Doull is a Senior Policy Analyst in Ottawa. She provides subject matter expertise on health and gender-based analysis plus.
Her studies include a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Ottawa, a Master’s of Health Sciences in Health Promotion from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in Population Health from the University of Ottawa.
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The confidence to act on our dreams
Hayet Laggoune is a scientist who works as an Analyst in Ottawa. Hayet’s curiosity to understand the world around her and explore its wonders led her to a career in the sciences.
She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in applied sciences in renewable energies from the Université de Constantine in Algeria and a doctorate in engineering in image processing from the Université de Bourgogne in France.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) has a February 11, 2022 media release celebrating the day with stories about “How UBC women in STEM are supporting each other to succeed.”
Over the past two years, women have led ground-breaking research into public health, vaccines and innovative technology, alongside working on the front lines of Covid-19 response as scientists, health care workers and more.
Yet according to UNESCO’s forthcoming Science Report only 33 per cent of researchers are currently women. And due to the pandemic, the gender gap in science and technology is poised to widen.
Implemented by UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization] and the United Nations, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11th February [2022]), recognises the critical role women and girls play in science and technology, and aims to promote full and equal access and participation for women and girls in science.
Here, some of UCL’s female academics explain why having equality in the field is so important.
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United States
The (US) National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) is hosting its Discover Engineers Week from February 20 – 26, 2022 and this year’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering (Girls Day) is being held February 24, 2022.
This still relevant infographic was produced by the Ohio University’s Online Master of Civil Engineering program according to an October 22, 2020 blog posting (scroll down to the “Add This Infographic to Your Site” subhead if you’d like a copy) on the program’s website.
This 2016 video conveys some of the excitement of the Introduce a Girl to Engineering (Girls Day), “Meet Victoria Ibarra. She attended her first “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” at The University of Texas at Austin when she was 10 years old,”
Brava to the women and girls in STEM around the world.
Thanks to Rebecca Bollwitt at miss604.com for her February 2, 2022 posting about the upcoming STEAM event for girls at Vancouver’s Science World,
Back by popular demand, Science World’s Girls and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & design, Math) event returns with a multi-day format and a keynote by activist and engineering Student, Alexis Williams.
This year, the keynote on February 26 will be delivered by Alexis Williams, activist and student at the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University, who combined her coding skills with her passion for activism to create pb-resources.com, an anti-racism toolkit that teaches users about allyship and Black history, and encourages direct action.
“I look forward to sharing my experiences as a woman in STEM and how being a member of marginalized communities contributes to the work I do,” said Alexis Williams. “Sharing the importance of applying your skills and privilege toward supporting communities and topics you are passionate about is something I really hope comes across in my keynote speech. I look forward to inspiring this group and know I’ll be inspired by their hard work and drive as well.”
This is the fifth year of Girls and STEAM, and this year’s format has a new spin with mentorship events on Tuesday and Thursday and a keynote event on Saturday. Science World has expanded this event due to the demand for more events that support and nurture the development of girls and women in STEAM careers. There are over 32 breakout rooms for the girls to attend, with over 100 mentors.
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Bollwitt’s February 2, 2022 posting also describes a 20 minute workshop being offered by BGC Engineering for this year where participants will try to solve an geoengineering mystery involving a landslide.
One quick observation, last year’s event was held in November (see my November 1, 2021 posting). Maybe they’re organizing different annual events for different age groups? The November 2021 event was for girls aged 11-13.
With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST; Webb Telescope) on December 25, 2021, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been all over the news for over a month as the telescope has unfolded itself to take its position in space.
In celebration of the Webb Telescope’s successful launch and unfolding process, NASA has announced an art/science (also known as, art/sci or sciart) has issued an extension to an art/sci challenge (I don’t know when it was first announced),
NASA’s biggest and most powerful space telescope ever launched on Dec. 25, 2021! The James Webb Space Telescope, or Webb, will be orbiting a million miles away to reveal the universe as never seen before. It will look at the first stars and galaxies, study distant planets around other stars, solve mysteries in our solar system and discover what we can’t even imagine. Its revolutionary technology will be able to look back in time at 13.5 billion years of our cosmic history.
Show us what you believe the Webb telescope will reveal by creating art. You can draw, paint, sing, write, dance — the universe is the limit! Share a picture or video of you and your creation with the hashtag #UnfoldTheUniverse for a chance to be featured on NASA’s website and social media channels.
How to Participate
1. Use any art supplies you’d like to create art. The art could be a drawing, song, poem, dance or something else! Check out the resources linked below for inspiration.
2. Take a picture of you holding your art, or film a less than one-minute video of you describing or performing your art.
3. Share your photo or video on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #UnfoldTheUniverse for a chance to be featured on NASA’s website and social media accounts!
4. If your submission catches our eye, we’ll be in touch to obtain permission for it to be considered for NASA digital products.
Deadline for Submissions EXTENDED: Good news! We will now keep the #UnfoldTheUniverse art challenge open through the return of our first science images, expected to be about six months after launch. Keep your submissions coming – we love seeing your creativity!
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope and an international collaboration among NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).[8] [emphasis mine] The telescope is named after James E. Webb,[9] who was the administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968 and played an integral role in the Apollo program.[10][11] It is intended to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s flagship mission in astrophysics.[12][13] JWST was launched on 25 December 2021 on Ariane flight VA256. It is designed to provide improved infrared resolution and sensitivity over Hubble, viewing objects up to 100 times fainter than the faintest objects detectable by Hubble.[14] This will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as observations up to redshift z≈20[14] of some of the oldest and most distant objects and events in the Universe (including the first stars and the formation of the first galaxies), and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.
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Features
The James Webb Space Telescope has a mass about half of Hubble Space Telescope’s, but a 6.5 m (21 ft)-diameter gold-coated beryllium primary mirror made of 18 hexagonal mirrors, giving it a total size over six times as large as Hubble’s 2.4 m (7.9 ft). Of this, 0.9 m2 (9.7 sq ft) is obscured by the secondary support struts,[45] making its actual light collecting area about 5.6 times larger than Hubble’s 4.525 m2 (48.71 sq ft) collecting area. Beryllium is a very stiff, hard, lightweight metal often used in aerospace that is non-magnetic and keeps its shape accurately in an ultra-cold environment[46] – it has a specific stiffness (rigidity) six times that of steel or titanium,[47] while being 30% lighter in weight than aluminium. The gold coating provides infrared reflectivity and durability.
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Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was very interested in space and the aeronautics industry and, accordingly, his government invested in the JWST.
