Perimeter institute for Theoretical Physics (located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) is presenting one of its public lectures according to a March 31, 2023 PI announcement (received via email),
The Jazz of Physics FRIDAY, APRIL 14 [2023] at 7:00 pm ET Stephon Alexander, Brown University
Take a musical journey of the mind and the cosmos with scientist and musician Stephon Alexander. A professor of physics at Brown University, Alexander began his journey to science in high school, where a teacher introduced him to the magic of jazz, fostering a connection between John Coltrane and Albert Einstein.
In his April 14 [2023] lecture, Alexander will demonstrate how the search for answers to deep cosmological puzzles has parallels to jazz improvisation. He will also explore new ways that music, particularly jazz, mirrors concepts in modern physics such as quantum mechanics, general relativity, and the early universe.
The Black Hole Bistro will not be available for dinner service the evening of the event.
Don’t forget to try to sign into your PI account before Monday morning, so you are ready when tickets go on sale.
If you didn’t get tickets for the lecture, not to worry – you can always catch the livestream on Inside the Perimeter or watch it on YouTube after the fact.
I checked and, at this point, you have to go on a waiting list for tickets. Here’s more about the process and your other options, from the The Jazz of Physics event page,
Waiting Line On the night of the lecture, there will be a waiting line at Perimeter for last minute cancelled tickets. Come to Perimeter after 6:00 PM and pick up a waiting line chit from the ticket table. While you wait, participate in pre-lecture activities. An announcement will be made in the Atrium at 6:50 PM if theatre seats are available. Note: You must arrive in person to be part of the waiting line, and be in the Atrium when the announcement is made.
No Disappointments Everyone who comes to Perimeter will be able to enjoy this lecture. If you do not manage to obtain a theatre ticket, you can join our waiting line and watch live from the quiet of the Time Room.
Live Webcast
All of our lectures are streamed live. You can watch the live stream of this lecture here [not yet active; check on day of event], or watch the recordings at your leisure on our YouTube Channel.
Stephon Alexander has his own website here where you’ll find (amongst other things like his TEDx talk and various interviews; he doesn’t seem to have updated the content since 2022) his 2021 book “Fear of a Black Universe; An Outsider’s Guide to the Future of Physics.” You can see what Kirkus Reviews had to say about the book here.
Uncredited image promoting Poetry Night [downloaded from: https://mailchi.mp/e40a5373a9cd/dont-miss-artscisalon-poetry-night?e=ee5b8cc3f5]
Is there some sort of misunderstanding between Toronto’s ArtSci Salon and the Onsite Gallery at OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design) University)?
Previously, I featured a series organized around the ‘more-than’human’ exhibition at the Onsite Gallery which included events being held by the ArtSci Salon in my February 1, 2023 posting. This morning (April 3, 2023), I received, via email, an April 2, 2023 ArtSci Salon announcement about some upcoming events for the ‘Re-situating: more-than-human’ event series (sigh), Note 1: They’ve added a poet to the Poetry Night, added more detail to the May 2023 excursion, and added a call for projects; Note 2: The Onsite Gallery continues call to it the ‘more-than-human’ exhibition,
Poetry Night Wednesday, April 5 [2023] – 7:30-9:30
An immersive poetry performance that involves three poets reading poems and a site-specific live projection mapping response created by artist Ilze Briede (Kavi). Come to this in-depth and unique event of deep listening and embodied experience!
Dr. Madhur Anand, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph Dr. Karen Houle, College of arts, University of Guelph
Liz Howard, Department of English, Concordia University
Projection mapping by Ilze Briede (Kavi) PhD student, York University
Don’t forget next event of the Re-Situating series:
The rare Charitable Research Reserve is an urban land trust and environmental institute in Waterloo Region/Wellington, protecting over 1,200 acres of highly sensitive lands.
This event follows and concludes several interdisciplinary dialogues on ethics of care, ecology, symbiosis, and human-plant relations. We weave together embodied discovery and sensory experience ; listening and thinking about the ethical and material implications of recognizing non-human individuals as valuable ; as well as different disciplines, epistemologies, positionalities. Our goal is to acquire better awareness of the ecological community to which we belong, with the intention of rethinking and resituating the human within a diverse, complex, and multifaceted ecosystem of other-than-human lifeforms.
The day will begin with a panel between artists and scientists investigating the social, economic, and natural complexities affecting both human and plant-life. The afternoon events will include a 30-minute walk through the wetlands at rare (wetland as carbon sinks), a Master Class led by Dr. Alice Jarry (the design of plant-based air filtration), and a rare led walk following the ecological lichen monitoring.
IMPORTANT! Bus will leave for rare at 9 am and will return to Toronto at 5:30 pm.
Please, note: Tickets are limited. Should you not be able to attend, please let us know so we can free up the space for someone else.
We require a nominal registration fee of $5 which will be refunded on the day of the event.
PROGRAM
Sunday, May 7 [2023] – 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Meeting place: Onsite gallery, 199 Richmond Street West.
11:00 am-12:30 pm: Panel
Sumia Ali, McMaster University
Grace Grothaus, PhD candidate, York University
Dr. Alice Jarry, Speculative Life BioLab, Concordia University
Dr. Marissa Davis, University of Waterloo
12:30-1:30pm: lunch – catered
1:30-2:15 Wetlands walk
2:30-4:15 Workshop
Dr. Alice Jarry, Speculative Life BioLab, Concordia University – Plant based filtration systems
4:30-5:15 The lichen monitoring walk. This program at rare is one of several long-term ecological monitoring programs yielding valuable baseline data and can help to identify critical changes in ecosystem dynamics.
5:30 – return to Toronto
For more information and for media inquiries please contact Roberta Buiani – ArtSci Salon, The Fields Institute roberta.buiani@utoronto.ca Jane Tingley – Slolab, York University jtingley@yorku.ca
The call
From the April 2, 2023 ArtSci Salon announcement (received via email),
call for GLAM Incubator projects for 2023 – 2024
For more information about the Call for Projects please visit the GLAM Incubator’s website For specific questions about the Incubator or this year’s call, please email me directly at p.keilty@utoronto.ca. I am happy to answer any questions you or any potential partner organizations might have.
Great idea to have this acronym for a set of institutions that don’t usually inspire fun, slang adjectives. Here’s more about GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) incubator from its homepage on the University of Toronto website,
The GLAM Incubator is a research and support hub that connects galleries, libraries, archives, and museums with industry partners, researchers, and students to advance the development of seedling projects that benefit cultural institutions, industry, and the research and teaching goals of universities worldwide. The overarching goal of the Incubator is to provide support to experimental projects that benefit the GLAM industries and engages students. It provides the broader context and overarching structure for an ongoing series of responsive, finite, cross-sector action research collaborations. A collaboration between the Faculty of Information and the Knowledge Media Design Institute at the University of Toronto, the GLAM Incubator provides space, administrative assistance, research expertise, equipment, event facilitation, limited funding, and knowledge mobilization.
Each year, the GLAM Incubator puts out a Call for Projects from GLAM institutions for small-scale projects that experiment or incubate new programming, service models, interactive experiences, technical services, knowledge media, and user interfaces that will have an impact on GLAM institutions or professions more broadly. Please consult our Call for Projects page for more information.
The GLAM Incubator is a theory and innovation lab dedicated to launching and supporting small-scale projects focused on the development of cutting-edge programming, service models, interactive experiences, knowledge media, and user interfaces that address a specific issue or opportunity associated with emerging technologies within the GLAM sector. The themes and contents of the projects supported by the Incubator evolve in keeping with shifting technological developments and in response to the fluctuating needs and concerns of the various stakeholders involved in the cultural industry sectors (professionals, patrons, funders).
The Incubator will use its resources and infrastructure to run multiple projects concurrently. In addition to meeting the above criteria, projects will demonstrate a capacity to engage a diversity of stakeholders, as well as new and existing community partners. Projects will be “small-scale,” with a well-bounded research design (e.g. a study addressing a specific issue or timed opportunity faced by a community or industry partner) and short-term (1-3 years) duration. Active projects will be set up in a “doored lab,” either dedicated or shared. The Incubator will purchase or assist with the purchase of technological equipment and software required for the research. It will assist with administrative tasks and knowledge mobilization activities, as described in more detail below. It will provide in-kind support to help project leads secure external grants to fund other costs associated with the research (including research assistant salaries, conference travel, etc.). In exchange, project leads and their teams will ensure that a significant proportion of the research activities occur within that space.
Project teams must participate in an annual Symposium and engage their research and results in Incubator-supported knowledge mobilization activities, public or community outreach activities, and student engagement opportunities, where applicable.
Incubator projects will be selected through an application process.
Two-page description of the project that includes an explanation of the project’s purpose and impact on a GLAM industry or profession;
Resume(s) of the lead applicant(s);
A list of collaborators including brief biographies or descriptive information
Sustainability for continuing the project after incubation
A list of potential equipment, space, administrative, and funding needs.
We also welcome inquiries from potential applicants.
Enjoy the events and good luck with your submission to GLAM.
Should you be interested in an ArtSci Salon event (and part of whatever this series and exhibition is being called), titled ‘On Ethics of Care’, held in late March 2023, there’s an embedded two hour video on their ‘Re-situating: more-than-human’ webpage,
I very rarely get a chance to feature science from Latin America and the Caribbean, largely due to my lack of Spanish, Portuguese, or Dutch language skills. So, you might say I’m desperate to find something, which explains, at least in part, why I’m posting about the 12th World Conference (WCSJ).
The opening day [March 27, 2023] of the World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ) 2023 in Medellín, Colombia saw hundreds of journalists from 62 countries come together in the stunning setting of the city’s Jardin Botanico.
Over 500 attendees will gather over three days to discuss science journalism, to challenge ideas and to reinforce their professional networks and friendships.
The day began with a keynote on biodiversity delivered by Brigitte Baptiste, a Colombian biologist and expert in biodiversity issues. And it closed with an opening ceremony and vibrant social event for attendees.
Both took place under open skies in the Jardin’s orquideorama, an open air meshwork of flower-tree structures surrounded by trees, butterflies and with a backdrop of birdsong.
Two other plenaries focused on scientific advice and news from Amazonia. The morning’s parallel panels covered Latin American and international collaboration, with discussions from Latin American women researchers, reporting on science, health and the environment in the region and what the world can learn from Latin American and the Caribbean early warning alerts systems. The afternoon saw discussions on COVID-19, popular science writing and astronomy.
The conference continues until Friday when there are scientific tours and excursions that provide the opportunity to visit local research teams and find out more about science in the region.
According to WWF, Colombia is the most biodiverse country per square kilometre in the world. It is also the country with the largest number of bird species — over 1,900 — and the greatest number of butterfly species — over 3,600 or 20% butterfly species.
Milica Momcilovic, President of the World Federation of Science Journalists said: “Independent journalism is the lifeblood of democracy and our focus at the Federation is, and will continue to be, supporting independent science journalism around the world. I have seen first hand how talented science journalists can change the world for the better and during this conference they will tell us these stories in person.”
Ximena Serrano Gil, Director of the Medellín conference said: “Colombia and Medellin are a biodiversity hotspot, an unrivalled laboratory for helping other nations adapt to climate change, a model for how to feed populations in rapidly changing tropical environments, and a cultural repository where thousands of years of indigenous peoples’ knowledge can make a lasting contribution to the wisdom of future generations.”
She continued: “The opportunity to share ideas and collaborate with others is invaluable and we must continue to create platforms that facilitate these interactions. I hope that other places in the global south will have the opportunity to host the WCSJ.”
Over the past two decades, the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) has mounted the WCSJ every other year. The event has been held in cities across the globe, and the current edition in Medellín, Colombia, was postponed from 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each gathering lasts about a week and attracts hundreds of participants from the WFSJ membership, including some 10,000 science writers in 51 countries.
This conference has been put together with a specific focus on the global south and on amplifying new voices from science journalist communities.
The programme has something that interests me, a talk on brain organoids according to a March 17, 2023 WCSJ press release, Note: Links have been removed,
Food security, organoid intelligence, local tours and scientific excursions
Plenary: Challenges to food security in the face of global catastrophe risks
In times of crisis and global risks, very few issues have as many factors feeding into them as food security. The integrative measures envisaged by various global players link the actions that are needed to meet the challenges we face. These should be considered in terms of technology, economics and security to ensure the future of food security, but also how science validates the environmental the environmental impact and guarantees the viability of the processes.
Jennifer Wiegel is the Sub Regional Manager for Central America and a scientist in the Food Environment and Consumer Behavior research area of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT [International Center for Tropical Agriculture]. Her research includes work on agri-food systems, food markets and value chains for inclusion and sustainability and public procurement. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s in Rural Sociology from the same University.
Juan Fernando Zuluaga is the National Territorial Coordinator for Antioquia. He has a PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Antioquia and a Master in RuralEconomics from the Federal University of Ceará-Brazil. Juan is a specialist in finance from the Latin American Autonomous University and Agricultural Engineer from the National University of Medellín.
Thomas Hartung, MD, PhD. Professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering and Professor for Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Konstanz, Germany. He is leading the revolution in toxicology to move away from 50+ year old animal testing to organoid cultures and the use of artificial intelligence.
New keynote
Climate change: How to embroider the risks that put the stability of the most vulnerable at risk
Paola Andrea Arias Gómez is Professor of the Environmental School of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Antioquia. In 2021 she was El Espectador’s Person of the Year and received the Medellin Council’s Orchid Award for Scientific Merit.
Paola completed her undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Water Resources Development at the National University of Colombia, Medellin. She was Head of the Environmental School of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Antioquia and is now a member of the First Working Group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She is also a member of the GEWEX Hydroclimatology Panel (GHP), the Amazon Regional Hydrogeomorphology Working Group (UNESCO) and the WCRP Science Plan Development Team (WCRP) Lighthouse Activities – My Climate Risk.
Parallel session:
In conversation: “Organoid intelligence”: the future of modern computing from human brain cells. [sic]
Biocomputing is a huge effort to compact computational power and increase its efficiency to overcome current technological limits. Researchers at Johns Hopkins delve into this technology that may one day produce computers that are faster, more efficient and more powerful than silicon-based computing and AI.
Thomas Hartung, MD, PhD. will present the team’s latest research and discuss its context, implications and what his hopes are for the field.
Thomas Hartung is the Director of Centers for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT, http://caat.jhsph.edu) of both universities. CAAT hosts the secretariat of the Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration (http://www.ebtox.org) and manages collaborative programs on Good Read-Across Practice, Good Cell Culture Practice, Green Toxicology, Developmental Neurotoxicity, Developmental Immunotoxicity, Microphysiological Systems and Refinement.
…
I found another intriguing session (Story Corner: “Fusion Energy and Climate Change – The Conversation begins” by ITER) which was held on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 9:30 – 10:00 am during the coffee break. (For more about fusion energy, see my October 28, 2022 posting “Overview of fusion energy scene“.)
While it’s too late to sign up for the conference, you might find perusing the programme schedule provides some insight into issues being faced my science journalists outside the Canada/US bubble.
Reader question: I am 59 years old, and in reasonably good health. Is it possible that I will live long enough to put my brain into a computer? [from] Richard Dixon.
We often imagine that human consciousness is as simple as input and output of electrical signals within a network of processing units – therefore comparable to a computer. Reality, however, is much more complicated. For starters, we don’t actually know how much information the human brain can hold.
…
Guillaume Thierry’s (Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Bangor University in Bangor, Wales, UK) June 9, 2022 essay (on The Conversation) provides the rest of this fascinating answer (Note: Links have been removed),
Two years ago, a team at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, US, mapped the 3D structure of all the neurons (brain cells) comprised in one cubic millimetre of the brain of a mouse – a milestone considered extraordinary.
Within this minuscule cube of brain tissue, the size of a grain of sand, the researchers counted more than 100,000 neurons and more than a billion connections between them. They managed to record the corresponding information on computers, including the shape and configuration of each neuron and connection, which required two petabytes, or two million gigabytes of storage. And to do this, their automated microscopes had to collect 100 million images of 25,000 slices of the minuscule sample continuously over several months.
Now if this is what it takes to store the full physical information of neurons and their connections in one cubic millimetre of mouse brain, you can perhaps imagine that the collection of this information from the human brain is not going to be a walk in the park.
Data extraction and storage, however, is not the only challenge. For a computer to resemble the brain’s mode of operation, it would need to access any and all the stored information in a very short amount of time: the information would need to be stored in its random access memory (RAM), rather than on traditional hard disks. But if we tried to store the amount of data the researchers gathered in a computer’s RAM, it would occupy 12.5 times the capacity of the largest single-memory computer (a computer that is built around memory, rather than processing) ever built.
…
… If you were paying attention when I described the extraordinary achievement of researchers who managed to fully store the 3D structure of the network of neurons in a tiny bit of mouse brain, you will know that this was done from 25,000 (extremely thin) slices of tissue.
The same technique would have to be applied to your brain, because only very coarse information can be retrieved from brain scans. Information in the brain is stored in every detail of its physical structure of the connections between neurons: their size and shape, as well as the number and location of connections between them. But would you consent to your brain being sliced in that way?
Even if [you] would agree that we slice your brain into extremely thin slices, it is highly unlikely that the full volume of your brain could ever be cut with enough precision and be correctly “reassembled”. The brain of a man has a volume of about 1.26 million cubic millimetres.
…
There are more technical problems according to Thierry (Note: Links have been removed),
After we die, our brains quickly undergo major changes that are both chemical and structural. When neurons die they soon lose their ability to communicate, and their structural and functional properties are quickly modified – meaning that they no longer display the properties that they exhibit when we are alive. But even more problematic is the fact that our brain ages.
From the age of 20, we lose 85,000 neurons a day. But don’t worry (too much), we mostly lose neurons that have not found their use, they have not been solicited to get involved in any information processing. This triggers a programme to self-destruction (called apoptosis). In other words, several tens of thousands of our neurons kill themselves every day. Other neurons die because of exhaustion or infection.
This isn’t too much of an issue, though, because we have almost 100 billion neurons at the age of 20, and with such an attrition rate, we have merely lost 2-3% of our neurons by the age of 80. And provided we don’t contract a neurodegenerative disease, our brains can still represent our lifelong thinking style at that age. But what would be the right age to stop, scan and store?
Would you rather store an 80-year-old mind or a 20-year-old one? Attempting the storage of your mind too early would miss a lot of memories and experiences that would have defined you later. But then, attempting the transfer to a computer too late would run the risk of storing a mind with dementia, one that doesn’t quite “work” as well.
…
There are other technical issues but this is my favourite set of issues,
I may have a useful, albeit unexpected, answer to give you after all. I shall assume that you would want to transfer your mind to a computer in the hope of existing beyond your lifespan, that you’d like to continue existing inside a machine once your body can no longer implement your mind in your living brain.
If this hypothesis is correct, however, I must object. Imagining that all the impossible things listed above were one day resolved and your brain could literally be “copied” into a computer – allowing a complete simulation of the functioning of your brain – at the moment you decide to transfer, Richard Dixon would have ceased to exist. The mind image transferred to the computer would therefore not be any more alive than the computer hosting it.
That’s because living things such as humans and animals exist because they are alive. You may think that I just stated something utterly trivial, verging on stupidity, but if you think about it there is more to it than meets the eye. A living mind receives input from the world through the senses. It is attached to a body that feels based on physical sensations. This results in physical manifestations such as changes in heart rate, breathing and sweating, which in turn can be felt and contribute to the inner experience. How would this work for a computer without a body?
All such input and output isn’t likely to be easy to model, especially if the copied mind is isolated and there is no system to sense the environment and act in response to input. The brain seamlessly and constantly integrates signals from all the senses to produce internal representations, makes predictions about these representations, and ultimately creates conscious awareness (our feeling of being alive and being ourselves) in a way that is still a total mystery to us.
Without interaction with the world, however subtle and unconscious, how could the mind function even for a minute? And how could it evolve and change? If the mind, artificial or not, has no input or output, then it is devoid of life, just like a dead brain.
…
So no, no and no. I have tried to give you my (scientifically grounded) take on your question and even though it is a definite no from me, I hope to have helped alleviate your desire to ever have your brain put into a computer.
I wish you a long and healthy life, Richard, because that definitely is where your mind will exist and thrive for as long as it is implemented by your brain. May it bring you joy and dreams – something androids will never have.
I recommend reading the essay (if you have time) or even going to Thierry’s June 9, 2022 essay to view the embedded video about the mouse brain work mentioned at the beginning.
As to where this ‘reader question’ came from, this is a special ‘The Conversation’ series,
This article is part of Life’s Big Questions The Conversation’s series, co-published with BBC Future, seeks to answer our readers’ nagging questions about life, love, death and the universe. We work with professional researchers who have dedicated their lives to uncovering new perspectives on the questions that shape our lives.
This new book has been published by an organization with an organizational history that started in the United Kingdom (UK). Founded in 1910, it was called the Entomological Research Committee (Tropical Africa).
(Then, tor many years, CABI was known as the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, the Commonwealth Institute of Entomology, and the Commonwealth Mycological Institute before melding themselves together into to CAB, and more recently with the addition of the word international, as CABI or CAB International.)
Script’s new book aimed at helping to improve the communication of science in Africa has now been published. The book is available for free electronically and to buy in paperback in the CABI Digital Library.
‘Science Communication Skills for Journalists: A Resource Book for Universities in Africa,’ is edited and authored by Dr Charles Wendo who is himself a qualified vet and science journalist as well as Training Coordinator for SciDev.Net.
Further contributors to the book include Dr Abraham Kiprop Mulwo (Moi University, Kenya), Dr Darius Mukiza (University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania), and Dr Aisha Sembatya Nakiwala, Dr Samuel George Okech and Dr William Tayeebwa – the latter of whom are all from Makerere University in Uganda.
Future of science journalism
In the book Dr Abraham Kiprop Mulwo, Dean of the School of Information Sciences at Moi University, Kenya, reviews the current status and future of science journalism and communication in Africa.
Dr Wendo uses his detailed knowledge and experience in the field to package engaging and informative content for journalists, students of science journalism and communication, and educators.
The book, that was recently launched at a science journalism conference at Moi University, provides hands-on advice on the practice of science journalism. It also includes learning activities and discussion questions to deepen the readers’ understanding of the topic.
With 22 chapters of engaging content, the book is divided into two parts. Part 1 lays down the theoretical foundation of science communication while Part 2 has 16 chapters of hands-on advice about science journalism.
Real life experiences
Five academic papers are also included that identify, review and synthesize available literature and experiences on science journalism and communication issues in Africa.
The book also includes a case study detailing the experience of Makerere University in introducing science journalism and communication into their undergraduate and post-graduate curricula.
This is after some of the content of the book was tried and tested by lecturers at Makerere University, Nasarawa State University in Nigeria, Moi University and University of Dar es Salaam.
Samuel Musungu Muturi, a third-year student of journalism and media studies at Moi University, said science journalism training and the book will increase the relevance of journalists.
Bridging gaps in communication
Mr Muturi said, “This book is part of a training that will enable us to claim our position as journalists who are vital in the science communication process, bridging the gap between scientists, the public, and policymakers.”
‘Science Communication Skills for Journalists: A Resource Book for Universities in Africa,’ is published as part of SciDev.Net’s Script science communication training programme.
Script was funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. This is a free training and networking resource. It is aimed at journalists, scientists and anyone who wants to communicate science in an engaging and accurate way. The programme was launched in 2018 to bridge the gap in science communication in sub-Saharan Africa.
Emanuel Dandaura, Professor of Development Communication and Performance Aesthetics at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria, said, “Part of the challenge for scientists is to communicate often complex science to journalists who then help analyse and disseminate that information to a range of stakeholders including the general public.
“This new resource will go a long way towards bridging the gap in Africa between science communication and audiences, such as policymakers, who we hope will take heed of our findings for the betterment of society.”
Accurate and ethical reporting
At the launch event, Dr Wendo, who is also SciDev.Net’s Training Coordinator, discussed a paper on reporting science in a local language. He also chaired a session on the ethical reporting of science.
Dr Wendo said, “Science Communication Skills for Journalists: A Resource Book for Universities in Africa,’ equips the reader to not only understand often complex scientific findings but also to communicate research in layman’s terms.
“The book also highlights the need to take a critical and analytical viewpoint of new scientific endeavours to ensure that reporting is accurate, fair and balanced. This is particularly important in our age of ‘fake news’ and misleading information.”
You can view the book online for free here or order a paperback version for $65 (USD?) when it’s available.
Nakkazi (2012) reports on the growth of science journalism in Africa from the early 2000s. Whereas science journalism in the Global North was experiencing a crisis during this period, with science desks shutting down and science journalists changing to other news beats, the reverse was true in Africa [emphasis mine]. Editors in African countries cited an improvement in the number of journalists reporting science stories, the quality of stories and the number of media outlets with dedicated science space. Nakkazi attributes the growth of science journalism in Africa to the activities of professional associations: for example, SjCOOP, a science journalism training and mentoring programme run by the World Federation of Science Journalists. About 100 African journalists benefited from the programme between 2006 and 2012. During the same period several new science journalism associations were formed in Africa, and scientists’ trust in journalism increased. Lugalambi et al. (2011) also reported an improvement in the trust and engagement between scientists and journalists over time, with scientists being more willing than before to share information with journalists.
This positive outlook of science journalism in Africa was confirmed by the Global Science Journalism Report (Massarani et al., 2021). According to the report, science journalists in Africa were more satisfied with their work than those in most other parts of the world, even though most of them worked as freelancers, as opposed to being staff reporters.
You’ll find the excerpt above in the chapter titled: Current Status and Future of Science Journalism and Communication in Africa by Dr Abraham Kip.
The book offer a good basic grounding on science journalism and communication in Africa. Perhaps future editions will see the addition of South Africa; that omission was surprising to me since that country is the one that pops up most often on my radar. As for data visualization and other graphic arts as they relate science communication and journalism, that’s, in all probability, another book.
The first show to arrive will be Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (Scientific Training And Tactical Intelligence Operative Network) in March 2023 then, Bill Nye arrives with his new show in June 2023.
Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (Scientific Training And Tactical Intelligence Operative Network)
H/t to Rebecca Bollwitt’s November 23, 2022 posting on her Miss604 blog for information about this upcoming show (Note: A link has been removed),
…
After sold out runs and millions of fans in London, New York, Seoul, Paris, Singapore, China, Las Vegas, Toronto and India, Avengers: S.T.A.T.I.O.N., an interactive experience, is on its way to thrill audiences across BC. Guests will step into the world of the Avengers, discovering intelligence and cutting-edge science inspired by the Marvel Studios’ films. After completing their training, participants only have one thing left to do: Assemble!
Here are logistical details (from Bollwitt’s November 23, 2022 posting), Note: Links have been removed,
When: March 3 – May 28, 2023
Mon to Wed & Sunday 10:00am to 7:00pm
Thurs to Sat 10:00am to 9:00pm final entry 1 hour before close
Where: The Amazing Brentwood (4567 Lougheed Hwy, Burnaby)
Tickets: On sale November 24, 2022. Prices start at $29 for adults and $23 for children (plus ticketing fees), with discounts for students, seniors, and groups. VIP packages are also available.
Special Early Bird discount pricing is available until November 28 only. This is bound to be on someone’s holiday wish-list so make sure you buy early and save!
Bollwitt has a family pack to tickets to give away. Instructions for how to win are in her posting. Good luck!
I have tried to find more information about the exhibit since it is described as educational. Here’s the best I can do (from the Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. website),
About
AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (Scientific Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network) is a world-class interactive experience for the whole family based on the global phenomenon, Marvel’s Avengers.
The exhibition has traveled the world with its exclusive storyline steeped in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, integrating science and modern technology with movie based props and augmented reality. [emphasis mine]
Are you ready to join S.T.A.T.I.O.N., the scientific combat support network [emphasis mine] for the Avengers?
Start as a new recruit and delve into the history, science, engineering, genetics, [emphasis mine] and profiles of your favourite Avengers, including Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, the Hulk, Thor, and more. Then, complete your training to become an integral member of the Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.
It seems the Vancouver stop is the only Canadian one on this tour but that could change.
(1) This company’s branding has proved a bit of a challenge for me but here goes: the corporate parent is currently known as NEON or neon (located in Singapore) but it was founded as Cityneon (the name they’ve used on the Canadian Avengers website),
About Neon
A Global Leader In Immersive & Epic Experiences
We specialize in unique, experiential and large scale epic experiences for fans & families. With strategically located entertainment spaces in key markets around the world, neon is uniquely positioned to bring communities together, and closer to what they love.
Founded in April 14, 1956, Cityneon was guided by the principles of excellence coupled with an unwavering commitment to deliver on our promises. Since then, we have grown from strength to strength.
In October 2022, we have repositioned ourselves as neon, a portal & platform for communities to Get CloserTM to what they love. We are committed to helping communities forge new relationships with each other and with the object of their passion, inspiring new stories to be told for decades to come.
(2) Victory Hill Exhibitions is based Las Vegas, Nevada and is a subsidiary of Cityneon (as noted on its LinkedIn profile page).
(3) Paquin Entertainment Group doesn’t seem to have corporate headquarters but they do have offices in Toronto and Winnipeg, as well as, contact email addresses for Vancouver and Nashville. (I’m guessing it’s a Canadian company since Winnipeg is not often mentioned when entertainment enterprises are discussed and there’s a dearth of US offices). Paquin Entertainment Group was last mentioned here, in passing, in a November 30, 2020 posting about the immersive “Imagine Van Gogh” exhibit then due to open.
The Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. experience looks like fun although I’m not sure how educational it will be given that all three exhibition companies seem to be almost exclusively entertainment oriented.
Bill Nye in Vancouver on June 20, 2023
Details about this show come courtesy of Daniel Chai’s November 15, 2022 news item on the Daily Hive (Note: A link has been removed),
Beloved scientist Bill Nye the Science Guy is coming to Vancouver in 2023, and he just might inspire local fans to help save the world.
Science World has announced that The End is Nye! An Evening with Bill Nye the Science Guy! is taking place on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 [8 pm], at Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Nye will be presenting his new live multimedia show based on his Peacock series, The End is Nye. Science World promises that it will be “an eye-opening, funny, informative, incredible evening.”
After returning to screens earlier this year with new series The End Is Nye, Bill Nye has announced plans to take the show on the road in 2023.
Ticketmaster listings point to the beloved Science Guy rolling through Canada on live tour “The End is Nye! An Evening with Nye the Science Guy” with four dates revealed for 2023 at present.
In March of next year [2023], Nye will bring the show to Hamilton’s FirstOntario Concert Hall (March 28) and Toronto’s Meridian Hall (March 29), ahead of Western Canadian stops set for June at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre (June 20) and Calgary’s Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (June 21).
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Nye’s The End Is Nye series, which premiered with a six-episode season in August [2022] via American streaming service Peacock, finds the scientist exploring natural and unnatural disasters with a focus on prevention, mitigation and survival.
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Slingerland’s November 16, 2022 article includes a trailer for The End is Nye series, which may offer some hints about what you might see in Nye’s live show.
Daniel Chai’s November 15, 2022 news item offers a link to where you can purchase tickets, as well as, a few more details. Ticket prices start at $77CAD including all taxes and they add a $3CAD processing fee.
Did you know that “India is the third largest producer of research output in the world?” That’s according to a new ‘white paper’ produced by Cactus Communications’ Impact Science division.
Research communication attracts funders, increases opportunities formulti-institutional collaborations and multi-continent projects, and enhances scientific reputation. India lags behind other nations in actively promoting science. These are the findings of a white paper titled ‘Enriching the Indian Scientific Landscape with Research Communication’ byImpact Science, a Cactus Communications brand that specializes in science communication strategy and tactics. The comprehensive report emphasizes the importance of research communication and high-profile work in terms of publications and patents which allow the scientific community to reach out to a worldwide audience and raise awareness about Indian research. To continue this endeavor, the white paper highlights the need for sustained and increased funding from both private and public sectors.
Research has great potential in enhancing national pride, improving problem-solving capabilities, training the younger generation of scientists, and occasional commercialization. Abhishek Goel, CEO & Co-founder, CACTUS said, “Apart from the fact that it is a public good and that it is needed to inspire the next generation of scientists, the main reason for communicating science and scientific research is to obtain more funding for research. The west has been quite good at attracting philanthropic funding, whereas this remains extremely limited in India. In the west, entire departments or laboratories are funded by endowments and philanthropic money for a long time and we recommend the same for India, especially in the new age of private universities. Such funding would help attract the best of domestic and global minds, working to solve India’s and the world’s problems, from India.”
The white paper addresses the major gap between content portrayal for the academics, scientific communities, and non-scientific audience. It is crucial as limited people have the flair for understanding the language and technicalities of a research paper. Efforts should be invested in opening channels to use the science background and merge it with writing and communication skills that can be understood by the larger audience. Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Former Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said, “One point which everyone agrees is that there is no point in doing science unless and until it is written up and communicated to your peers. Communication is at the heart of all our science.”
Over the years, academic institutions, governments, researchers, and those funding research projects have been concerned about the struggles faced by scientists and researchers’ way of engagement with the larger non-scientific audience. Conveying their research to this set of non-scientific audience needs to be simplified and requires an adequate skillset due to the complexity of the subject matter.
Adding to the perspective, Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Former Director, IIT Delhi said, “Being able to communicate your research to a wider audience is essential. There are times wherein researchers hesitate to explain their work due to technical constraints on the receiving end. Internationally, researchers have showcased perfect combinations of being excellent writers, authors, and effective communicators. The same needs to be inculcated in India. Institutes now have to identify and motivate good communicators among all their researchers and scientists. I believe merely publishing papers will not create an impact in the long run until we generate the knowledge and use that knowledge to create wealth later.”
The white paper further talks about how gradually the government and other research institutes are working toward propagating research and popularising the work through newspaper articles or even blogs and social media posts. Researchers prefer Twitter and LinkedIn over other social media platforms. Engagement on these platforms has led to successful collaborations, increased funding, and award nomination possibilities. Leading institutes and scientists are attempting to reach out to a larger audience by preparing videos on popular and current topics such as vaccines, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. They are creating material in regional languages and uploading them on the Internet which is helping them reach out to a much larger audience than before.
Founded in 2002, Cactus Communications (cactusglobal.com) is a technology company accelerating scientific advancement. CACTUS solves problems for researchers, universities, publishers, academic societies, and life science organisations through innovative products and services developed under the brands Editage, Cactus Life Sciences, Researcher.Life, Impact Science, UNSILO, Paperpal and Cactus Labs. CACTUS has offices in Princeton, London, Aarhus, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, and Mumbai; a global workforce of over 3,000 experts; and customers from over 190 countries. CACTUS is considered a pioneer in its workplace best practices and has been consistently ranked a great place to work over the last several years. To find out more, visit www.cactusglobal.com
About Impact Science
Founded in 2019, Impact Science (impact.science) offers solutions for science dissemination and engagement with peers, public, and policymakers for wider research outreach. Impact Science is a brand of Cactus Communications (cactusglobal.com), a technology company accelerating scientific advancement. Few [sic] key clienteles [sic] Impact Science engages with are Kings College London, Willey, Emerald publishing, Abbott, ASCO, Royal Society of Chemistry, etc.
Before you download the white paper, you will need to give them your name, your institution, your email, etc.
In September next year [2023], Aotearoa New Zealand will welcome women from across the globe to discuss how science, engineering and technology can help create a better, more equitable world.
The 19th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES19) will take place in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest city, 3-6 September 2023. The conference theme – Shaping the Future – will offer examples of and insights for women studying and working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and their advocates, and showcase the potential of science and engineering to change the world for the better.
Women from around the world are invited to submit their work – from fundamental research projects to examples of how science and engineering is being applied in the real world – to be considered for the programme. Abstract submission is open until December 2022, with the full programme confirmed in early 2023.
Organisations are encouraged to support their teams’ personal and professional development by challenging their female staff to submit an abstract on a recent project or piece of research, and by providing opportunities for them to attend the conference in person.
The conference programme will focus on nine areas of STEM:
Protecting and restoring the natural environment
Enhancing liveability through urban transformation
Improving transportation by revolutionising mobility
Transitioning to clean energy
Improving health and healthcare
Providing food security
Advancing technology
Protecting people from natural hazards and other threats
Ensuring STEM diversity and equality.
The programme will also feature keynote speakers from Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and opportunities for networking with like-minded individuals. Following the conference, attendees are invited to join field trips to see Aotearoa New Zealand STEM in action.
“Women are still under-represented in many areas of science and engineering, particularly at more senior levels,” says Emma Timewell, co-Chair of ICWES19 on behalf of the Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS). “Being able to bring women together to discuss not only the amazing work that they do, but also to find ways to improve the global engagement of women in STEM, is a privilege.”
“Aotearoa New Zealand is a country built on innovation in science and engineering,” says Bryony Lane, co-Chair on behalf of Engineering New Zealand. “We’re excited to be able to showcase Aotearoa New Zealand to the rest of the world.”
ICWES is the flagship triennial conference of the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES). ICWES19 is being hosted by the New Zealand Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS) and Engineering New Zealand.
For more information on the conference, including details for abstract submission or sponsoring the conference, go to icwes19.com or follow @icwes19 on Facebook or Twitter.
Abstracts for all three formats (15 minute oral, 30 minute oral or electronic posters) must be clearly written in English and be a maximum of 300 words excluding the title and authors.
Title (maximum 30 words)
Which programme theme(s) best suits your abstract?
Author(s) FAMILY/SURNAMES should be in capitals, no qualifications, or titles. Note the presenting author(s) should be bold and underlined
Affiliations and city/town
Summary of your presentation
The exact length of oral presentations will be made clear to you at the time of acceptance and will depend upon the number of accepted oral presentations. Detailed instructions on how electronic posters should be presented will also be provided at the time of abstract acceptance.
Key dates
Submissions open: Thursday 1 September 2022
Submission closes: Friday 9 December 2022 [emphasis mine]
Free tickets to the event are available as of 9 am ET, today (October 17, 2022). And, if you need more information before you commit, there’s this from the Perimeter Institute’s October 14, 2022 announcement (received via email; Note: I appreciate the wordplay in the title),
An Enlightening Evening of Dark Matter WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26 at 7:30 pm ET Katie Mack and Ken Clark
Dark Matter Night is a live webcast brought to you by Perimeter Institute and the McDonald Institute. Starting at 7:30 pm ET, Katie Mack will discuss the theoretical and observational foundations of dark matter at Perimeter Institute, where she holds the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication. Next, Ken Clark, an associate professor at the Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute, will share experimental approaches that could help solve the riddle of dark matter. We’ll also get a guided video tour of SNOLAB, the state-of-the-art underground laboratory two kilometres beneath Sudbury.
Don’t miss out! Free tickets to attend this event in person will become available on Monday, October 17 [2022] at 9 am ET – at either Perimeter Institute or the McDonald Institute.
Each speaker’s presentation will be simulcast to the live audience at the other institute, and the whole event will be available via free webcast.
Dark Matter Night is one of many ways you can explore the topic – find lots more at darkmatterday.com.
Details of the evening:
6:45 pm: Dark matter demos in Perimeter’s Atrium 7:30 pm: Public lecture/webcast starts
Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist exploring a range of questions in cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. She currently holds the position of Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, where she carries out research on dark matter and the early universe and works to make physics more accessible to the general public. She is the author of the book The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) and has written for a number of popular publications, such as Scientific American, Slate, Sky & Telescope, Time, and Cosmos magazine. She can be found on Twitter as @AstroKatie.
Ken Clark is an experimental astroparticle physicist whose research focuses on understanding the universe at the most fundamental level through rare event searches targeting dark matter and neutrinos. He is one of the leads for the Particle Astrophysics group at Queen’s University, a member of the Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute (McDonald Institute), an affiliated scientist with TRIUMF, and the Canadian spokesperson for the Scintilating Bubble Chamber Collaboration.
[downloaded from https://www.wthub.org/article/happy-ada-lovelace-day-sadly-the-last/]
I love this image. Unfortunately, it heralds what seems to be the last Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) according to the Women’s Tech Hub ~ Bristol,
Posted on by serrie
Happy Ada Lovelace Day – sadly the last!
This year, Ada Lovelace Day was celebrated on October 11, 2022 as Sue Gee notes in her ALD post on programmer.info (Note: Links have been removed),
Last Ever Ada Lovelace Day
Today [October 11, 2022] sees the final ever Ada Lovelace Day, an event which aims to raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. The flagship event, combining science and comedy from an all-female line up takes place online starting at 8:00pm London time
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Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) was founded by Suw Charman-Anderson in 2009 and became an international event celebrating the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
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So why was a nineteenth century aristocrat chosen to be the symbol of an effort to inspire women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths, STEM?
The answer is that, due to her involvement with Charles Babbage, she is widely regarded as the person who wrote the first computer program, for more on this theme see our history article, Ada Lovelace, The First Programmer. This achievement has been widely popularized, including in children’s books, making hers a name that girls might recognize.
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While the Finding Ada Network, which provides one-to-one mentorship for women in STEM and advocates who work towards gender equality, appears to be continuing, this year’s Ada Lovelace Day is the final such event due to lack of financial backing. Suw Charman-Anderson told the BBC the reason it was now coming to an end was:
“incredibly simple – we just couldn’t raise the funding to continue”.
![Uncredited [downloaded from https://mailchi.mp/e40a5373a9cd/dont-miss-artscisalon-poetry-night?e=ee5b8cc3f5]](https://www.frogheart.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ArtSciSalon_PoetryNightApril2023-576x1024.jpg)
