Monthly Archives: April 2026

Sciencish doings: a job as a science channel showrunner, a writing workshop, a podcast, news from an AI conference, and a musical interlude

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I have a number of sciencish doings and a musical event that takes place at the Perimeter Institute.

YouTube science channel job

Thanks to the Science Media Centre of Canada (SMCC) and its April 14, 2026 notice for this news,

Job opening: Showrunner for YouTube science channel, What If [for]
Underknown [creator business]

The role requires a deep understanding of YouTube as a medium. This is a
hybrid role, with 2–3 days a week in our Toronto studio and head
office. It is only for permanent residents in Ontario. …

Before launching off into the job description, here’s a bit more about Underknown from its Wikipedia entry, Note: Links have been removed,

Underknown Inc. is a Canadian digital-first media production company based in Toronto that specializes in short-form educational science and factual programming.

History

Underknown was founded in 2016 by Steve Hulford, Raphael Faeh, and Peter Schmiedchen.[1][2] It began when Hulford and Faeh produced the science-explainer series What If in Hulford’s living room.[3] In 2019, Underknown received C$2.5 million in equity and debt financing, including support from Ontario Creates.[3]

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Productions

Underknown’s programming uses hypothetical questions, survival scenarios and natural history storytelling to explain scientific concepts.[10] Core franchises include the science series What If, the how-to strand How to Survive, the nature show Animalogic and the video essay channel Aperture.[1][8]

…

From the What if showrunner careers page on underknown.com,

About the role

This is a strategic and creative leadership role where you will own the entire editorial direction and run the What If show team. You are responsible for deciding what content is produced, how it is packaged, and continuously monitoring channel and content performance.

The role requires a deep understanding of YouTube as a medium, including its unique language, audience psychology, and mechanics of attention. You must balance the art and science of production, running the channel like a financially sustainable business without sacrificing creative quality.

Day-to-day, you will act as the creative engine and keeper of the channel’s voice, primarily managing the full production lifecycle: pre-production, ideation, packaging, production, and post-production workflows. This includes finding irresistible stories, framing them effectively, and ensuring your team executes quickly at the highest quality.

NOTE: This is a hybrid role, with 2-3 days a week in our Toronto studio and head office. It is only for permanent residents in Ontario, Canada. Applicants that don’t reside in Ontario won’t be considered.

Responsibilities
Content Strategy & Channel Vision
  • Define and maintain the curious, cinematic, and scientifically grounded editorial direction of What If while identifying new growth opportunities.
  • Continuously experiment using audience data to increase watch time and reach.
  • Manage the channel’s P&L and resourcing, balancing creative ambition with financial sustainability and budget targets.
Ideation & Packaging
  • Lead the end-to-end ideation and packaging process, generating and ruthlessly filtering a high volume of concepts into irresistible titles, thumbnails, and hooks.
  • Develop comprehensive episode briefs that provide the production team with a clear creative north star and narrative direction.
Editorial Oversight & Production Management
  • Oversee all editorial and production execution by defining clear creative direction (visual style, tone), managing project timelines, resourcing, and scheduling, and ensuring narrative intent is maintained through clear briefs.
  • Drive continuous improvement and profitability by running data-driven performance experiments, monitoring pacing and profitability, and overseeing branded content executions with external partners.
Team Leadership
  • Lead and mentor a team of producers, writers, editors and our VFX team. Set clear expectations, give actionable feedback, and create the conditions for your team to do their best work.
  • Support team learning and career growth.
Qualifications you bring
  • Five or more years of experience in YouTube content creation, video production, digital media production, or content strategy.
  • A demonstrated track record of contributing to high-performing YouTube content (share examples).
  • Deep familiarity with YouTube’s mechanics: retention, CTR, packaging, algorithm dynamics.
  • Strong writing and editorial instincts.
  • Experience working across the full production pipeline from ideation to publication.
  • Located in Ontario, Canada (required).
  • Passion for science, technology, and speculative storytelling (bonus, but strongly preferred).
  • Experience working with VFX teams is preferred.
How to Apply

Please submit your resume, cover letter, and a portfolio of your previous work, specifically highlighting your video creation work.

Apply

…

Good luck!

You can find Underknown here.

Writer’s workshop: April 15, 2026 deadline!

Another thanks to the Science Media Centre of Canada (SMCC) and its April 14, 2026 notice for this news about a writer’s workshop (wish I’d gotten this a bit sooner),

Banff Mountain Writers Intensive Workshop 2026

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Program dates: October 28 to November 17, 2026
Application deadline: April 15, 2026

This three-week residency for writers in fiction, nonfiction,
journalism, or poetry who are working on mountain narratives,
environmental journalism, stories of adventure, or projects with an
environmental theme provides dedicated time to create, connect with
peers, and receive mentorship.

Here’s a bit more information from the Banff Centre’s Mountain Writers Intensive 2026 webpage,

Overview  

The Mountain Writers Intensive is a three-week residency for twelve writers in fiction, nonfiction, journalism, or poetry. Ideal for projects on mountain narratives, adventure, environmental journalism, and the human connection to landscape, the program emphasizes literary excellence and narrative development. Writers enjoy dedicated time to create, connect with peers, and receive mentorship in Banff’s inspiring mountain setting. The residency overlaps with the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, offering opportunities to engage with visiting authors, editors, and publishers. Lodging and meals are included, allowing participants to fully focus on their craft and creative growth.

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Good luck!

Modem Futura podcasts (a reminder)

I just got a friendly note (via email) from Andrew Maynard, “scientist, author, and professor of advanced technology transitions at Arizona State University,” which reminded me of one of his science communication ventures, the Modem Futura podcast. Before getting to Andrew’s note, here’s more about Modem Futura, Note: I have made some formatting changes so the following is not identical to what you will find on the page,

The Podcast that explores the possible, probable, and preferred futures

Modem Futura is your weekly guide to the future of science, technology, and society—where futures and foresight meets real-world impact. Hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard—educators, futurists, and public scholars—dive into the breakthroughs and big questions shaping tomorrow: AI ethics, space exploration, climate tech, bio-engineering, digital media, STEM education, and the shifting future of work. In candid, banter-filled conversations with innovators, scholars, and storytellers, they unpack how emerging technologies influence human values, creativity, and culture—and what these trends mean for you today.

Whether you’re curious about quantum computing, electric air taxis, or the sociology of robots, Modem Futura connects cutting-edge research with the narratives that drive innovation. Join us each week to explore possible, probable, and preferred futures, and discover practical insights for navigating an increasingly tech-driven world. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be part of the conversation exploring what it will mean to be human in the future!

Listen & Subscribe

[Latest episode: April 14, 2026]

Artemis II: The Science, the Wonder, and the Future of Being Human

For the first time since 1972, human beings have traveled to the vicinity of the moon — and on this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew sit with what that actually means. Recorded while the Artemis II crew was still in transit, this conversation is less a mission briefing and more a meditation on wonder: what it feels like to watch a tiny spacecraft carry four people a thousand times …

Here’s the message from Andrew’s friendly email April 13, 2026 note,

Just a quick FYI that, if you occasionally listen to the Modem Futura
podcast hosted by myself and Sean Leahy, you can now sign up for regular
email updates:

https://andrewmaynard.net/modemfutura/

Notifications just include info on new episodes – nothing else (and you
can obviously unsubscribe at any time once signed up)

And if you’re not a podcast person, apologies for the email intrusion
but hope you’re keeping well anyway.

Cheers

Andrew

Human and artificial creativity

Kate Pullinger, Professor of Creative Writing and Digital Media, Director of the Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries at Bath Spa University (UK), had some thoughts about the recent Aarhus University’s (Denmark) TEXT – Center for Contemporary Cultures of Text conference “AI and the Creative Condition,” which I’ll get to after this from the About the Center webpage,

TEXT: Center for Contemporary Cultures of Text is organized to understand the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) on writing cultures at this pivotal moment in history, in which — after more than 6,000 years of handcrafted text production — we see all aspects of text creation and use are being altered. We are convinced that a research-based understanding of the role of text in a new technological environment is a condition for a prevailing human-centered control of the production and usage of text.

The center works on the evaluation and development of language technology based on linguistic research, as well as on investigating when the introduction of new practices and technologies contributes to a better text culture—and when something valuable is lost. Learn more out the researchers involved and the organization of our work packages.

TEXT is based at Aarhus University and funded by the Danish National Research Foundation. The center’s partners include It-vest, Danish Foundation Models, and Rhetor, with external participants from Cornell University, UC Berkeley [University of California Berkeley], UC Davis [University of California Davis], and the University of Oslo.

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I wasn’t able to find too many details about the conference but there is this from the allai.events AI and the Creative Condition Conference 2026 webpage,

Event Details:

  • Date: [sic]
  • Time: 09:00 AM-06:00 PM (expected)
  • Location: Denmark , Aarhus
  • Type: Conference

Description

The AI and the Creative Condition Conference, held at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies in Aarhus, Denmark, aims to explore the transformative impacts of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) on writing cultures. As we transition from over 6,000 years of handcrafted text production to a [sic]

Highlights

  • Keynote by Karin Kukkonen: ‘Contingency and the Proxies of Literary Writing’.
  • Panel discussion on ‘Creativity in the AI Era: Perspectives from the 7Cs’ by Florent Vinchon and Todd Lubart.
  • Keynote by Roger Beaty: ‘Measuring and enhancing human creativity with AI’.
  • Panel on ‘Uncovering the Patterns of Our Collective Unconscious’ by Ulf Dalvad Berthelsen.
  • Keynote by Kyle Booten: ‘Designing Negative Spaces for Human Minds’.
  • Conference dinner at Det Glade Vanvid on March 23, 2026.
  • Registration deadline: March 8, 2026.
  • Call for papers deadline: December 15, 2025.
  • Hosted by Center for Contemporary Cultures of TEXT and Human-AI Collaboration (HAIC-III).
  • Focus on the impact of Generative AI and Large Language Models on writing cultures.

Anna Katrine Mathiassen wrote a March 25, 2026 conference summary for TEXT, which provides a little more context for Kate Pullinger’s April 8, 2026 posting on Kate’s Newsletter provocatively titled “I Would Prefer Not to Be Publicly Shamed”, Note 1: She leads with a three item introduction, Note 2: Links have been removed, Note 3: Kate Pullinger co-led a writing and digital media masters programme with Sue Thomas at de Montfort University (UK) and I studied with them,

AI and the Creative Condition

Item One: Poetic forms are technologies: a sonnet is an algorithm, which is another word for a set of instructions. If you don’t follow the rules, your poem will not be a sonnet1.

Item Two: The relationships people form with AI chatbots follow recognisable masterplots as the chatbot works to both affirm and entertain the user to keep them coming back for more. This infinite chat spiral can lead in many directions, including human-AI romantic entanglements and, in the worst cases, suicide2.

Item Three: Alan Turing might have formulated the Turing Test (can a computer programme convince you that it is human?) after watching ‘Pygmalion’ by his favourite playwright, George Bernard Shaw. In this play Dr Higgins dialogue-coaches the flower-seller Eliza Doolittle until London’s upper classes are convinced she is one of them3.

In March [2026] I attended AI and the Creative Condition, a two-day conference at Aarhus University in Denmark, and the ideas above came from some of the papers and keynote presentations. Hosted by TEXT: Centre for Contemporary Cultures of Text, the conference brought together a vibrant mix of computer scientists, neuroscientists, psychologists, critical theorists from the humanities, literary studies people, educationalists, writers, artists, and poets. I attended because I’ve followed the work of TEXT for a decade or so now, and because I thought I could do with a dose of well-informed, critical, and engaged thinking on the potential for a world where we ‘write with’ AI, where we figure out how to use language models to enhance and support our writing and researching processes.

Anything positive about the current discussion of AI needs to come with many caveats, the biggest of which is the environmental and energy costs of the data centres and computational power required by these systems. The acronym ‘AI’ has become synonymous with the billionaire tech bros of OpenAI, Meta, X, Google, Anthropic4, etc as they fight it out for market dominance4. The term ‘artificial intelligence’ is so broad no one really seems to know what it actually means. It is present in our lives in multiple ways, deeply embedded within the apps we use on our smartphones, responsible for remarkable advances in medicine as well as, for example, the way the traffic lights on the high street work better than they used to do.

But these days a lot of the media buzz around AI is focussed on LLMs (large language models), the vast datasets composed of human-created language and images that both threaten livelihoods throughout the creative industries while promising huge benefits in increased productivity and, as was the focus of the conference, enhanced creativity. LLMs support ‘generative AI’ which is often referred to as ‘genAI’ – AI models that will generate text, images, and video when prompted.

One of the most interesting presentations at the conference was called ‘Yes! Yes! I Absolutely Love This Insight!’ Affirmative Narrative as Interactional Strategy in Dialogues with LLM Chatbots. The three scholars, Refsum, Walker-Rettberg, and Roin, who co-wrote this paper are part of AI Stories, a research project based in the Centre for Digital Narratives at the University of Bergen, Norway. Their study looked at a court case in the USA where the families of chatbot users who have committed suicide are suing the AI company they see as responsible for these deaths. The scholars analysed the chatbot transcripts from these users, made publicly available due to the litigation. Drawing on their knowledge of literary forms, linguistics and, in particular, narratology, these scholars have shown that the transcripts contain deeply embedded ‘masterplots’ – the myths and stories that are foundational in western culture like, for example, the brave warrior quest plot and the Cinderella love story. It is the combination of these powerful plots, the constant affirmation chatbots offer to the user, and the way chatbots refer to themselves in the first person as ‘I’, that in many cases leads to anthropomorphism and the assumption that the chatbot is in some way sentient. Other studies have shown the dramatic increase in user engagement with chatbot-as-therapist as well as chatbot-as-best-friend and chatbot-as-romantic-partner. The paper theorises that these men killed themselves after having spent months being led by their chatbots through the brave warrior masterplot, a foundational story that often ends in a noble death.

At the same time as the conference was taking place, a debut author, Mia Ballard, was being thrown under the bus by her publishers in the UK and the US for the alleged use of AI in the writing of her novel, Shy Girl. For a balanced look at what took place, read Thad McIllroy’s excellent report on it on The Future of Publishing’s website. The NYTimes reported that Mia Ballard has denied using AI in the writing of the novel and has been so battered by this hugely public and damaging shaming that she feels her reputation as a writer is ruined. At the conference Izabella Adamczewska-Baranowska presented a paper, Talking to the Muse, on the well-respected Polish poet, Justyna Bargielska, who faced a similar scouring in the press for daring to use an AI chatbot to help her think through how best to write about grief for a new collection of poems.

In the UK the Society of Authors has come up with a badge, ‘Human Authored’, that authors can add to their books to make it clear that they have not used generative AI during the writing process. The email announcing this scheme also contained the last call for authors to register their books in the $1.5billion class action against Anthropic’s copyright-defying landgrab of hundreds of thousands of books when they created their LLM, Claude. While I’m a staunch supporter and member of the Society of Authors and am participating in the class action (fifteen of my own titles were used without my permission, six of which are included in this action), I can’t help but think that ‘Human Authored’ is a decent but flawed initiative. …

…

What the AI and the Creative Condition conference helped me think about is that it is possible to harness the power of LLMs to create a kind of playground for writing, a place where you can tap into the research capacities of the models, using them to help you think your way through problems you encounter as you write. In this more positive light generative AI is a technology to think with, a way to boost human creativity. Community-led language models were discussed by Katy Gero, one of keynote speakers; green energy data centres are already a reality in China and other parts of the world.

I’ve come away from Aarhus having eaten too many cardamon buns while undergoing a rethink on whether to engage with these technologies for my own writing practice. …

There’s more about Kate Pullinger on her eponymous website.

Physicists listen to music

The April 13, 2026 notice (received via email) about a musical performance at Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) in Waterloo, Ontario came as a bit of a surprise since there’s no mention of physics as there would be if it were one of their art/science events,

QUATUOR MAGENTA

String quartet on tour from Paris, France

Wednesday, April 22, [2026] at 7:00 pm ET

Perimeter Institute will host the string quartet Quatuor Magenta on April 22 at 7:00 PM. The concert is presented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society (KWCMS).

“A model of technical discipline, elegance and musical excellence” (La Croix, transl.), the QUATUOR MAGENTA was founded in 2021 and is already performing on France’s most prestigious stages, from the Philharmonie de Paris to the Festival de RadioFrance Montpellier. Their “remarkable balance, flexibility and spontaneity” (Diapason, transl.) not only thrills their audiences, but led them to the finals of the 8th Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna and earned them prizes at the 2023 FNAPEC competition (Académie des Beaux-Arts scholarship) and the 2022 Zukunftsklang Competition Stuttgart (3rd prize). November 2024 marked the quartet’s first international tour to Canada with six concerts in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, generously supported by the Centre National de la Musique and SPEDIDAM. 

You can go to the KWCMS concerts page to buy tickets (scroll down as there are other concerts also listed),

Quatuor Magenta

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

New!! The Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, 7:00 pm 
Tickets $40/$10 student on TicketScene and at the door

Haydn: String Quartet Op. 33 No. 2, “The Joke” 
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969): String Quartet No. 5 
Dinuk Wijeratne (b. 1978): Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems
Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E-flat major

QUATUOR MAGENTA  Program and Artist Info 

PROGRAM

Haydn: String Quartet Op. 33 No. 2, “The Joke” 

Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969): String Quartet No. 5 

Dinuk Wijeratne (b. 1978): Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems

Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E-flat major

ARTISTS

Ida Derbesse, 1st violin
Elena Watson-Perry, 2nd violin
Claire Pass-Lanneau, viola
Fiona Robson, cello

“A model of technical discipline, elegance and musical excellence” (La Croix, transl.), the QUATUOR MAGENTA was founded in 2021 and is already performing on France’s most prestigious stages, from the Philharmonie de Paris to the Festival de RadioFrance Montpellier. Their “remarkable balance, flexibility and spontaneity” (Diapason, transl.) not only thrills their audiences, but led them to the finals of the 8th Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna and earned them prizes at the 2023 FNAPEC competition (Académie des Beaux-Arts scholarship) and the 2022 Zukunftsklang Competition Stuttgart (3rd prize). November 2024 marked the quartet’s first international tour to Canada with six concerts in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, generously supported by the Centre National de la Musique and SPEDIDAM. 

The Quatuor Magenta is based in Paris, France, where they are junior artist-in-residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation and ensemble-in-residence at Proquartet – Centre Européen de Musique de Chambre. They have been invited to perform at numerous festivals in France, including the Musikfest Parisienne, the Festival de la Chaise-Dieu, Un Temps pour Elles, Un Été en France with Gautier Capuçon and the Modigliani Quartet’s Festival Vibre!, as well as in Switzerland (Festival de la Collégiale in Neuchâtel) and in Germany (Klangraum Konzerte in Cologne). 

Last season, contemporary music had pride of place with Quatuor Magenta’s participation in the Kronos Quartet’s « 50 for the Future » Marathon at the Philharmonie de Paris’s String Quartet Biennale. This season includes six octet performances alongside the renowned Quatuor Van Kuijk, in partnership with La Belle Saison. 

The Quatuor Magenta was honoured to participate in the inaugural year of the Élite program at the École Normale de Paris, under the mentorship of the Quatuor Modigliani. They currently study with the Quatuor Ébène at their quartet academy at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, as well as with Rainer Schmidt of the Hagen Quartet at the Basel University of Music. They are grateful for the support of the Safran Foundation and ADAMI. They work with Chapeau l’Artiste Production. 

Enjoy!

The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) has a busy April 22, 2026 & April 23, 2026 schedule

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This April 9, 2026 notice of events from SCWIST (Society for Canadian Woman in Science and Technology) popped up in my email (it can be seen here for a limited time),

…

ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING

Feature Author Series

Join us from across Canada on Earth Day for a special Feature Author event with Naomi Fliss and Emanuelle Gelber, authors of I Am River!

This thoughtful and beautifully illustrated story about the Saint Lawrence River encourages readers to think about their connection to water, the environment, and the natural world.

During the event, Naomi and Ema will share the inspiration behind the book, their creative process, and the environmental themes woven throughout the story.

📅  When: April 22 [2026] • 12 – 1 PM EST

🗺️ Where: Virtual – Zoom

💰 Cost: FREE

Get Your Free Tickets!

SPOTLIGHTING YOUTH LEADERS

Youth Perspectives on Science Policy

Hosted in partnership with the Canadian Science Policy Centre, this virtual panel brings together youth and early-career voices to explore how Canada’s science, technology, and innovation ecosystem can better reflect the realities and aspirations of the next generation.

Grounded in insights from the STEM Youth Summit & Expo 2026, it highlights gaps between training and opportunity, barriers to participation, and overlooked perspectives.

By centring youth voices, the discussion aims to reimagine a more inclusive policy landscape where young people help shape Canada’s innovation future.

📅 When: April 22 • 1 – 2:30 PM EST

🗺️ Where: Virtual – Zoom

💰 Cost: FREE

Get Your Free Tickets!

SOLVING CANADA’S BIGGEST TECH CHALLENGES

Teams Driving the Future

Join us for an inspiring event at the forefront of systems change in STEM!

In partnership with Anodyne Chemistries, SCWIST brings together organizations leading the way, showcasing how inclusive STEM workplaces are transforming industries, accelerating high-growth sectors, and shaping Canada’s future economy in the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions.

Attendees will explore how interdisciplinary teams turn ideas into real-world solutions, gain insights on building high-performing teams, and connect with leaders, investors, and emerging talent to strengthen Canada’s innovation ecosystem.

📅 When: April 23 • 5 – 7:30 PM PST

🗺️ Where: Vancouver Art Gallery – 750 Hornby St

💰 Cost: FREE

Get Your Free Tickets!

…

There you have it. BTW, the notice also includes a job posting, which you may want to check out (it can be seen here).

Space junk: do scientists have a fix?

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Given the recent launch of Artemis II on April 1, 2026 on the first crewed US mission to the moon in decades (more about the mission here) and its return to earth today, April 10, 2026, this posting about space junk seems à propos.

December 3 and 4, 2025 were banner days for space debris (or space junk) stories. I have three.

What is the space debris problem and just how bad is it?

Ian Whittaker (Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University) and Lesley Masters (Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Nottingham Trent University) wrote a December 4, 2025 essay for The Conversation that introduces the problem and provides updates on what is happening internationally, Note: Links have been removed,

China routinely sends astronauts to and from its space station Tiangong. A crew capsule is about to undock from the station and return to Earth, but there’s nothing routine about its journey home.

The Shenzhou-20 capsule will carry no crew, because one of its windows has been struck by space debris. Astronauts noticed an apparent crack on November 5 [2025], during pre-return checks.

Space journalist Andrew Jones explained how experts on the ground had studied images of the damage and concluded that a piece of debris smaller than 1mm (roughly 1/25th of an inch) had penetrated from the outer to inner layers of the glass.

Simulations and tests confirmed a low probability that the window could fail during the high-temperature re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere. Although a worst-case scenario, it was one that officials deemed unacceptable. A rescue mission – Shenzhou-22 – was launched to bring the astronauts back from the station.

Experts have been warning about the threat posed by space debris for years. The ever-growing number of space programmes by states and private entities is now contributing to an increasingly congested environment in orbit.

The European Space Agency estimates that there are more than 15,100 tonnes of material in space that has been launched from Earth. There are 1.2 million debris objects between 1cm and 10cm, and 140 million debris objects between 1mm and 1cm.

In low orbit they will be travelling around 7.6 km/s (roughly 17,000 miles per hour), damaging anything they hit. This is how a piece less than 1mm in size was able to penetrate the thick glass of Shenzhou-20’s capsule.

…

A number of countries are able to track what’s in space, but given that these may include classified satellites, there is a reluctance by states to share details. China’s space programme is overseen by its military, in line with a view that space is inherently linked to national security. This only adds to the geopolitical tensions between states around the use of space.

Treaties and responsibilities

The outer space treaty from 1967 sought to outline how space should be governed. But it is outdated and does not account for the increased presence of debris or the proliferation of private space launches. Nor does it address responsibilities when it comes to the sustainable use of space.

A total of 117 states are parties to the treaty, yet while efforts are ongoing to develop new norms around space governance, including the creation of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee, the organisation may offer a platform for cooperation and research but does not result in binding decisions for state action. The lack of any global agreement on space debris, and more importantly repercussions, makes tackling the problem of space debris even harder.

Technology is being developed to address space debris – but this generally appears as concept mission plans with only a few trial tests being launched anywhere globally. Examples include the idea of a harpoon to collect large pieces – although the recoil of such an instrument means the spacecraft that deploys it could become a new piece of debris.

…

A solution for cleaning up the space debris

This December 3, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily (also available with some embedded images in a December 1, 2025 news item on SciTechDaily) offers a technology fix based on the notion of a circular economy,

Earth’s orbit is getting crowded with broken satellites and leftover rocket parts. Researchers say the solution is to build spacecraft that can be repaired, reused, or recycled instead of abandoned. They also want new tools to collect old debris and new data systems that help prevent collisions. The goal is to make space exploration cleaner and more sustainable.

Each rocket launch sends valuable materials into the sky that cannot be recovered, while also releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases and chemicals that damage the ozone layer. A new paper published December 1 [2025] in the Cell Press journal Chem Circularity examines how familiar ideas like reducing, reusing, and recycling could be built into the way satellites and spacecraft are designed, repaired in orbit, and handled at the end of their service lives.

“As space activity accelerates, from mega-constellations of satellites to future lunar and Mars missions, we must make sure exploration doesn’t repeat the mistakes made on Earth,” says senior author and chemical engineer Jin Xuan of the University of Surrey. “A truly sustainable space future starts with technologies, materials and systems working together.”

…

Applying the 3 Rs to spacecraft, satellites, and space stations

According to the team, the foundation of a circular space economy lies in the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reducing waste would begin with building satellites and spacecraft that last longer and can be fixed more easily in space. They also suggest turning space stations into multifunctional centers where spacecraft can refuel, undergo repairs, or even have new components manufactured, which could cut down on the number of launches required.

The authors add that bringing spacecraft and space stations safely back to Earth for reuse would require better recovery systems, including technologies such as parachutes and airbags. They point out that equipment in space experiences significant wear because of extreme temperatures and radiation, so any part intended for reuse would need to pass strict safety checks.

Recovering orbital debris and using advanced technology for safer space operations

The researchers also recommend new efforts to gather orbital debris, such as using robotic arms or nets to collect fragments so the materials can be recycled. This would also help prevent collisions that create even more debris.

Data-driven tools will play an important role in this transition, the authors say. Information gathered from spacecraft could guide improvements in design and help limit waste, while simulation tools may reduce the need for expensive physical testing. They add that AI systems could help spacecraft and satellites avoid dangerous debris in real time.

Transforming the entire space system through innovation and global cooperation

The authors emphasize that a circular space economy represents a major shift in how the space sector works. Instead of focusing on single pieces of hardware, the entire system needs to be considered at once, from the materials used to how spacecraft are operated and retired.

“We need innovation at every level, from materials that can be reused or recycled in orbit and modular spacecraft that can be upgraded instead of discarded, to data systems that track how hardware ages in space,” says Xuan.

“But just as importantly, we need international collaboration and policy frameworks to encourage reuse and recovery beyond Earth. The next phase is about connecting chemistry, design, and governance to turn sustainability into the default model for space.”

This research received support from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust, and the Surrey-Adelaide Partnership Fund.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Resource and material efficiency in the circular space economy by Zhilin Yang, Lirong Liu, Lei Xing, Adam Amara, Jin Xuan. Chem Circularity, 2025; 100001 DOI: 10.1016/j.checir.2025.100001

This paper is open access.

Commercializing space debris cleanup

This December 4, 2025 Stevens Institute of Technology news release (also on EurekAlert) theorizes that commercializing the cleanup will lead to clearer skies, Note: Links have been removed,

High up in the earth’s orbit, millions of human-made objects large and small are flying at speeds of over 15,000 miles per hour. The objects, which range from inactive satellites to fragments of equipment resulting from explosions or collisions of previously launched rockets, are space debris, colloquially referred to as space junk. Sometimes the objects collide with each other, breaking into even smaller pieces. 

No matter the size, all of this debris poses a problem. Flying at high speeds caused by prior launches or explosions, they create danger for operational satellites and spacecraft, which are vital for the efficacy of modern technologies like GPS, digital communication and weather forecasting. At orbital speeds, even tiny fragments can cause significant damage to operational equipment, endangering future space missions and the people who would participate in them. 

“Even if a tiny, five-millimeter object hits a solar panel or a solar array of a satellite, it could break it,” says Assistant Professor Hao Chen, whose research involves space systems design. “And we have over 100 million objects smaller than one centimeter in orbit. So if you want to avoid a collision, you have to maneuver your spacecraft, which takes up fuel and is costly. Additionally, we have humans on the International Space Station who sometimes must go outside the spacecraft where the space debris can hit them too. It’s really dangerous.”

Cleaning up space junk is technologically challenging and expensive. Furthermore, there are currently no incentives for countries or private companies to do so. Without binding international regulations or an enforceable “polluter pays” principle with consequences for non-compliance, the circumstances have led to a “cosmic free-for-all.” So in his latest study, Space Logistics Analysis and Incentive Design for Commercialization of Orbital Debris Remediation published in Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets on October 5, 2025, Chen and his collaborators investigated ways to create commercial opportunities for space operators and debris remediators to clean up the dangerous junk. “We wanted to see whether there’s any potential to have commercial players interested in removing the debris,” Chen says. 

The study analyzed three possible scenarios of debris cleanup — controlled reentry back to earth, uncontrolled reentry back to earth, and recycling in space. All three methods would require a space debris remediation satellite — a vehicle designed to capture and remove space junk from orbit.

In the uncontrolled reentry scenario, the remediation service vehicle would grab the debris from the orbit path it flies in and bring it down to about 350 kilometers away from earth. The piece of debris would continue orbiting around our planet until it enters the atmosphere and either burns or lands someplace. “It will either burn or drop somewhere on earth, but we don’t know where because it depends on the atmospheric drag it receives,” Chen explains. This uncontrolled reentry method is the cheapest as the remediation vehicle doesn’t have to fly long distances. 

In the controlled reentry scenario, the remediation service vehicle would bring the debris much closer to earth, down to about 50 kilometers. “Controlled reentry is more expensive because the servicer needs to bring the debris down closer to earth and then fly up again to get the next piece of debris,” Chen says. “That consumes more energy and more fuel than an uncontrolled reentry.”

In the recycling scenario, the debris would be transported from its original orbit to a recycling center up in space. The transportation would require fuel adding to the cost, but a lot of energy will also be saved by reusing aluminum, the metal commonly used in spacecraft, up in orbit rather than having to bring it up from earth. “It takes about $1500 per kilogram to launch anything from earth to space,” explains Chen. “So if you don’t have to launch from earth, it’s a benefit.”

Next Chen and collaborators analyzed ways to incentivize companies into space debris removal. They used Game Theory and Nash Bargaining Theory, developed by mathematician John Nash, to figure out the fairest deal for the two entities involved — in this case space operators, companies that own and run satellites, and debris remediators, entities that remove the space junk. 

“The debris remediators pay for the missions, the technology, and the actual work. Without some kind of financial incentive, they don’t really gain anything from it — they bear all the costs while others reap the benefits,” says Chen. Meanwhile space operators stand a lot to gain from debris removal. Their satellites can operate more safely and efficiently, so they save money on fuel and operations, since they don’t have to make extra maneuvers to avoid collisions. “However, they don’t actually do anything to remove the debris themselves — they just enjoy the cleaner, safer environment,” Chen points out. 

To solve this problem, Chen’s team proposes creating fees that space operators would have to pay. “We will need some agency to create an incentive for the debris remediators,” says Chen. “The money should come from the people who enjoy all those benefits. Our analysis shows that there is a surplus to be generated from the remediation of orbital debris, and that surplus can be optimally shared by space operators and debris remediators.”

Without such a solution, the space debris dangers will only continue growing, generated by the current and future objects left in orbit, Chen notes. “That is what’s needed to move us closer to a space industry that is safer, more sustainable, and still profitable.”

Chen’s research was funded by the NASA Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy. The team will present their research at NASA headquarters on December 10, 2025.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Stevens is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has been the hallmark of Stevens’ education and research. Within the university’s three schools and one college, more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. Academic and research programs spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other disciplines actively advance the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. The university continues to be consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in career services, post-graduation salaries of alumni and return on tuition investment.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Space Logistics Analysis and Incentive Design for Commercialization of Orbital Debris Remediation by Asaad Abdul-Hamid, Brycen D. Pearl, Hang Woon Lee and Hao Chen. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets Volume 63, Number 1Bimonthly January 2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2514/1.A36465 Published Online:5 Oct 2025

This paper is behind a paywall.

Good luck to the Artemis II astronauts.

For anyone interested in more space debris stories, here are four from this blog,

School scientists at 2026 Greater Vancouver regional science fair (the University of British Columbia) and the 2026 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton, Alberta

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I imagine the students are pretty excited about the 43rd Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair running from April 9 – 12, 2026. The public doesn’t appear to be invited but some of the students from this fair will be invited to present at the 2026Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton where the public will have some access.

First, here’s more about the Vancouver event from an April 8, 2026 media advisory (received via email),

More than 250 projects will be on display at the Greater Vancouver Science Fair on Friday [April 10, 2026 for media only], the most submitted in the competition’s 43-year history.

Media are invited to attend the event and discover projects involving artificial intelligence, robotics, human physiology, pollution solutions and more. Media are also welcome to join a tour of the marine ecology lab.

The fair runs from April 9-11, and more than 200 volunteer judges will award gold, silver and bronze medals to the best projects in the junior, intermediate and senior categories.

Senior prize winners set to enter the UBC [University of British Columbia] faculty of science in their first year will also have the chance to win UBC entrance awards of up to $2,000 towards admission. Seventeen students will be chosen to represent the greater Vancouver region at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton in May [2026].

…

You can find out a little more about the t-shirt, the fair, and its history at the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair website.

As for why the public isn’t invited, I expect that there are money and safety issues at play. Let’s hope there’s some media coverage of the event so we can celebrate the students who worked so hare to get there.

Canada-Wide Science Fair/Expo-sciences pancanadienne

In about six weeks the 2026 Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF)/Expo-sciences pancanadienne (ESPC) will take place in Edmonton, from the CWSPC/ESPC website,

May 23 – May 30, 2026
Edmonton Expo Centre
Edmonton, AB

Canada-Wide Science Fair

May 23 – May 30, 2026
Edmonton Expo Centre
Edmonton, AB

Witness the future of STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] through the eyes of our youth. From groundbreaking research to inventive solutions, each project at the CWSF is a window into the incredible potential of our nation’s young scientists.

Public viewing: 3 PM – 5 PM, May 24 and 9 AM – 2:30 PM, May 28 – 29

Visit the fair

Explore virtually

One way or the other, there’s an opportunity to see some work from student scientists, whether from BC or elsewhere in the country, at the 2026 CWSF/ESPC.

Toronto’s ArtSci Salon and a couple of April 2026 events

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I received (via email) an April 3, 2026 notice from Toronto’s ArtSci Salon featuring two April 2026 art/science events (available online here) being held in Toronto, Note: Some links have been removed,

Beneath the Skin: Biophysical Signals as a Creative Medium

Featuring
Mark-david Hosale 
&
Ilze Briede [Kavi]

Friday, April 10 [2026]
3:00-4:30 pm
Jackman Humanities Building – JHB 100 (first floor)
170 St. George Street [Toronto, Ontario]

This presentation explores an art–science research-creation practice that uses biophysical sensing as a medium for interactive and computational art. Central to this work is The Source (www.biomeci.com), a biosensing platform developed to enable artists and researchers to incorporate physiological signals directly into responsive media systems. The Source supports real-time capture of multiple biophysical signals, including electrocardiography (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA), electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), electrooculography (EOG), and respiratory effort (RSP).  

Mark-David Hosale will introduce The Source and demonstrate how physiological signals provide insight into affective and physiological states and how these states can be used to shape audiovisual, haptic, and multisensory outputs in interactive artworks and performances. 

Ilze Briede [Kavi] will present her academic research and artworks that use The Source, including the collaborative works, Somatic Interventions (2022)and Reimagining Living Ontologies (2024), both of which have resulted in scholarly publications. She will also discuss her current PhD research exploring brain data (EEG) and cybernetic feedback systems in artistic practice. 

The presentation examines how biophysical signals can function not only as measurements of the body but as expressive materials within embodied and cybernetic media systems that expand the sensorium of computational arts.

This is a free public event. Please register via the Eventbrite link here.

This event is organized by the Jackman Humanities Institute Working Group Performing Gestures, Producing Cultures: Towards an Interdisciplinary Understanding of Human Movement.

Sponsored and hosted by Jackman Humanities Institute.

Presented in partnership with ArtSci Salon (https://artscisalon.com/) and BMO Lab (https://bmolab.artsci.utoronto.ca).

Ilze Briede (artist alias Kavi) is a Latvian–Canadian artist and researcher working across visual art, digital design, interactive installation, and live audiovisual performance. Her creative and pedagogical practice engages with biophysical sensing, creative coding, and projection-based media to explore the aesthetic and epistemological potential of physiological data.  Kavi is currently a PhD candidate in Digital Media at York University, Toronto, where her research investigates the design of cybernetic systems for performance and immersive narrative environments driven by real-time biophysical signals.

Mark-David Hosale is a computational artist and composer and an Associate Professor in Computational Arts in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance, and Design at York University. His work explores the boundaries between the virtual and the physical world, spanning performance, public art, and gallery installations. Mark-David is the founder of nD::StudioLab (www.ndstudiolab.com), a research-creation space dedicated to art-science exploration, computational art, and interactive architecture. His research integrates hardware, software, and digital fabrication to create immersive experiences that blur the line between the virtual and the real.

BOOK LAUNCH
Technocreep and the Politics of Things Not Seen
with editors: Neda Atanasoski & Nassim Parvin
Tuesday, April 21, [2026]
5:00-7:00 pm
William Doo Auditorium
45 Willcocks Street
University of Toronto

…

New and emerging technologies, especially ones that infiltrate intimate spaces, relations, homes, and bodies, are often referred to as creepy in media and political discourses. In Technocreep and the Politics of Things Not Seen, Neda Atanasoski and Nassim Parvin introduce a feminist theory of creep that they substantiate through critical engagement with smart homes, smart dust, smart desires, and smart forests toward dreams of feminist futures. Contributing authors further illuminate what is otherwise obscured, assumed, or dismissed in characterizations of technology as creepy or creeping. Considering diverse technologies such as border surveillance and China’s credit system to sexcams and home assistants, the volume’s essays and artworks demonstrate that the potentials and pitfalls of artificial intelligence and digital and robotic technologies cannot be assessed through binaries of seeing/being seen, privacy/surveillance, or harmful/useful. Together, their multifaceted and multimodal approach transcends such binaries, accounting for technological relations that exceed sight to include touch, presence, trust, and diverse modes of collectivity. As such, this volume develops creep as a feminist analytic and creative mode on par with technology’s complex entanglement with intimate, local, and global politics.



…

Neda Atanasoski is Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maryland.

Nassim Parvin is an Associate Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington.

Please, let us know if you can attend here
This event is supported in part by  SSHRC the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada and hosted by New College at the University of Toronto

There you have it.

AI-powered vision reveals wildfire movements; invasive grasses could turn burn scars Into next wildfire; The Structure of Smoke art exhibition (January 9 – April 12, 2026)

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Watching a wildfire in British Columbia (BC),

Caption: The McDougall Creek wildfire burns near Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada, in August 2023. Credit: UBC [University of British Columbia] Okanagan

I believe that 2026 is expected to be another banner year for fires in British Columbia and elsewhere. I have two research papers and, at the end of this posting, an art exhibition all of them concerning fire.

A December 3, 2025 University of British Columbia at Okanagan (UBCO) news release (also on EurekAlert), Note: Links have been removed,

How wildfires spread is more variable and unpredictable than Canada’s standard models assume, new research from UBC Okanagan data scientists shows. 

Ladan Tazik, lead author of a new study in Fire and UBC Okanagan doctoral student, used advanced computer vision tools to capture fire behaviour with a level of detail that wasn’t possible even a few years ago.  

Her work sheds light on the random elements of fire movement—information that could reshape how fire behaviour is modelled and forecasted in an era of worsening wildfire seasons. 

“Image processing techniques let us quantify fire behaviour in real time, including the parts that don’t follow consistent patterns,” says Tazik. “By capturing the randomness in how fires spread, we can build models that better reflect reality and help improve decision-making during active fire events.” 

Tazik led the design, analysis and modelling that form the backbone of the study.  

She used the “Segment Anything Model”, a state-of-the-art AI tool, to extract fire perimeters from experimental burn videos frame by frame to study fire spread dynamics.  

This allowed her to study directional fire spread on sloped terrain without assuming the fire behaves predictably or spreads in a simple line. 

Her analysis confirmed something firefighters may know instinctively: fires race uphill. But when she compared her measurements with the values used in Canada’s official Fire Behaviour Prediction System, the numbers didn’t always line up.  

Real fires often moved faster, and the influence of slope wasn’t consistent from place to place. 

She tested the method on ponderosa pine and Douglas fir fuels often used in fire research. 

This highlights that small differences in fuel, wind and terrain can add to the unpredictability of fire and introduce important variations in how it spreads.  

Even under nearly identical conditions, the flames didn’t behave the same way twice. 

In practical terms, that means most fire spread is shaped by randomness—far more than today’s deterministic models capture. 

“These results show that we need to pair every spread estimate with a measure of uncertainty,” Tazik explains. “Simply multiplying by a slope factor isn’t enough. Fire is dynamic, and our models should acknowledge that.” 

Research supervisor Dr. W. John Braun says the project demonstrates how emerging computer vision tools can transform wildfire science.  

“Tazik proposed innovative ways to tackle this difficult modelling problem,” he says. “Her work shows how high-resolution perimeter data and advanced modelling can help us understand the real variability in fire behaviour. That’s essential if we want to move toward more probabilistic, data-driven prediction systems.” 

The study also included contributions from Dr. John R.J. Thompson, Assistant Professor of Data Science, Mathematics and Statistics, as well as other partners who provided the experimental and field video datasets.  

While the fuel experiments supported the research, Tazik alone led the segmentation and modelling components. 

Tazik says the next step is to expand the approach to more fuel types and fire conditions and use airborne or satellite imagery to study fire spread dynamics.  

With more Earth observation and remote sensing tools available, she sees an opportunity to build models that better capture wildfire dynamics while embracing the inherent uncertainty of fire, rather than smoothing it away. 

“Fires don’t behave perfectly,” she says. “Our tools shouldn’t pretend they do.” 

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Stochastic Behaviour of Directional Fire Spread: A Segmentation-Based Analysis of Experimental Burns by Ladan Tazik, Willard J. Braun, John R. J. Thompson, and Geoffrey Goetz. Fire 2025, 8(10), 384; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/fire8100384 Published: 25 September 2025

This paper is open access.

Next up,

Invasive grasses

What happens after a wildfire can be dangerous according to a March 19, 2026 University of British Columbia (UBC) news release (also on EurekAlert), Note: Links have been removed,

After a wildfire, the flames may fade, but the danger does not. A new study by UBC researchers reveals that burned landscapes remain vulnerable for years, with large areas still bare and at risk of invasion by fast-growing, fire-prone grasses.

The research, one of the largest vegetation trajectory studies in the world, monitored landscapes two years after major wildfires in interior B.C. While some native plants returned, recovery was slower and more fragile than expected.

One of the most pressing concerns is invasive grasses, which germinate early in spring, dry out during the hottest months, and act as dry runways that spread flames at highway speed—a dynamic that contributed to the 2023 Lahaina fire in Maui and is increasingly likely in B.C.’s Interior.

“Areas that looked like post-apocalyptic ground right after the fire are now blanketed in cheatgrass. Once you can see the invasion, the opportunity for rapid response may already be gone,” said Dr. Jennifer Grenz, senior author and restoration ecologist and a member of Lytton First Nation.

Published in Fire Ecology, the study examined vegetation recovery two years after the 46,000-hectare McKay Creek wildfire near Lillooet, conducted in partnership with six Northern St’át’imc communities on whose territory the fire burned. It was made possible by years of pre-fire invasive plant monitoring collected by the Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society in collaboration with the BC Provincial Invasive Plant Program and local Indigenous communities—rare baseline data that allowed the team to test long-held assumptions about post-fire invasion.

Elevation plays a critical role in recovery

The analysis showed a clear elevation trend in post-fire plant recovery. At lower elevations, where conditions are hotter, drier and more accessible to human activity, drought-tolerant invasive species quickly gain a foothold. Heavy traffic from hikers, ATVs [all terrain vehicles], hunters and road maintenance equipment continually introduces new seeds, giving invaders like cheatgrass little competition in the valley bottoms.

Moving upslope, cooler temperatures and lingering moisture create less favourable conditions for invasive species. Here, native shrubs are beginning to regenerate, slowing the advance of non-native plants. Recovery is still slow, but native vegetation is re‑emerging where roots survived the fire.

“In a new era of mega-fires, understanding where and how vegetation recovers could determine the intensity of the next wildfire,” said Dr. Grenz.

Controlling invasive plants

With post-fire restoration resources limited, the researchers highlight three actions that could substantially reduce risk: vehicle and boot washing stations at fire access points to slow seed spread; targeted seeding or planting of native species along roads and high-risk corridors; and early herbicide treatment of small infestations before they expand.

The team plans to continue tracking recovery trends to help communities and land managers make informed decisions.

“A landscape left to invasive grasses after one fire becomes more likely to burn again,” said Virginia Oeggerli, a PhD student in Dr. Grenz’s lab who led the study. “Recovery is part of prevention.”

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Factors influencing early post-wildfire vegetation and implications for invasive plant management in the interior of British Columbia, Canada by Virginia V. Oeggerli, Tara G. Martin, Suzanne W. Simard & Jennifer Grenz. fire ecol (2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-026-00463-x Published: 05 March 2026

This paper is open access.

Smoke, fire, and an art exhibit

The mention of death and rebirth give this exhibition a timely quality during the Easter 2026 season. Oddly with an art exhibition titled, “The Structure of Smoke” at the University of British Columbia’s Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery doesn’t include some participation from the university’s faculty of forestry and environmental stewardship (FES).

Here’s more about The Structure of Smoke from the Belkin Gallery’s exhibition page, Note: This is written for an academic arts audience and not the average punter (i.e., someone like me)

Through the lens of contemporary artists’ engagement with the metaphorical and literal processes of fire and the spaces it creates and displaces, The Structure of Smoke includes works that problematize the poetic, structural and political aspects of fire. These works complicate the inherent contradictions of wildness and domestication, technological progress and social control, colonial conditions, rebirth and death [emphasis mine]. Holding a smoked mirror to contemporary society, the works in this exhibition offer ways to undo the familiar in how we approach our uncertain future.

Speculative in nature, The Structure of Smoke is associative, contextual and driven by artistic practices that disturb existing power relations and question their own conditions and structures. With a focus on ecologies, interconnectedness and relationality the works and curatorial premise consider relating to land, community, family and wildfire ecologies including the non-human. As we have seen with the migration of smoke across the globe and the birth of a regular fire season, the ways in which we live with fire require new strategies that embrace specific Indigenous and ecological knowledges and the ability to develop relations with fire beyond the spectacle and devastation of its impacts.

[These artists are represented:

asinnajaq, Geoffrey Farmer, Amber Frid-Jimenez, Art Hunter, Brian Jungen,
Heraa Khan, Germaine Koh, Evan Lee, Jeneen Frei Njootli, Other Sights,
Pratchaya Phinthong, Susan Point, Samuel Roy-Bois, Kathy Slade,
Laura Wee Láy Láq and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun]

The Structure of Smoke is curated by Melanie O’Brian and Tania Willard and made possible with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and our Belkin Curator’s Forum members.

The Structure of Smoke handout (PDF) features the artists and the work represented in the show.

There are two events left on the calendar (other than the exhibition itself), from the Belkin Gallery’s exhibition page,

Wednesday, 8 Apr 2026 at 2 pm

Concert at the Belkin: The Structure of Smoke

Join us on Wednesday, 8 April 2026 at 2 pm for a concert by UBC School of Music Contemporary Players inspired by the current exhibition, The Structure of Smoke. Led by Director Paolo Bortolussi with support from Joanne Na, this graduate and undergraduate student ensemble from the UBC School of Music will animate the gallery for an afternoon program celebrating themes and responding to chosen works from this exhibition.

All are welcome and admission is free.

Saturday, 11 Apr 2026, 10 am to 4 pm

Room 105, Lasserre Building, 6333 Memorial Road, UBC

RSVP / Tickets

Gathering: Smoke Forecast

Please join us for Smoke Forecast,  a one-day gathering that foregrounds artistic, embodied and community-engaged practices to approach fire and climate justice. Contextualized by the Belkin’s current exhibition The Structure of Smoke, which problematizes the poetic, structural and political aspects of fires through the work of sixteen contemporary artists, Smoke Forecast will begin from our own experiences in the places we call home, and our felt connections to place and each other. Can we tap into artistic, bodily and otherwise knowledges and community connections to weather the crises on our doorstep, together?

Seeking to complicate the contradictions of wildness and domestication, shelter and vulnerability, technological progress and social control, the gathering will engage arts-based methodologies for developing richer climate change knowledges, where community members are also co-producers of this knowledge.

The day will include two panels, a walkshop, lunch and an exhibition tour with artists, theorists and community practitioners to highlight ecological and Indigenous knowledges on wildfire in a time of climate change.

Smoke Forecast is free and open to all, but space is limited. Please RSVP by 7 April 2026.

Program

10 am: Welcome

10:15-11:15 am: Wildfire, Smoke, Creativity and Grief Taylor Baptiste, Clint Burnham and Liz Toohey-Wiese, moderated by Amy Harris

11:30 am-1 pm: Forest/Weather: A Climate Justice Walkshop
Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Astrida Neimanis, χʷəy̓χʷiq̓tən/ Audrey Siegl and Ruby Singh
Please dress for the weather; while the walk will be slow and gentle, it will be outdoors

1-2 pm: Lunch

2-3 pm: Developer Lightning Lorna Brown, Amber Frid-Jimenez and Samuel Roy-Bois, moderated by Melanie O’Brian

3 pm: Exhibition Tour
Curatorial tour of The Structure of Smoke at the Belkin with Melanie O’Brian and Tania Willard

Smoke Forecast is organized by the Belkin, Astrida Neimanis and Amy Harris, with additional support from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, the UBC Centre for Climate Justice and the UBC Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory.

…

Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
University of British Columbia
1825 Main Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada V6T 1Z2 Map
xʷməθkʷəy̍əm | Musqueam Territory

Contact

Telephone: +1 (604) 822-2759
Email: belkin.gallery@ubc.ca

Happy Easter! Joyeuses Pâques!

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and music composition

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Brain implant recipient Galen Buckwalter and his wife, Deborah, play together in the LA-based punk band Siggy (source: courtesy of Blackrock Neurotech). [downloaded from https://engtechnica.com/music-composed-directly-from-neural-signals/]

h/t to Jose Ruben Rodriguez Fuentes’ one line April 1, 2026 posting “Meet the Man Making Music With His Brain Implant” posting on Lifeboat

Ruchika Saini’s March 31, 2026 article on ENG technica provides some technical detail about the musician and his brain-computer interface (BCI) Note: A link has been removed,

Music Composed Directly from Neural Signals

…

A new chapter in brain-computer interface research is emerging, one that extends beyond restoring movement or communication into the realm of creative expression. The Wired.com article profiles Galen Buckwalter, a 69-year-old quadriplegic who is using implanted neural devices to compose music directly from his brain activity.

Buckwalter received six implanted electrode arrays developed by Blackrock Neurotech as part of a research study. These implants detect neural signals associated with intended movement and translate them into digital commands. Initially designed to help paralyzed individuals control computers or regain limited sensation, the system has evolved in his case into a tool for artistic creation.

Working with a researcher at the California Institute of Technology, Buckwalter uses an algorithm that maps specific brain activity to musical tones. Instead of pressing keys or strumming strings, he imagines movements, and the system converts those signals into sound through a virtual interface. The result is a form of composition that bypasses traditional physical interaction entirely.

For Buckwalter, who has a background in music, the experience is both technical and deeply personal. He describes the process as learning to play a new kind of instrument, one that exists entirely within the brain. The sounds he generates have already been incorporated into a song titled Wirehead, demonstrating that neural output can function as a legitimate creative input [emphasis mine].

The broader implication lies in redefining the purpose of brain-computer interfaces. While much of the field focuses on restoring lost abilities, Buckwalter’s work highlights the importance of creativity and enjoyment. Researchers are beginning to recognize that quality of life includes not only function but also expression, exploration, and agency.

…

I found out more about the music in this March 11, 2026 posting on nationaltoday.com,

SIGGY Releases ‘Wirehead’ Album Created from Neural Signals by Neuroscientist Dr. Galen Buckwalter

The album explores consciousness, identity, and the evolving relationship between humans and machines through experimental rock music.

SIGGY, an alternative rock project led by neuroscientist and brain-computer interface researcher Dr. Galen Buckwalter, announced the upcoming release of its new album ‘Wirehead’, scheduled to debut on streaming platforms on March 15, 2026. The project draws conceptual inspiration from neural interface research that translates brain activity into digital signals, exploring how emerging neurotechnology may influence creative expression and the future of music.

Why it matters

The research foundation behind these technologies demonstrates how neural interface systems designed for therapeutic goals can also support creativity, identity, and expanded user experience. The album ‘Wirehead’ raises questions about where human expression ends and technology begins as neural technologies and artificial intelligence continue to evolve.

…

  • The album ‘Wirehead’ is scheduled to debut on streaming platforms on March 15, 2026.

The players

SIGGY

An alternative rock project exploring the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and technology through music, blending experimental sound design with emotionally driven songwriting and conceptual storytelling.

Dr. Galen Buckwalter

A neuroscientist and entrepreneur known for contributions to brain-computer interface research and neurotechnology innovation. He is the co-founder of two companies, psyml.co (psychology/machine learning) and Credtent.org (content licensing for AI).

Ryan Howes

A Pasadena-based clinical psychologist and author of The Mental Health Journal for Men, who brings sharp melodic instincts and a clinician’s insight into human tension, channeling both into Siggy’s wired, cerebral edge.

Deborah Buckwalter, Ph.D.

A clinical and neuropsychologist who anchors Siggy with steady, melodic bass lines and intuitive harmonies, bringing decades of therapeutic insight and relational intelligence to the band’s chemistry.

Paul Netherton

Siggy’s rhythmic engine, delivering driving percussion that powers the band’s live intensity. Beyond music, he’s a longtime fixture in the Altadena community through his thrift store.

…

Emily Mullin’s Mar 30, 2026 article for Wired “Meet the Man Making Music With His Brain Implant” is behind a paywall. I’ve not been able to read it but based on past experience of the magazine’s articles, I’m guessing it provides a lot more detail than I can about Buckwalter’s intriguing work.

On other fronts, there’s an Italian research team that’s also working with BCI and music, Note: The link and citation follows this excerpt from their paper,

Music exerts a profound influence on the human brain, involving distinct neural networks that modulate emotions, trigger memory recall, and affect various neurological states1. Understanding how musical information is represented in neural activity has implications for both basic neuroscience and potential clinical applications. For example, Brain–Computer Music Interfacing (BCMI)2 explores how musical features can be decoded or modulated from brain signals, potentially supporting personalized auditory stimulation or communication for individuals with motor impairments. In addition, music-based cognitive tasks could improve cognitive functions such as mental flexibility and creativity3.

…

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Reconstructing music perception from brain activity using a prior guided diffusion model by Matteo Ciferri, Matteo Ferrante & Nicola Toschi. Scientific Reports volume 15, Article number: 42108 (2025) Version of record: 26 November 2025 Published: 26 November 2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-26095-w

This paper is open access.

The Italian team posted an earlier paper on arxiv.org,

R&B – Rhythm and Brain: Cross-subject Decoding of Music from Human Brain Activity

Matteo Ferrante
Department of Biomedicine and Prevention University of Rome Tor Vergata matteo.ferrante@uniroma2.it
& Matteo Ciferri* Department of Biomedicine and Prevention University of Rome Tor Vergata matteo.ciferri@students.uniroma2.eu
Nicola Toschi Department of Biomedicine and Prevention University of Rome Tor Vergata A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging Harvard Medical School/MGH, Boston (US) These authors contributed equally to this work

License: CC BY 4.0

arXiv:2406.15537v1 [q-bio.NC] 21 Jun 2024

This paper is open access.

Blackrock Neurotech can be found here.

Finally, my October 21, 2025 posting encompasses some of the evolving issues where artificial intelligence, intellectual property, brain implants, and cyborgs are concerned and poses this question at the end: So, who does own a thought?

Public trust in science journalism: comparative insights from Germany, Italy, and Lithuania

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German language skills could be handy for reading this poster although the visuals help for those of us who don’t have those skills,

Caption: Visual design of the research project Credit: ITAS (Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis)

A September 22, 2025 Sissa Medialab press release on EurekAlert announces the results of research project, Note: SISSA is the International School for Advanced Studies or, in Italian, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati; and it owns SISSA MediaLab (as per my May 14, 2025 posting),

“Trust in science is collapsing”—that’s the alarm we often hear. It’s not surprising, then, that recent years have seen major efforts to study the phenomenon and its dynamics in the general population. Far less attention, however, has been paid to the information professionals—journalists—who play a crucial bridging role between the world of scientific research and the public. A new paper in the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM) by a research group at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, gives voice to journalists in three countries—Germany, Italy, and Lithuania—each representing a different media ecosystem.

The picture that emerges is far more fragmented and nuanced—and, above all, strongly context-dependent—than the common narrative would suggest. The journalists described themselves as being in constant negotiation with their audiences, calling themselves “knowledge brokers.” They also stressed that, in today’s science journalism, fact-checking and accuracy must be coupled with political, social, and emotional dimensions and with audience expectations, and they highlighted the need for new co-creative media formats.

“According to the journalists involved in our study, trust in science is not collapsing,” explains Nora Weinberger, a researcher at ITAS and one of the authors of the study, who contributed to the analysis of the focus-group data (that were all pre-analyzed locally). “That was kind of a surprise for me, because in the media and in discussions among researchers there’s this idea of a collapse, while participants in our study see trust as being constantly negotiated.”

“Public trust in science is not uniformly declining,” confirms Dana Mahr, also a researcher at ITAS and the study’s first author. “It’s fragmented, dynamic, and highly dependent on social, political, and media contexts, as well as individual expectations.”

The focus-group study involved 87 participants—mostly journalists (also including a number of science and institutional communicators and a few scientists)—across three very different countries. Germany shows a relatively solid landscape for science journalism, with dedicated desks in public broadcasters and major outlets, a strong professional network, and good fact-checking practices. Italy is more fragmented, with fewer pure science desks, many freelancers, and often poorly paid. As described by one Italian participant: “Science journalism in Italy is treated as a luxury. When there’s a crisis, it suddenly matters. Otherwise, it’s ignored.” Lithuania, shaped by its post-communist past, has a very small market with few full-time specialists; science is often covered by generalists or in collaboration with universities and research centers.

Context effects and fragmentation

Journalists highlighted the public’s growing ideological polarization: some continue to trust scientific institutions, while others assess information through an emotional and political lens. As one German participant put it: “People don’t evaluate scientific facts independently anymore. They trust or reject science based on whether it aligns with their political identity.”

They also criticized a reactive form of journalism that works on a very short time horizon and often depends on contingencies and public mood. In practice, topics are covered mainly in emergencies (think of the pandemic), while in-depth, long-term reporting is rare. This dynamic, by reducing the public’s familiarity with scientific issues, ends up triggering a vicious circle that further undermines trust in scientific research.

Online sets the agenda

Another key point is that dynamics of the online sphere spill over offline, shaping what appears in print. “The same article gets published in print and online, and if it gets no clicks online, then the topic doesn’t come up next time in the editorial discussions with regard to the print,” explains Mahr.

This further restricts in-depth coverage of important topics — from vaccines to climate change: if a subject doesn’t draw online interest, it stops being covered. Mahr cites global warming: although it’s scientifically crucial, it no longer attracts audiences unless framed with sensational headlines (often misleading, sometimes not evidence-based), and is gradually sidelined by outlets. “The journalists in our focus groups expressed the idea that basically you cannot do journalism on climate change because the public is overladen with information. Basically they are tired of the topic of climate change.” This, in turn, creates space for “alternative information” (not evidence-based and driven by a specific political agenda), which spreads pseudoscientific misinformation.

The role of support structures

Because journalism is so dependent on context and “market” factors, participants stressed the need for broader infrastructures to support their work: “Whether journalists can foster trust depends less on individual reporting and more on systemic conditions,” explains Weinberger. “Now there is really a need for media infrastructures and institutional support. Trust, and political culture, are questions of structures in society, not only of journalistic skills or good stories. For me, that was really surprising, in a way.”

The envisaged structures include elements that help mitigate market pressure: more stable funding (e.g., public service media), dedicated science desks, investigative funds, fact-checking units, collaboration networks, and ongoing training. In Germany, for example, these supports are more established than elsewhere, reducing click pressure and enabling longer-term, well-contextualized coverage.

Trust brokers and co-creation

“What I found really interesting was that they see their role as trust brokers—not only translating complex research, but also building trust,” says Weinberger. “That is not their formal job description, and from my point of view this represents a shift in their role.” This emerges in all three countries studied, despite clear differences in the media landscape. Journalists do not see their work as only conveying scientific information clearly, fairly, and accurately. They also take on an active role of mediation and dialogue with the public, in some cases pushing the profession toward the edge of activism. They feel literally tasked with building public trust in science.

For this reason, they believe news formats should incorporate more co-creation. “The journalists are aware of the social contract that we connect to the role of journalists—so they want to make it even stronger, with more transparency, more humility, and more dialogue with audiences. Basically, their idea is to allow more co-production.” 

The strategies mentioned include producing interactive formats such as podcasts and Q&A sessions, and building relationships within digital communities instead of relying on one-way messaging, adapting content to the platforms without compromising scientific accuracy. These approaches are not panaceas, but necessary experiments that mark a shift from simple dissemination to dialogue and from authority to co-creation, recognizing that trust must be built by meeting audiences where they already are.

The article “Science journalists and public trust: comparative insights from Germany, Italy, and Lithuania” by Dana Mahr, Arianna Bussoletti, Christopher Coenen, Francesca Comunello, Julija Baniukevic and Nora Weinberger is published in the Journal of science Communication JCOM. The study was conducted as part of the EU Horizon Europe project IANUS (Inspiring and Anchoring Trust in Science, Research and Innovation, Link: https://trustinscience.eu/) aimed at strengthening warranted trust in science, research, and innovation through inclusive, value-sensitive, and participatory approaches.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Science journalists and public trust: comparative insights from Germany, Italy, and Lithuania by Dana Mahr, Arianna Bussoletti, Christopher Coenen, Francesca Comunello, Julija Baniukevic and Nora Weinberger. Journal of science Communication or JCOM 24 (05), A01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/149220250818111637

This paper is open access.